At fabricator gatherings across the country, one of the most talked-about issues is what to do with the inherent scrap waste that comes from stone fabrication. In an example that can be followed by shops of all sizes, John Tesh of EarthStone Products, Inc. in Greensboro, NC, is using the StoneCycler — a machine that he invented — to supply a range of products created from reclaimed granite, including several high-profile projects that have received LEED certification.

“I invented the machine back in 2006, and it was totally by accident,” Tesh explained. “I had been semi-retired as a commercial photographer, and a colleague of mine started a granite countertop company. I wanted to make a faucet hole punch, so fabricators could use it in the shop instead of drilling holes on site. When we were testing it, we were getting perfect stone hockey pucks, but broken slabs of granite. So then I started thinking another way. When I visited my friend’s shop, I saw a container full of scrap stone. He told me that he spent $1,200 a month to haul it off. We then did a hand press and popped out a perfect 3- x 6-inch piece from scrap stone. It was done by Newman * Whitney right here in Greensboro. There is a metallurgy of how to make these dies that could take this incredible punishment. We hired a metallurgist to make the dies, and we received a worldwide patent.”