A place where exposed surfaces of good quality natural rocks are abundantly available is known as ‘quarry’ and the process of taking out stones from the natural bed is known as ‘quarrying’. This is done with the help of hand tools like pickaxe, chisels, etc., or with the help of machines. Blasting using explosives is another method used in quarrying.
The stones after being quarried are to be cut into suitable sizes and with suitable surfaces. This process is known as the dressing of stones and it is carried out for the following purposes:
- To make the transport from the quarry easy and economical.
- To suit the requirements of stone masonry.
- To get the desired appearance for the stonework.
The different stages of dressing are:
- Sizing: This is reducing the irregular blocks to the desired dimensions by removing extra portions. It is done with help of hand hammers and chisels.
- Shaping: This follows sizing and involves removing of the sharp projections. Many stones are used in common construction after shaping.
- Plaining: This is rather an advanced type of dressing in which the stone is cleared off all the irregularities from the surface.
- Finishing: This is done in case of specially dressed stones only and consists of rubbing of the surface of stones with suitable abrasive materials such as silicon carbide.
- Polishing: This is the last name in dressing and is done only on marbles, limestone and granite.
DRESSING OF STONES