Stone carving has not really changed over the millennia. We still use hammers, chisels, saws, and files to shape the stone. The only difference is that today many tools are powered by air or electricity. Power tools allow me to work faster, but I use hand tools for a lot of the work – it is far more satisfying and gives a deeper sense of connection with the stone.

Stone sculpting is subtractive, a one-way process. Once a piece is cut off (or falls off!) there is no putting it back. So, a lot time is spent thinking and visualizing before so any cutting or chiseling.

But with every piece there is Whoops moment - something falls off or breaks differently than expected. It took me along time to recognize these moments as good, as the intervention of the stone itself guiding the evolution of the work. In every case, the Whoops resulted in a better, more interesting and creative piece.

Please click on the pictures below for a fuller view.

Drilling a hole for water Drilling a hole for the water. I use core bits up to 8 feet long. The drill is high-speed because it is the diamonds on the tip grinding away the stone that cuts the stone.  The faster they move, the faster the bit cuts.  Water flows through the hollow center of the core bit to cool the bit and carry away dust that could cause the bit to jam.
Hand sanding in a tight spot Hand sanding in a tight spot. Using finer and finer sandpaper produces a smooth finish, with each finer grit removing the marks from the last grit. 
Cutting out a section of stone Cutting out a section. They don't call us Dust Eaters for nothing! The saw blade, like all of the tools, is covered in industrial diamonds. Notice that I always wear ear and eye protection -- you never know when a shard will fly out and hit you.
Stone
sculpting is
really active
and takes
not only
strength but
tremendous
concentration,
since you are
using the
kind of sharp, rotating
objects that
your mother
warned you
to stay away
from.