quarry pics

Vermont Verde Antique® has been quarried here in Vermont for

well over one hundred years.

Vermont Verde Antique operates a deep hole quarrythat reaches depths of over two hundred feet.

Due to the nature of our stone formation we quarry using diamond wire and belt saws, no blasting is involved. This picture displays one of the belt saws being used to strip the floor.

A belt

The belt saw makes initial cuts to a depth of 5’6” for a length of 100’. On average the belt saw can cut about one inch per minute.

These cuts are put in every 5’6” across the floor, then a center cut is put in to split the floor in half at 50’. The end result is a quarry floor cut into long strips 50’x5’6”x5’6”.

The track is made up of ten foot sections that can be lifted and set three at time.The belt saw is left on a piece of track and they are moved together. They are lifted with a 35 ton derrick.

Diamond wire is then placed in the bottom of these cuts around three or four of the strips. The wire is then rotated and pulled horizontally by a wire saw and the bottom is cut free

Each strip is then lifted and moved horizontally away from the adjacent strip by the use of hydrobags.

Three to four hydrobags bags are place through out the bottom of the strip.

The bags are then connected to a small three horse power water pump and are pumped full of water lifting the entire 50’ long strip.

As the strip is being bagged up thick metal wedges are slid between the floor and the strip to ensure that if a bag was to break the wedges will keep the strip where it had been jacked up, instead of it dropping back down.

Once the strip has been lifted, 4x4’s are slid under the strip and the bags are released, leaving the strip sitting on the 4x4’s.

The strip is then visually inspected to determine the location for vertical cuts to be made; this ensures optimal block size and soundness.

After determining were to trim the strip a diamond wire is wrapped around the strip where it is to be cut. This wire is then rotated and pulled vertically backwards by a wire saw, cutting the strip into blocks.

Thick steal cables are used to lift the blocks. First one of the cables is wrapped around the front of the block lifted.

This allows the second cable to be slid under and around the block.

Once both cables are around the block it is able to be lifted and sent out of the quarry to be stored or shipped out.

This quarrying process is done through all weather conditions.