I am laying a bluestone patio and what i've found is that all of the stones vary in thickness and are often irregular on the bottom.

I spent a lot of time grading and tamping the base (stone dust), but now i am spending a lot of time and getting fairly frustrated trying to get each stone to lay level with each other. There is also the problem of stones rocking due to the irregular bottom sides.

Was tamping the base hard and flat the wrong move? Should I have tamped a layer of dust and then left a loose layer for the stones to sit in?

Or is this just how it goes laying bluestone? Do bluestone patios usually vary a little bit in height stone to stone?

Thanks.