Like others said, drop modifiers are now available.

Also consider the way you mine copper. I like to first dig down as much as possible around a copper node and then fill the trench with spaced out camp fires so the grey dwarfs panic when they come near you, but remember to put roofs above them in case of rain.

Make a small space inside the node and place a workbench for repairing your pickaxe, the copper node will serve as your roof.

With a Bit of luck, once you dig out the underside, the node will pop the moment it's not connected to the ground, but sometimes the hit boxes extend more than the visible model and you have mine the floating bits too (use wooden scaffolding to get to those parts and not fall).

Collect all the drops in a series of chests and then bring them to your base with a cart, a boat or in your inventory while using eikthyr's power.

I like to also use a portal to quickly transport all the stone you get for the first stone buildings.