Building a Buildcraft like quarry is very tedious with some mechanics not working consistently.
But none the less i managed to build one using some unconventional techniques.
for a large quarry you need 2x space for just the piston extensions. and this is a huge problem(we are talking about like 32 blocks here).
what could fix the issue is a block that could slide on the extension pole or a shaft like some 3d printers use that would also allow for building some cool moving platforms for bridges etc.
Im not asking for worm gears as I know they are not planned. maybe worm shafts that could move the sliding chassis/block i don't know how it could be called.

basicaly they would work as a compact alternative for mechanical pistons and they could be tier locked by making them more expensive.

Also adding a gearbox that could slide along the block, providing power for the contraption for example to extending the drill downwards.

I attatched some screenshots of how i would see them work in game.(these designs are not perfect and they would need tweaking to get the actuall result.)

Also if you try to extend a mechanical piston connected to a slime block, it duplicates the piston, i don't know if anyone submited that issue.

Thanks for your suggestion, it has been added to our public submission sheet.