Egypt stone cutting. Portable machine?

I've had a fondness for Chris Dunn's machining theory for the cutting of stone in ancient Egypt. But one photograph puzzles me. Precision cut coffers right at at quarry site? Unless they had portable cutting machines, seems like an odd place to do this kind of high-tech (or even low-tech) sarcophagus cutting:

gizaplateau.com...

Capstone

Originally posted by Capstone
I've had a fondness for Chris Dunn's machining theory for the cutting of stone in ancient Egypt. But one photograph puzzles me. Precision cut coffers right at at quarry site?

Yep! Why move 2 tons of stone when you can move a hollowed out one ton of stone? They carved statues there, too, and doors and other kinds of big stone projects.
www.eeescience.utoledo.edu... t/Stone%20Use/Harrell_Stones_text.htm" target="_blank" class="postlink">Link about stones


More about it here:
www.geocities.com...

Unless they had portable cutting machines, seems like an odd place to do this kind of high-tech (or even low-tech) sarcophagus cutting:

What's so strange about it? Stonecutting is messy!

[edit on 23-1-2007 by Indellkoffer]

[edit on 23-1-2007 by Indellkoffer]

Not only is it much lighter to move, if you make a mistake or the stone fractures, you only have the time invested in cutting it. And the next block is near at hand. The unfinished ones found at the quarry are always flawed or broken. There is no profit in moving the block to the location it is to be placed and then having to bring in another one. Much simpler just to move the finished product.