Brick wall tool - useful or con?

[matt]

the two keys to doing a good job are

a) getting the motar right - not too runny or too dry

b) Decent tools - trowel, spirit level, and plumb bob

and

c) paitence - in the same way you wouldnt just bosh stuff together in the workshop - the same applies to building , take your time to prepare the site , lay out your kit, and lay each course - proffesional brickies are very quick but thats from years of practice , there is no need to try to work at that speed

add to that...

d) Make the bricks wet before laying (drop them in a bucket of water and then fish them out a couple of minutes before laying so the excess what drains away).

e) Cover the wall with wet hessian or similar and then plastic to slow down the drying process.

And, for the purpose of the original thread... A Mike says, getting the mortar bed is not difficult - it becomes second nature when you focus on the brick line (both horizontal and plumb) rather than the mortar.

 

[MikeG.]

Further to Matt's.....

The most difficult thing about brick laying is bringing the corners up square and plumb and true, and this bit of kit can't help with that at all. The "running in" between the corners is child's play.

You could do a half-and-half.......get a pro to build the corners or piers for you, then do the running in yourself, building up your skills and confidence for the next project in the process.

Mike

 

[thomvic]

This aid is very good for an amateur - but its not new!

When I built a garage in 1971 my late father - a tradesman bricklayer - would only start the corners for me. He said that I had seen him work often enough to do the rest myself. When he saw my efforts he realised that I was pretty useless so he made a near identical frame to this from plywood for me. It was great but only if you got the compo mix right!

The Mason's Mate line holder is a metal version of the wooden ones he had been taught to make as an apprentice.

Richard

 

[EddieJ]

If anyone turned up on a site of mine with one of these tools, they would be sent straight down the road.

If you are going buy anything to aid bricklaying, make it a pair of 'Blakes' bricklaying profiles.

 

[thomvic]

They are intended for use by amateurs (DIY'ers) so why might one turn up on one of your sites?

Richard

 

[matt]

They are intended for use by amateurs (DIY'ers) so why might one turn up on one of your sites?

Richard

DIYer's who've built a few walls do turn up on site claiming to be a builder.

It's a long established practice to check out the tool kit - I've known legit contractors not get on site because their kit is, for example, green rather than blue...

 

[big soft moose]

It's a long established practice to check out the tool kit - I've known legit contractors not get on site because their kit is, for example, green rather than blue...

my kits largely yellow - so presumably i pass - at least until you see the erm "quality" of my work

with that in mind it seems a bit odd to judge on the toolkit - Sure most pros will have the blue kit but a pro might chose to buy green kit for economic reasons and an amateir might chose to but the blue because they have more money than sense.

 

[Jake]

and an amateir might chose to but the blue because they have more money than sense.

Or a variety of other reasons. Similar to being willing to pay for the quality of say a set of LN chisels.

 

[big soft moose]

and an amateir might chose to but the blue because they have more money than sense.

Or a variety of other reasons. Similar to being willing to pay for the quality of say a set of LN chisels.

sure - but my point was that you wouldnt want someone with "all the gear but no idea" on site - those that bought them for other reasons as you suggest might make credible site workers.