A French quarrying and mining term for cutting a deep slot or channel in rock to isolate material and assist its extraction.
Havage is a French term used in quarrying and mining for the preliminary cutting of deep slots or channels in rock to help isolate a mass for removal. In dimension-stone quarrying, the cut may be horizontal or vertical and may be produced by a machine called a haveuse.
The method belongs to the extraction stage of stoneworking rather than sculptural carving itself, but it is part of the vocabulary connecting the sculptor’s block to the quarry from which it was removed.
Etymology
French havage, from haver, “to cut, dig, or make a channel,” + the action suffix -age.
Sculptor Notes
Understanding quarry terminology helps the sculptor read the history of a block: how it was isolated, sawn, split, and squared before reaching the studio. Havage is closely associated with the haveuse, a quarry cutting machine.
References
https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9H0278; https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8998453/haveuse; https://www.pierres-info.fr/glossaire/index.html