How is a headstone marker manufactured?

The process begins at the quarry where a block of stone is extracted and cut down to size at the manufacturing plant. Once a section of stone at the quarry has been surveyed and approved for extractions, initial holes are drilled into the mountain and a diamond wire cable is then fed through the holes to form a loop, which is driven at high speed to cut through the stone. Once finished cutting heavy machinery is used to separate the cut from the wall and will push or pull the stone over. The blocks are cut and squared and moved to the manufacturing facility.

Once the block is received at the manufacturing facility it will move forward to the first step of the production line. There are several ways to cut a block to get a four-inch-thick headstone marker. Some of the most common methods are gangsaw, single wire-saw and multi-wire saw. The gangsaw uses multiple diamond saw blades to cut through the stone with a back-and-forth motion. Both the single and multi-wire saws cut the stone into four-inch sections using a high-speed diamond wire.

Once the block is cut into four-inch slabs, it is transferred to the finishing line using vacuum suction cups. The finishing line will give the slab an appropriate finish as several heads which contain honing pads are swept across the stones surface at a high spin rate to enhance the appearance of the stone.

After the slab is honed it continues down the line onto the bridge saw machine. This bridge saw machine has seven saw blades that simultaneously cut the stone slab into multiple 12-inch wide strips. These strips then move through a conveyor into a second bridge saw that will cut the strip into 24-inch rectangular headstone marker pieces.

Next based upon your personalization of the headstone or grave marker we will cut out what is to be engraved on a thick piece of stencil that is glued on top of the headstone. Using the sandblast method, where abrasive material is propelled at high velocity with an air hose, it will cut out the stencil outline that has been placed. Next with the stencil still on a black paint is sprayed onto the stone for an enhanced appearance, then final cleaning will take place to create a beautiful custom headstone or grave marker.