Solid Stone Mining tricks?

[Pyxishroom]

Does anyone have any tricks to make mining full stone blocks more efficient? I feel like my method of punching out a square grid and going down to the next block level to clear underneath just gives way too many cobbles. I'm trying to build a house with a solid stone flooring while in the bronze age so getting this as efficient as possible would help a ton!

[Calmest_of_lakes]

ngl, this is something I throw in the towel for and install a mod to do. for whatever reason, the devs want to make collecting stone blocks as tedious as possible. 

the dev of my mod of choice cant work on mods for the forseeable future, so he recommended this: https://mods.vintagestory.at/stonequarystandalonerepack

[EnbyKaiju]

I either do the mining down grid if I'm on a flat space, or I dig out parallel tunnels 4 blocks high (imagine minecraft strip mining), then I go from the top down on the blocks in the middle in a chessboard pattern. It's especially good for when you're in deep caves or in rock layers that aren't particularly thick like phyllite or kimberlite.

Is it the most efficient? No, but you get a solid result and it's super easy to light up.

[KahvozeinsFang]

This is the mod I use. https://mods.vintagestory.at/ndlchiselpicks

 

Its completely replaced stone quarry for me. Its just a pickaxe that, when used drops the full block. It also has a mode for gathering ashlar blocks as well. Cheap, simple and easy. Can't recommend it enough. 

[WiggleStick]

16 hours ago, Pyxishroom said:

Does anyone have any tricks to make mining full stone blocks more efficient? I feel like my method of punching out a square grid and going down to the next block level to clear underneath just gives way too many cobbles. I'm trying to build a house with a solid stone flooring while in the bronze age so getting this as efficient as possible would help a ton!

 I cut a rectangle around a 2x10x 7 tall section.

Take out the top row and the bottom row.

Cut opposing checker boards on the sides.

This gives 50 solid blocks each section.

[Optimus_Hawk]

6 hours ago, WiggleStick said:

 I cut a rectangle around a 2x10x 7 tall section.

Take out the top row and the bottom row.

Cut opposing checker boards on the sides.

This gives 50 solid blocks each section.

This is the same method that I use and it works great!

[Thorfinn]

A while back, someone proved mathematically that there is a method 40% efficient -- for every 10 mined you get 4 solid stone. @WiggleStick and @Optimus_Hawkare close. Looks like it takes two 10x7 channels, (you only have to count one of them if you are extending, though there is a 70 overhead) then half the blocks in that right parallelepiped, for a total 140 mined to obtain 50. There are also a few you save if you extend the other direction -- 7 per batch, I think. But still, a bit over 35% is quite respectable, and easier than working on the pattern he came up with.

You can also save a little bit if you dig into a cliff face, as that's a vertical cut you get for free, and if you dig all the way through a mesa, you can get another vertical for free, and it's conceivable that you can get a few for 1, or even 0 mined. Spires, particularly floating islands can be better. There was also some weird screenshot someone posted that had thin columns going to worldheight. At least some of those are better than 40%.

But that's a lot of hassle for very little gain. Just go with the method @WiggleStick and @Optimus_Hawk describe. It works anywhere, and is easy to remember.

[WiggleStick]

You can get the higher percentage by not taking out the top and bottom row, just add it to the pattern.

Then go vertical (down 7) for your  next set.

I don't go that route to prevent drifters from dropping on my head when I end up deep..

[Dark Thoughts]

Salty's Stone Harvesting is a great alternative, or even addition alongside, the quarry mod - especially for smaller scale projects where you don't need a gazillion stone blocks.