Building Tools
Down to the sixteenth century the hod was a wicker basket for carrying mortar. The brick hod was first mentioned in 1532 at Westminster, when helves (long handles) of ash timber were bought for hods, hammers and mattocks. The hawk was originally a wooden platform for mixing mortar; the hand hawk is a plasterer's tool. Masons3 trowels have
Brick Hod
SIZE: Weight: 5-1/4 to 7-1/4lb; Handle length: 42in.
MATERIAL: Pan: aluminum alloy; Handle: ash
USE: To carry bricks
A brick hod has a three sided metal pan which is used to carry bricks from the stack to the worksite. It is carried with the base of the pan resting on one shoulder and one hand resting on the long handle to steady the tool.
changed very little down the ages, but special types were developed for bricklaying, after the Great Fire of London (1666) had destroyed all the wooden houses, and for internal and external decoration on plasterwork from the eighteenth century onward.
Hawk
OTHER NAME: Plasterer's hawk
SIZE: 10 x 10 to 14 x 14in.
MATERIAL: Softwood, aluminum alloy
USE: To carry plaster or mortar to the wall
A hawk is a square sheet of softwood or satin-finish aluminum fitted with a straight wooden handle in the centre of the underside,
Using the hawk
Tip the hawk toward an upturned trowel, and lift and scoop plaster from the surface. Return the hawk to the horizontal to keep the rest of the plaster from falling off.
Brick Trowel
OTHER NAME: Mason's trowel
SIZE: Blade length: 6-1/2 to 12in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood, plastic, leather
USE: To apply mortar when building with bricks or blocks
The brick trowel is a traditional tool which has developed into many various shapes and sizes. The most common tool here as well as in Britain is the "London" pattern trowel which has a flat, roughly triangular blade, which angles back at the "heel" to meet the tang or shank. The "narrow" or standard width blade is useful when extra mortar is required such as when laying building blocks.
The blade is made for right-and left-handed masons being flat on one side for lifting the mortar from a board. The curved edge is hardened for cutting bricks. The handle is set at an angle to balance the tool while keeping the mason's hand clear of the mortar. It is round in section and is sometimes capped with metal for tapping the bricks into place.
The "Canadian" pattern trowel is curved on both edges and has a more flexible toe.
European masons favour a shorter, wider blade which is square across the heel and either completely triangular or has a blunt pointed toe.
Picking up mortar
Mortar is mixed up on a flat plywood board and is lifted from this board, a trowel load at a time, for spreading on to the brick course. A full trowel load is sufficient for approximately three to four bricks.
1. Hold the trowel with your thumb resting on top of the handle. This balances the tool most comfortably in the hand.
2. Slice off a trowel load of mortar and pull it behind you.
3. Using the back of the trowel, shape the load into a roughly triangular mound.
4. With the flat of the blade on the board, slide the trowel under the mortar, seating it firmly on the blade with a slight jerk of the wrist.
Using a trowel
Hold the edge of the blade over the centre of the wall. Move the trowel backward, tilting it to slide the mortar gradually from the blade, leaving an even bed of mortar approximately lin. thick on the surface.
Cut off excess mortar that protrudes from the wall after each application, by holding the blade of the trowel against the wall with the face uppermost but angled slightly outward. Slice along the length of the wall to cut and lift the mortar cleanly from the bricks. Use the mortar to fill uneven areas in the mortar bed, or return it to the mortar board.
The bed must be "furrowed" to allow enough movement to position the bricks. Run the toe of the trowel backward along the bed gently tapping a shallow depression in the centre.
"Butter" the end of the brick with the mortar before it is laid against its neighbour. Smooth an even in. thick layer of mortar on the end with the point of the trowel, cutting off excess.
Position the brick in line with the rest of the course pressing it into the mortar bed and against its neighbour, making a joint approximately 1/2in. thick,
Lay other bricks to cover the bed and tap them into line. Rest a builder's level on top of the bricks for a horizontal check, then plumb the two end bricks against the wall face.
Line up the level on the edge of the two bricks and tap the remaining bricks inor out until they are aligned.
Plasterer's Trowel
OTHER NAME: Metal float, laying-on-trowel, finishing trowel
SIZE: 4 x 10 to 4-1/2 x 11 in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood, plastic
USE: To apply plaster scratch coats, and finish the top coat with a smooth texture
The plasterer's trowel or metal float is a flat rectangular sheet of steel with a single or double hang handle fitted centrally down the back face. For most do-it-yourselfers a genera! purpose trowel is sufficient for both applying and finishing the material.
Some professionals prefer a "laying-on" trowel, with its slightly thicker blade, for applying the material and a "finishing trowel" with a more flexible blade to finish the surface smoothly.
Patching large areas
Surfacing a large area with plaster is a skilled job requiring considerable experience with the tools and materials to achieve a first class result. Patching areas of loose plaster is not so demanding, as the sound areas of plaster act as a guide for leveling the new,
Removing loose plaster
Using a club hammer and cold chisel hack off loose plaster. Then rake out the joints to a depth of approximately 1/4in. to "key" the plaster, and brush loose debris from the wall.
Using the trowel
Lift the plaster from the hawk on to the trowel and then apply it to the wall with an even stroke. Hold the trowel at a slight angle to apply pressure to spread the material evenly.
Leveling the surface
If the area is larger than the trowel, use a stout, straight edged wood piece to level the surface. Hold the straight edge at bottom of the patch so that it spans from one sound area to the next. Move it up and across the wet plaster with a sawing motion leveling off the material as you do so. Smooth any uneven areas with a trowel. When the surface glaze dries out, smooth the patch with a wet trowel.
Plastering a wall
First fix your own guides to establish the thickness of the material. Pin 3/8in. furring strips or "screeds" to the wall at 5ft. centres. Use a builder's level to plumb the strips. The first or scratch coat is cement and sand mixed in a proportion of 1 to 4 with water.
Dampen the wall and apply the scratch coat from the bottom of the wall filling between two strips at a time. Level the area with a steel trowel and then use a straight edge across the strips. Complete one bay, finish the surface with a wooden float, and work along wall.
About four hours later the material should be firm enough to key the surface for the top coat. Drive nails through a furring strip to make a scratching tool. Drag it across the surface leaving a series of 1/8in. marks.
Remove the strips and fill in with die mix using a pointing trowel. After a day, wet the wall and apply the plaster top coat about 1/8in. thick. Polish the surface with a steel trowel.
Margin Trowel
SIZE: 2 x 4 to 2 x 5in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To apply plaster in confined spaces
The margin trowel is like a pointing trowel but has a flat rectangular blade. It is used by plasterers to apply and smooth material in areas where a larger trowel would be inconvenient.
Gauging Trowel
SIZE: Blade length: 6 to 8in
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To apply plaster in confined spaces
The gauging trowel is used by plasterers in the same way as a margin trowel. It is preferred by some professionals for general applications, such as mixing small quantities of quick setting plaster.
Angle Trowel
OTHER NAME: Plasterer's twitcher
SIZE: 4 x 2-1/2 with 1in. sides
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish internal plaster corners
The angle trowel has blade with the edges turned up at right angles. It is used by plasterers to smooth the surface of the material when working into a corner.
Cove Trowel
SIZE: 6x 3, 11 x3in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish the internal curve on a plaster moulding
The cove trowel is like a plasterer's trowel, but the rectangular blade is bent into a curve across its width. It is used to smooth the internal curve of the decorative plaster mouldings sometimes found between ceiling and walls.
Corner Trowel
SIZE: Blade length: 3-1/4in.; Sides : 2in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish plaster corners
Once the piaster has been applied with a plasterer's trowel the corner is finished with the corner trowel. This trowel has a steel blade bent to form an internal or external angle of 90°. The ridge between the two halves of the blade forms either a radius or a square edge depending on the required finish.
Repairing a damaged corner
1. To repair extensive damage on external corners, cut back plaster to the brickwork and apply a metal corner bead to strengthen the corner. The beading has expanded metal wings which are stuck to the wall with dabs of wet plaster.
2. Plumb edge with a builder's level and check with a straight edge that the nose of the bead is flush with the sound plaster.
3. When the beading is firmly fixed, apply piaster to the area with a plasterer's trowel and finally smooth the corner with a corner trowel dipped in water.
Edging Trowel
OTHER NAME: Edger
SIZE: 2-1/2x7 to 4-1/2 x 11in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish the edge of concrete work
The edging trowel is a floor trowel with one long curved edge. It is used to round off the corners of concrete work.
Flooring Trowel
OTHER NAME: Concreting trowel
SIZE: Concreting trowel: 4-1/2 x 11in.; Flooring trowel: Length: 14 to I8in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To apply and finish mortar or concrete on a floor
The concreting trowel is similar to a plasterer's trowel but has a heavy gauge steel blade for greater rigidity when working with aggregates. Use it as you would a plasterer's trowel. Another type of flooring trowel has a much longer blade than normal, which tapers slightly from heel to toe. The toe is pointed for working into corners. The greater surface area of the blade is useful when floating a large floor to a finished smooth texture.
Repairing a concrete floor
1. Break up any loose material with a cold chisel to a depth of about lin. Use the chisel to undercut the sound concrete as a key for the new material.
2. Dampen the surface and apply a paste of cement powder and water. Before the paste dries, fill with a concrete mix of 1 part cement, to 2 parts sand and 2 parts fine aggregate. With a concreting trowel push mix well into undercut edges.
3. If the surface is uneven after troweling, use a straight edge to level the surface.
4. Finish with a wooden float for a textured finish or a flooring trowel for a smooth one.
Pointing Trowel
SIZE: Blade length: 3 to 8in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To apply mortar to the joints between bricks
The pointing trowel is shaped and constructed like a brick trowel but is much smaller and has a symmetrical blade. It is one of several tools used to finish the mortar joints between bricks and to apply new mortar to a joint where the old mortar is crumbling.
Repointing
Repairing a crumbling brick joint is known as repointing.
1. Rake out the loose mortar with a cold chisel to a depth of 1//2in. Brush out any loose material and dampen the wall.
2. Pick up a roll of fresh mortar from the hawk on the back of a pointing trowel.
3. Press it into the vertical joints first, followed by the top and bottom horizontal joints.
Ready for shaping
When the mortar is just hard enough to take the impression of a thumb without sticking, it is ready to be shaped in a number of ways.
Flush joints
You can make a rough flush joint by rubbing the brickwork with burlap, but a flat bladed jointer ("slicker") produces a better finish.
Raked joints
A flat bladed jointer is also used to produce a raked or recess joint which is not suitable for exposed brickwork.
Weather joint
Form the vertical joints first, angling in either directions, but making sure they are all angled the same way. Form the horizontal joints sloping from top to bottom. Use a straight edge to guide the edge of the jointer to cut off the excess mortar from the bottom.
Concave joint
To make this joint use the convex jointer. It is available, like the slicker, with a chisel-like handle and short blade, or with a double hang handle fitted to a longer ski-like blade turned up at the front. These longer bladed tools are particularly good for finishing the horizontal joints, while the curved front end is ideal for working the vertical joints. The curved section should be slightly wider than the joint.
"V" joint
This is made with the "V" jointer which looks like the convex jointer, but has a deeper, sharply angled blade.
Grapevine joint
This is a decorative flat joint with a deeply impressed shadow line in the centre. It is made with the grapevine jointer which has a central rib.
Jointer
OTHER NAMES: Slicker, striking tool, striking iron, brick jointer
SIZE: Blade length: 5 to 12in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish the mortar joints between bricks
The mortar joints between bricks must be formed in order to make them weatherproof and to improve the appearance of the brickwork. When the mortar is almost dry it is pressed into the required shape. Several jointer tools are available to produce the required joint.
Using a jointer
Work along the vertical joints, first to impress the pattern or angle in the soft mortar.
Wooden Float
OTHER NAME: Skimmer float
SIZE: 5x 11in.
MATERIAL: Face: softwood;
Handle: hardwood
USE: To finish the surface of concrete or plaster with a fine texture
Wooden floats are made either with the grain running the length of the face, in which case the shaped wooden handle is fixed directly to it, or with the grain running across the face. A cross grained float has the handle fitted to a tapered slide, which is dovetailed.
Wooden floats are used to finish or "float" plaster or concrete surfaces producing a finely textured matt surface. Keep face flat while sweeping tool lightly across surface.
Serrated Edge Trowel
OTHER NAMES: Mastic trowel, adhesive trowel, notched trowel
SIZE: Blade length: 44 x 11 in.
MATERIAL: Blade: steel; Handle: hardwood
USE: To spread ceramic tile adhesive
The serrated edge trowel is used to spread adhesive over large areas for operations such as covering a floor with ceramic tiles. There are two types of blades for the trowel which can be bolted to the frame. One blade has small "V" serrations all around, while the other is deeply notched on one side and end, leaving the other edges straight for normal troweling operations.
Using the trowel
Moving the trowel in one direction only, raise regular parallel lines to give the required amount of adhesive cover to the area.
Cover about 1 square yard of the floor with adhesive at a time. Holding the blade of the trowel at an angle to the floor, drag it through the adhesive to spread it across the floor to the stipulated thickness.
Rubber Float
SIZE: 5 x 11in.
MATERIAL: Face: softwood surfaced with rubber; Handle: hardwood
USE: To apply grout to floor tiles
The rubber float is like a normal wooden float, but is surfaced with rubber. It is used to apply the grout which seals the joints between floor tiles. It is also useful for grouting a large area of wall tiles. Hold the tool at an angle and sweep it across the surface working the grout into the joints from all angles. Finally wipe off the excess grout from the surface of the tiles with a damp sponge.
Floats can be sunaced with other materials such as plastic foam, cork and carpet. Surfaces of this type are used to texture plaster surfaces to give a decorative finish.
Caulking Gun
OTHER NAME: Mastic gun
SIZE: Length: 24in.
MATERIAL: Steel, zinc and aluminum
USE: To apply a waterproof sealant to joints around door and window frames; to fill cracks
A caulking gun takes standard cartridges of mastic, a flexible, oil or latex based sealant used to seal gaps.
Cartridges of adhesive can be used in the gun to apply glue for wall paneling.
Always hold the gun at 45° to the direction of movement.
Using the gun
Squeeze the trigger to eject a stream of caulking material from the nozzle.
Concrete Mixer
SIZE: Domestic use: Capacity 1-1/2 to 3 cubic ft.
MATERIAL: Various
USE: To mix concrete
Small concrete mixers, available from rental companies, are invaluable when a lot of concrete must be mixed for laying floors, paths, driveways and so on. They are gasoline or electrically driven, the latter being the less noisy
Measure out the ingredients demanded by the required mix, and with the mixer running, load the coarse aggregate into the drum. Load the sand and let it combine with the aggregate. Add the dry cement, letting the ingredients mix thoroughly. Gradually add water until the mix reaches the required consistency letting it mix for about 2 to 3 minutes. Tip mix into a wheelbarrow.
When you have finished with the mixer wash out the drum by spinning coarse aggregate and water in it. Finally hose out the drum and any spilled concrete from the outside.
Wheelbarrow
OTHER NAMES: Contractor's wheelbarrow, concrete barrow
SIZE: Capacity: 3 to 4 cubic ft.
MATERIAL: Steel
USE: To carry loads of mortar, concrete or rubble about the worksite
A strong tubular steel framed barrow is essential to move materials around a work site. Barrows are available with solid and pneumatic tires.
When a loaded barrow must stand for some time, relieve the strain on the tire by supporting the frame in front of the wheel on a brick.
Crow Bar
SIZE: 60in.
MATERIAL: Steel
USE: To lever heavy weights
A crow bar is a length of lgin. diameter steel rod, pointed at one end and chisel shaped at the other.
Insert one end of the crow bar under the object being moved, and wedge a strong block of wood or masonry under the bar as a fulcrum. Press down on the bar to lever the object out of its place.
Rope Pulley
OTHER NAME: Block and tackle
SIZE: Lifting capacity: 3-1/2 to 8cwt
MATERIAL: Line: sisal, nylon, steel; Blocks: various
USE: To lift heavy weights 
The rope pulley system is a series of blocks and lines used together to lift heavy weights. The more times the rope passes over a wheel or "sheave" in a block, the greater the mechanical advantage and therefore the lifting power. The tackle is held above the weight being lifted by a hook attached to the top, fixed block.
This fixing must be secure for efficient and safe lifting. A hook on the lower, movable block is fitted to the weight, which is lifted by pulling on the free end of the rope. If the weight is to be held clear of the ground, tie off the rope securely.
Chain Hoist
OTHER NAMES: Chain blocks, block and tackle
SIZE: Lifting capacity: 5 to 30cwt (available up to 10 tons)
MATERIAL: Steel
USE: To lift heavy weights
The chain hoist is used like a rope pulley, but it can lift heavier weights. The power is transmitted to the load through a series of gears or through a double chain wheel.
Chain wheel hoist
The chain wheel assembly has two wheels, one slightly smaller than the other, shaped to prevent the chain slipping. A continuous length of chain passes over the wheels to form two loops. The movable hook hangs from a wheel in one of the loops. If one side of the other loop is pulled, the chain will pass through the whole system, gradually raising or lowering the hook. The load remains at rest in any position without having to be tied off.
Winch
SIZE: Pulling capacity: 1/2 to 5 tons
MATERIAL: Jaws/cable/hooks: steel; Casing: aluminum, plastic
USE: To pull heavy weights
The winch is used mainly to uproot tree trunks, or pull heavy weights such as boats or other vehicles but it can be used just as successfully to lift weights vertically.
A lever on the winch activates self-energizing jaws which grip and pull the cable. Open the jaws to pass the cable through the machine. A hook at the other end of the cable is located in a sling which passes around the load. The fixed hook on the winch locates on a similar sling which passes around an anchor point. Pull the cable through the winch by hand to take up the slack, and lock the jaws on to it.
A second lever passes the cable in the opposite direction to take the load off the machine so that the jaws can be opened to retrieve the cable.
