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This means that he starts with a raw 8- to 10-ton block of recently-quarried granite, not pre-cut slabs as the others do, and turns out finished products from that."This is unusual and can be cost-prohibitive to do it that way," Fontana admits, "but we do it the old way because that allows us to literally fabricate here whatever the customer wants."The countertop and fireplace were good examples of that, he said.There are many kinds of granite, with 80 percent of his supply coming from California, Minnesota, Texas, and Georgia. Imports come from Scandinavia, India, and Brazil, and soon Fontana hopes, South Africa as trade sanctions are lifted.It takes several weeks to turn out a headstone because they do them in batches, Fontana said. But the work gets out at the rate of 30 to 40 units a week.And who does all this work? A crew of four, including Fontana. This includes two long-timers Fontana considers best in the business: Pete Masnada, a stonecutter who has been with
the company of 41 years; and Ray Ward, who has worked more than 30 years as an engraver.Both skills have been carried to a fine art. The sophisticated stonecutting equipment can trip granite in half-inch slabs and in almost any shape, including perfect circles. The decorative edging choices are infinite, Fontana said.Engraving starts with a sheet of rubber-backed stencil paper over the stone, on which the desired design and lettering are drawn. English, Chinese and other alphabets can be found on stones around the shop."We can do anything here," Fontana said.The design and letters are cut out and the stone put a closed sandblasting chamber, where the grinding sand bounces off the stencil but etches the stone to a desired depth.Will the business continue in the family after he retires? Fontana has a son and two daughters. Son David now is 14 and a student at El Camino High
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