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'For the quarry in buildcraft 1 - see this.'

'For the quarry in buildcraft 2 - see this.'

A Quarry is a machine that automatically mines a large area. This area, by default, is 9x9 blocks, but it can be defined by landmarks to a maximum of 64x64. It rarely requires any manual work, and only needs a supply of energy (Mj).

Recipe[]

Crafting GUI

Iron Gear

Gold Gear

Diamond Gear

Redstone Dust

Iron Gear

Diamond Pickaxe

Iron Gear

Gold Gear

Diamond Gear

Quarry

Ingredients:

  • 2 x Diamond Gears
  • 2 x Gold Gears
  • 3 x Iron Gears
  • 1 x Diamond Pickaxe (Unused)
  • 1 x Redstone Dust

Produces: 1 x Quarry

See: Crafting Guide

Process[]

2012-01-03 14.06

The Quarry Miner when Finished

The Quarry will start by removing any and all obstructing blocks in the way of its frame. IMPORTANT: Items in chests and blocks in the area will NOT be dropped. This frame is 5 blocks tall. They support a moving structure with a diamond-like object at the bottom, likely a drill of some kind. This "miner" moves around, excavating each layer block by block. The speed at which it mines a block is determined by how much power is being supplied.

During excavation, each block mined will be ejected from the top. These items will be ejected with extreme kinetic energy, unless a pipe is connected. There is no need for a wood pipe to fetch the items, the Quarry will place the items into a connected stone, cobblestone, gold, iron, or diamond pipe on its own. In the event that the quarry encounters lava, the rest of the blocks located under the lava will not be mined. If the lava is converted to obsidian or cobblestone, the quarry will start re-mining those blocks.

2012-01-03 12.55

The Quarry's miner tool. Possibly a laser or drill.

Underground Operation[]

A Quarry can function at any level. Simply placing it against a shaft wall and powering it is all that is required to start the default 9x9 area. The blocks in the frame area will be destroyed. It is possible to create a landmark-drawn frame as per above ground, use a Redstone torch next to a land marker to see where to place the next markers. Using this method it becomes possible to save time and fuel by placing your Quarry right above the gold/diamond levels.

Power[]

Quarry Operating

Four Quarry blocks in action. Note the different positions of the miner tool.

The Quarry must be powered by one or more engines. Quarries have an internal buffer of energy, and require a few seconds to charge. The lowest the power must be at is 5 RF/tick (it may be lower, hasn't been tested).

The Quarry doesn't have an upper limit of power input, although the Quarry is much more efficient at higher power.

QuarryEfficiency

Quarry efficiency. Tested on Buildcraft version 7.99.24.1

Tips[]

  • The landmarks can specify an area up to 64x64, giving a maximum possible quarry size of 62x62. An area this large provides a low-maintenance quarry that doesn't need replacing nearly as frequently as the default 9x9 quarry, but be advised that mining from a quarry this large takes about ten minutes per layer at full speed. Also, a few layers will fill several chests of sand, dirt and cobblestone, depending on the selected region (there is a lot of dirt and sand under water).
  • By placing the frame above water, or by placing a water source block on the first layer of the quarry, any lava encountered will immediately turn into cobblestone or obsidian, avoiding delays. The water will also prevent hostile mob spawning.
  • Mining in this fashion requires very little additional interaction from the player and is nearly fully automated, but is considerably less time-efficient than mining manually, and in particular, gathering the ores encrusted in the walls of a cave while exploring it. A good way to take advantage of both cases is to select a relatively small area to dig (the default is good) and to gather any ore visible on the walls of the quarry once it is finished.
  • Use of enderchests and pipes can make it very easy to send all of the blocks from the quarry to your home/base/castle etc.
  • When mining through an aboveground or underground water the quarry will extend the water blocks' 'running distance' through the entire dig site as each level is dug progressively. An entire quarry site may be filled from a single water block slopping down to its extremities. Removing it (filling that block) will evacuate the remaining water in a chain reaction. If the quarry digs through a large body of water (such as the sea or a lake), the water blocks will duplicate at each level mined and the quarry site will fill with individual water blocks.
  • Be careful when sneaking on the frame (to prevent falling). If the tube rests directly on top of a block your motion will not be stopped when reaching the end of the pipe but step down to the block below. If you step down at a straight angle you may overstep and fall into your quarry pit. The same applies to all other pipe structures.
  • When removing the quarry, take precautions to stand in the path of its popping motion, as it otherwise may fall into your pit with the hazard of losing it. Standing on top of it, or moving forward with the sneak key pressed may help.
  • Never place a quarry BELOW or INSIDE a landmark pathway and activate it. The quarry will attempt to remove blocks, and destroy itself.
  • Even with a protected circuit (shut-off circuits with gates), a combustion engine is in liability of exploding through user mistake or bug. The immediate radius of the explosion destroys the blocks completely. Unless properly supervised, ensure that the quarry is within safe distance of combustion engines or protected by blocks with a high blast resistance . Note: Some Mods (Such as Industrial Craft 2) modify the blast resistance of certain items.

Notes[]

  • Ice blocks, spawners, and glass blocks will break upon mining, giving you nothing.
  • If a chest is mined, the chest will be dispensed out of the quarry, but the contents will be scattered where the chest was broken, as if it were broken by hand. The quarry will also pick up the scattered items unless breaking the chest sent them out of its range, as in the case of a dig site cutting a dungeon in half.
  • Can make a sphere of objects in the frame, as the laser will destroy the nearest block in a sphere within the quarry scaffolding

Setup Demonstration[]

A short video guide on how to use the Quarry. More information can be found at Tutorials/Getting Started

Quarry_-_Tekkit_In_Less_Than_90_Seconds

Quarry - Tekkit In Less Than 90 Seconds

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