Abstract: An apparatus for making earthen blocks and having a hopper, structure for loading the hopper with a compactible material, structure for verifying that the hopper is filled to a predetermined level, structure for moving the hopper to a mold cavity and emptying the contents into the mold cavity, a first press having a first punch to be forced into the mold cavity to compress the material therein and a second press having a second punch that is held in a fixed position until a predetermined force is exerted by the first press, whereupon the second punch follows movement of the first punch.