Stone driller
Also known as: stone drilling machine operator, sandstone driller, stone drilling worker, slate driller, slate cutter, radial drill operator
About this occupation
Stone drillers operate the drilling machine that bores holes into stone blocks. They manipulate granit, sandstone, marble and slate according to specifications.
Essential skills and knowledge
- operate drill press
- quality standards
- types of boring heads
- operate drilling equipment
- remove processed workpiece
- troubleshoot
- optimise production processes parameters
- types of stone for working
- maneuver stone blocks
- supply machine
- supply machine with appropriate tools
- quality and cycle time optimisation
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas (O*NET 47-5023.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.
- Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
- Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
- Select and attach drill bits and drill rods, adding more rods as hole depths increase, and changing drill bits as needed.
- Drive or guide truck-mounted equipment into position, level and stabilize rigs, and extend telescoping derricks.
- Operate machines to flush earth cuttings or to blow dust from holes.
- Typical education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Investigative
Top skills: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Equipment Maintenance, Monitoring, Active Listening
US median pay: US$60,190 a year (2025), 19,450 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Subjects this work relies on
How important each subject's knowledge is in the job itself, rated by people doing it (1 to 5).
- MetalworkO*NET: MechanicalVery important (3.5)
- Business Studies or EntrepreneurshipO*NET: Administration and ManagementImportant (3.3)
- Technical DrawingO*NET: DesignImportant (3.1)
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Most common education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas
- Helpers--Extraction Workers
- Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas
- Construction Laborers
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.