The practice of stone masonry has been around for a long time. The actual date of when the craft originated is unknown. Such famous results of the art of stone masonry can date back to the time of the ancient Egyptians and the pyramids. Since the dawn of civilization mankind has been creating works of art based on stone. From buildings to sculpture all these things have the same thing in common; they all come from the stone of the earth. Even today these materials are still used to create monumental constructs some of which still exist today.
The craft of stone masonry is broken down into six main categories. There are quarrymen who dig and crack rocks in two. They clear out quarries and mine sides of mountains. The second group are called sawyers; they cut blocks of stone into specified sizes for various uses and projects. Banker masons are the third group who cut stone into geometric shapes for all manner of designs. Using chamfers and tracery windows they can cut any shape from a stone. These are the elaborate stone carvings and columns you see on buildings. For thousands of years, banker masons have been carving rock into structures which are cut so precisely they can stand on their own as if they were a part of the floor they stand on.
The fourth group are called carvers; they mix both art and crafting as they carve stone and rock into plants, characters, animals and even abstract designs. This work takes incredible ability and talent, a carver is indeed considered one of the more skilled of any stonemason. Fixer masons are the fifth group. They serve one purpose, to affix stone work to buildings. They use lifting equipment and cramps and dowels as well as cements and epoxy resins to adhere to stone work to the buildings in general.
Finally, the sixth groups of masons are called memorial masons who carve one thing, gravestones. The modern stone mason goes through a long exhausting length of classes and apprenticeships. A stone mason is skilled in the art of working with all types of stone and working with a large number of various sculpting tools. It takes quite some time before someone can become an official stone mason and need to spend a good amount of time working under the guidance of a well experienced stone mason. However in the end, it is rather evident that a stone mason's education shows its worth in their skill and ability.
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