Easiest way to start and exploit a strip mine is to start it ONE TILE under the surface, if there is grass on the surface.

Center on your starting ladder.
Tag the area around the ladder, one tile under the surface (leave the surface for farming.)
Tag from the ladder tile, and dig a single tile wide in all four directions, out to the edge of the map.

Be careful about ? tiles, as they represent a hidden room.
Be careful about uncovering rooms, as they may have enemies. Some enemies can teleport.

Preplan how much space you will be needing for your dwarves. Make additional floors as needed.

Dig out everything else.
Better resources, of course, lay deeper beneath you.

every area they put me in i quarry almost every single block of stuff there till i have a huge empty square pit with platforms for my dwarfs to live on (i save spots for growing on of course)

in 1st mission i cant get enough wood it above , who cuts wood help

Can you please add a diagram of a strip mine, thank you!

I agree with Up-Level... (if he means an upside-down pyramid) basically what you do is mine a big 1 block deep pit, then on the next layer down, move out by one block and dig another pit and so on, until the final part of the pit is only one block

any pics on strip mining?

The amount of money I got at the end of the strip mine was astronomical. Strip mining is SO worth it.

On Grass(Medium) do this neat the edge of the map. Paid of in like 3 mins for me!

Nice idea I'm slighty new to the game but I make quarries so yeah