I'm trying new methods all the time. I'm not married to any method.
When I was building the amusement park, I needed tons of ores and stone, so I didn't need anything that was especially efficient as far as ore to stone ratio. However, I did need something that allowed me to continuously mine without having to return to the surface constantly. The initial set up got pretty elaborate, but it was worth it in the end.
I have a pretty simple stair case with shafts leading off at the bottom few levels that I've been using at temporary bases. It's fast to construct, but wouldn't be difficult to expand into something more industrious if I decided to set up permanent settlement.
I personally like the set up near spawn right now. The floor level got tight so the mine carts act wonky when they collide. It overlaps all the existing mining, so there's a lot of reworking tunnels to do. Also, the gold on booster tracks cost a fortune. Other than all of those things, I think it looks really cool. ...until they reworked underground lighting and now you can't see any of it. ... I need to figure out if I actually like the mine near spawn.
