The occupation of a stonemason involves the construction of structures by shaping chunks of rocks or stones or pebbles in various forms and designs according to the customer’s needs. The constructions made by them can be use as gravestones, built houses, specifically design memorials, etc. The satisfaction of a stonemason is their ability to create bespoke and beautiful pieces out of stones and rocks and each of their creation is specifically demand by their customers. A skill stonemason can meet almost all the designs that customers generally demand and provide a variety of pieces in their catalog to choose from.
Since the start of civilization, stonemasons have been responsible for the creation of numerous buildings, sculptures, and other constructions and that’s where the tradition came from that has been turn into an artistic aspect nowadays. Stonemasons built some of the world’s most iconic buildings and finest architectural works, including the Easter Island sculptures, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, and the Chartres Cathedral, to mention a few.
How do they work?
In stonemasonry, the first thing stonemasons do is that they sketch up the blueprints for the foundation and walls using straight lines, rulers, and a straight edge. Then irregular rock fragments are shaped into the appropriate shapes and designs for construction and ornamentation, and the resultant rock pieces are then combine to build buildings and monuments. They use gauge lines, levels, and other tools to align both horizontal and vertical axes of the constructions they are building.
Their duties may also include utilizing hammers, chisels, and power grinders to smooth out damage or rough areas and using a blowtorch to fix cracked or chipped stones.
Types of stonemasons:
Various types of masons perform different types of stonework base on their area of expertise. Depending on their specific area of stonework, they take up different types of projects specific to their area of work.
- Quarryman:
Quarry masons work in a quarry and that is why they are known by this name. A quarryman splits rock sheets along the rock’s vein to harvest large pieces of stone. They perform extensive manual labor as they work in a quarry and with huge boulders of rocks. Their work is crucial as the smaller chunks of rocks which they provide are then use by other stone masons in the construction of buildings and other fine stonework’s.
- Swayer mason:
Sawyer masons use diamond-tipped saws to shape large, uncut slabs of stone into the desired size and shape. These cut rocks are then use in the construction of finer pieces which are use as ornamental pieces large monuments and artistic buildings.
- Banker mason:
These stones are taken by a banker mason, who further shapes and sizes them in their workshop to match the specifications of the construction plans. A banker mason aims to put the shape stone in the structure in a manner that the ultimate thing when place in the ground would look natural.
- Carver mason:
They are the ones who carve patterns and designs out of the stone. They generally make pieces such as structures of animals, people, or other motifs, employing their creative talent. These carve stones are then fit into different patterns to create the desire designs as per the customer’s request.
- Fixer mason:
A fixer mason is an expert in permanently attaching stone to building the require shapes, designs, and patterns using all sorts of adhesive substances. They do a high amount of manual labor and need to move extremely heavy blocks of stone.
- Memorial mason:
Also, most commonly refer to as stone carvers, these masons usually carve gravestones and build shapes desire by customers to put up on graves and other memorial monuments. The work of these masons requires a high amount of precision and meticulous practice.
Skills that a stonemason must have:
Stonemasonry, although looks easy, requires a high level of precision and training to perfect. Following are the key skills require by them to effectively perform their tasks:
- Ability to work well in a team
- Comprehending difficult instructions and carrying out the expect tasks with precision
- Meticulous work habits to perfectly carve out the desire designs and patterns
- Physically fit and healthy
- Creativity to solve all sorts of problems and high imagination
- Proactiveness
- Practical application of their skills in a require fashion
- Artistic and sketching skills
- Being good, if not excellent at basic mathematics
Conclusion:
The task of a stonemasons requires attention to detail, high precision, and an artistic mind. They are the professionals who make beautiful pieces curving from hard stones. The high demand in today’s market for decorating things or for other purposes.
