Chopping master
The self-employed workers working in the stone quarries of Solnhofen limestone are called chopping masters .
The so-called chopping block is an assigned part of the quarry that the chopping master leases. The chopping master breaks the layered slabs from the layers of rock with a chopping tool. This creates polygonal (polygonal) panels that are placed on pallets. These panels are formatted or ground by stone industries using stone saws and stone grinding machines . But they are also left brittle.
The chopping master checks the quality of the broken panels by striking them. He can tell by the light or muffled sound whether the records are suitable for further processing. Dull sounding records are rejected (see also sound sample ).
The chopping master works as an independent contractor in the quarry and sells the broken slabs to the quarry owner. He seldom processes the panels himself in the quarry according to the buyer's specifications (e.g. in a rectangular or square shape). This takes place in a shelter , often made of beams and tarpaulin, which protects against sun and rain .
From 1984 to the end of the 1990s there were 22 employees, from 2000 only four to six chopping masters were employed.
Web links
- The upswing and decline of the chopping master on www.donaukurier.de
- Donaukurier: People among us: Ignaz Henle, chopping master
- Chopping master Karl Schwengler finds 9th Archeopteryx