First, will the Arizona Department of Natural Resources let you do it? In some places, even if the stone is "harvested" from your own property you are not allowed to use it in the manner you have in mind. For good reason, Arizona is rather fussy about messing with its natural environment.
As far as the material. As I remember, Arizona sandstone is fairly soft. Is it the best choice for a building veneer? I honestly do not know. Is it used commonly used for building facings and veneers? Will it take the constant contraction and expansion that stone must on a surface?
Obviously winters here are more brutal but even things like marble skins on skyscrapers have a life span and have had to come off during mine for replacement because of warping and shape changing due to weather. It is quite a feat to remove/replace 100 stories or more of stone!
As far as tools, it sounds like you have explored and know what will work. I would just comb the lapidary and stone cutting sites for other things that may come in handy. You will no doubt learn much about the natural grain of rock and how to work with it as you go along.
As far as the material. As I remember, Arizona sandstone is fairly soft. Is it the best choice for a building veneer? I honestly do not know. Is it used commonly used for building facings and veneers? Will it take the constant contraction and expansion that stone must on a surface?
Obviously winters here are more brutal but even things like marble skins on skyscrapers have a life span and have had to come off during mine for replacement because of warping and shape changing due to weather. It is quite a feat to remove/replace 100 stories or more of stone!
As far as tools, it sounds like you have explored and know what will work. I would just comb the lapidary and stone cutting sites for other things that may come in handy. You will no doubt learn much about the natural grain of rock and how to work with it as you go along.
