AU2006236000B2 - A guide assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A guide assembly (1) for at least one screeding blade, said assembly including: a hub (2) rotatably mountable to a fixed support (3) for defining an axis of rotation (4); and 5 a radius arm (5) mountable to said hub (2) for rotation about said axis (4); said radius arm (5) having an angle of inclination (a) to said axis (4) and further adapted to support said at least one screeding blade, such that rotation of said radius arm (5) induces said at least one screeding blade to screed a surface defined by said angle of inclination (a). 10 Figure 1 to accompany abstract

Description

-1 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant/s: Ross William Charles Millen and Luke Aaron Millen Actual Inventor/s: Ross William Charles Millen and Luke Aaron Millen Address for Service is: SHELSTON IP 60 Margaret Street Telephone No: (02) 9777 1111 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Facsimile No. (02) 9241 4666 CCN: 3710000352 Attorney Code: SW Invention Title: A GUIDE ASSEMBLY Details of Associated Provisional Application No. 2005906427 dated 18 Nov 2005 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: File: 47446AUP00 -2 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a guide assembly and in particular to a screeding tool assembly and a method of screeding a surface. The invention has been developed primarily for use as a screeding tool 5 assembly for and a method of screeding a surface to be tiled and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no 10 way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. Rooms with a drainage outlet, such as a bathroom or laundry, are initially prepared by locating a pipe that is to become the drainage outlet so that it extends generally vertically upwards. A slab is then formed around the pipe so that a 15 portion of the upwardly extending pipe is exposed above the slab. The exposed pipe portion prevents the drainage outlet being inadvertently cemented over when a sand cement bed is laid over the slab. The bed is then screeded to produce a suitably level surface upon which the tiles are fixed. This method suffers from several disadvantages. Firstly, the cement bed 20 must be formed up to the level of the pipe so that it forms the drainage outlet when the tiles are laid. This results in unnecessary wastage of excess cement being used to fill this space. In addition, the cement must be carefully laid around the pipe, requiring considerable labour and causing inconvenience and delays in construction of the room. 25 Another disadvantage associated with this method is that screeding of the cement bed is usually performed freehand with a screeding tool, again requiring substantial labour and time. In addition, the cement bed must be screeded so as to -3 have a sufficient gradient to ensure that any moisture which accumulates at the areas of the room flow towards the drainage outlet. It is difficult to produce such a gradient that is also uniform to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the tiled surface. 5 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative. It is an object of the invention in its preferred form to provide a guide assembly for a screeding blade, a screeding tool assembly and a screeding method 10 which is simple, convenient and requires less material, thus saving labour and costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a guide assembly for at least one screeding blade, said at least one screeding blade being 15 manually operable, said assembly including: a hub releasably mountable to a fixed support for defining an axis of rotation; and a radius arm mountable to said hub for rotation about said axis; said radius arm having an angle of inclination to said axis and further adapted to support said 20 at least one screeding blade, such that rotation of said radius arm induces said at least one screeding blade during manual operation to screed a surface defined by said angle of inclination. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a screeding 25 tool assembly, said assembly including: a guide assembly according to the first aspect; and at least one screeding blade supportable by said radius arm for manually screeding a surface defined by said angle of inclination.

-4 A further aspect of the invention provides a manual screeding method, said method including the steps of: releasably mounting a radius arm to a fixed support for rotation about an axis of rotation and at an angle of inclination to said axis; 5 supporting at least one screeding blade upon said radius arm; and rotating said radius arm about said axis, thereby inducing said at least one screeding blade during manual operation to screed a surface defined by said angle of inclination. Preferably, the radius arm includes an axle. The axle is preferably 10 rotatably mounted to the hub. It is preferred that the hub further includes a plug for releasable engagement with the fixed support. Preferably, the hub or plug includes a bore for rotatably mounting the hub axle. The bore is preferably a blind bore. Preferably, the bore is coaxial with the axis of rotation. Preferably, the hub or its plug frictionally engages the fixed support. In 15 one embodiment, the hub or plug is in the form of a bung. Preferably, the bung includes a circumferential peripheral flange at one end for engaging the fixed support. Preferably, the hub has a complementary shape for engaging the fixed support. In one embodiment, the hub includes a hub axle and a hub plug fixedly 20 mounted to each other, the hub plug being rotatably mountable to the fixed support. In this embodiment, the hub is rotationably mounted to the radius arm. Preferably, the hub plug is releasably engageable with the fixed support. Preferably, the hub axle and hub plug are integrally formed. Preferably, the fixed support is fixed relative to the surface. Preferably, 25 the fixed support is a pipe embedded in the surface. Preferably, the pipe defines a drainage outlet.

-5 Preferably, the angle of inclination is adjustable. Preferably, the radius arm is hingedly connected to the hub for selectively adjusting the angle of inclination. It is preferred that the angle of inclination is an oblique angle. Preferably 5 the angle of inclination is less than 90'. Preferably, the angle of inclination is between 800 and 90*. The angle of inclination is preferably substantially 90*. It is preferred that the radius arm and the at least one screeding blade are slidably engageable. Preferably, the radius arm has a substantially U-shaped cross-section to define a longitudinal channel. The channel preferably includes at 10 least one longitudinal side edge for slidably engaging the at least one screeding blade. Preferably, the side edge extends at an angle to a longitudinal plane defined by the channel. In a preferred embodiment, the radius arm includes a pair of side edges extending divergently outwardly with respect to the channel to form a flared opening. 15 Preferably, the screeding tool assembly includes a plurality of screeding blades, each engageable with an adjacent radially inner blade. It is preferred that the screeding blades are slidably engageable. Preferably, the blades are telescopically engageable. Preferably, the at least one screeding blade includes a handle portion for 20 slidably engaging the radius arm. Preferably, the handle portion slidably engages the channel. It is preferred that the handle portion includes an angular portion for sliding engagement with at least one side edge of the channel. Preferably the handle portion is partially curled for engaging the side edges of the channel. In one embodiment, the radius arm and the at least one screeding blade are 25 integrally formed. Preferably, the at least one screeding blade includes an edge with a non linear, corrugated or saw-toothed profile. The at least one screeding blade preferably includes strengthening ribs disposed along its length.

-6 Preferably, the at least one screeding blade is indexed for indicating the radius of the screeded surface or, where there are two screeding blades, the length of the extension of said two screeding blades. Preferably, indexed markings are provided on the handle portion. 5 Preferably, the method includes the step of varying the relative positions of the radius arm and the hub to selectively adjust the angle of inclination. The method preferably includes the step of mounting a plurality of screeding blades slidably engageable with each other to selectively adjust the area of the screeded surface. 10 Preferably, the at least one screeding blade includes a first screeding blade and a second screeding blade, said first and second screeding blades being substantially complementary in shape such that said first screeding blade is at least partially nestable within said second screeding blade. Preferably, the first screeding blade and the second screeding blade each 15 have a screeding blade portion mounted to a handle portion, the second screeding handle portion including an inwardly curled lip for nestably retaining the first screeding handle portion whilst permitting relative sliding movement between the first and second screeding blades. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 20 A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a guide assembly according to one embodiment of the invention; -7 Figure 2 is a side view of the guide assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of the radius arm for the guide assembly of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a screeding blade for use with the guide 5 assembly of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a screeding tool assembly according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a sectional view of a room with a floor surface screeded by the screeding tool assembly of Figure 5; 10 Figure 7 is a sectional view of a room with a floor surface screeded by a known screeding method; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a screeding blade assembly according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of a surface being screeded by the guide 15 assembly of Figure 1 and the screeding blade assembly of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of a room being screeded by the screeding tool assembly of Figure 5; Figure 11 is a sectional view of a wall screeded by the screeding blade assembly of Figure 8; and 20 Figure 12 is a sectional view of a wall screeded by a known screed tool. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring initially to Figures I to 3, a guide assembly I for at least one screeding blade according to one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The assembly I includes a hub 2 releasably mountable to a fixed support 3 for defining 25 an axis of rotation 4, and a radius arm 5 mountable to the hub 2 for rotation about the axis 4. The radius arm 5 has an angle of inclination a to the axis 4, as best - 8 shown in Figure 2, and is adapted to support at least one screeding blade such that rotation of the radius arm 5 induces the screeding blade to screed a surface 6 defined by the angle of inclination a. The radius arm 5 includes an axle 7 for mounting the radius arm 5 and the 5 hub 2, which includes a plug 8 in the form of a bung. The bung 8 releasably engages the fixed support 3, which is in the form of a pipe defining the drainage outlet of the room. The bung 8 includes a blind bore 9 coaxial with the rotational axis 4. The axle 7 is fitted into the blind bore 9 to rotatably mount the radius arm 5 to the bung 8. 10 The radius arm 5 is fixedly mounted to the axle 7 so that it is at the angle of inclination c relative to the rotational axis 4 (and at an angle 90 - at relative to the general horizontal plane) when fitted to the bung 8. As best shown in Figure 3, the radius arm 5 is formed as substantially U-shaped cross-section defining a longitudinal channel 10. A pair of longitudinal side edges I 1 extends divergently 15 outward to slidingly engage a screeding blade and permit relatively easy access to the channel 10. Referring to Figure 4, a screeding blade 12 for use with the guide assembly I is shown. The screeding blade 12 includes a handle 13 for engaging the channel 10 and a blade portion 14. The handle 13 includes a base portion 15 20 disposed angularly to the blade portion 14 and an inwardly curled portion 16. The blade portion 14 has an edge 17 with a non-linear, saw-toothed profile to create a corrugation in the screeded surface, promoting bonding between the screeded surface and the tiles. In an alternative embodiment, the screeding blade 12 is shaped to 25 complement the profile of the channel 10 by the base portion 15 being angularly disposed so as to complement one flared side edge 11 of the channel 10, and the inwardly curled portion 16 permiting the handle 13 to slidably engage the channel 10 by way of the side edges 11. This particular configuration of the screeding blade 12 advantageously permits the channel 10 to securely support the screeding 30 blade 12 on the radius arm 5.

-9 As best shown in Figure 5, combining the guide assembly I with the screeding blade 12 provides a screeding tool assembly 18 according to one embodiment of the invention. The operation of the screeding tool assembly 18 (and thus the guide 5 assembly 1) now will be described with reference to Figure 6. A bathroom 19 is first prepared by cutting the pipe 3 down to the intended level of the floor. The slab 20 is then laid around the pipe 3. A wet seal 21 is applied to the slab 20 and the interior of the pipe 3. The cement bed 22 for screeding is then poured onto the slab 20. 10 The bung 8 is inserted into the pipe 3 in a frictionally engageable manner. The radius arm 5 is then rotatably mounted to the bung 8 by inserting the axle 7 into the blind bore 9. The screeding blade 12 is then slidingly fitted into the channel 10 so as to be securely supported by the radius arm 5. The screeding tool assembly 18 is now ready for use. The radius arm 5 is rotated about the rotational 15 axis 4, relative to the bung 8 and the pipe 3. This rotation induces the screeding blade 12 supported by the radius arm 5 to screed the surface 6 of the cement bed 22, as defined by the angle of inclination a. Thus, the surface 6 is screeded simply and conveniently in a single sweeping motion about the rotational axis 4. As the radius arm 5 is always at the angle of inclination a, the surface 6 is 20 screeded with a substantially uniform gradient corresponding to 90-a. The tiles 23 are then finally laid upon the screeded surface 6 of the bed 22. Advantageously, the guide assembly I and the screeding tool assembly 18 conserves building materials and costs, since the use of the bung 8 allows the pipe 3 to be cut substantially down to approximately the level of the room floor. This 25 reduces the amount of cement used in forming the cement bed and thus obviates the need to use excess cement in the known method. Furthermore, a uniform gradient is produced in the screeded surface in contrast to the known method. To highlight the advantages of this embodiment, a bathroom prepared according to the known method is shown in Figure 7 for comparison with Figure 30 6, where corresponding features have been given the same reference numerals. As - 10 can be clearly seen in Figure 7, a substantial amount of cement is used in forming the bed 22 up to the level of the pipe 3 in the known method. This unnecessary use of cement is obviated when using the guide assembly 1 or screeding tool assembly 18. As shown in Figure 6, noticeably less material is required to lay the 5 cement bed 22 because there is no need for the pipe 3 to be exposed above the slab 20. Indeed, it is envisaged that the cement bed can be poured over the slab 20 and bung 8 in one pass, with the bung 8 being loosened afterwards. Thus, the guide assembly I and the screeding tool assembly 18 obviate the need to lay a cement bed at a greater depth than is required. Consequently, this reduces the expense 10 and cost in constructing rooms with a drainage outlet, such as bathrooms and laundries. Whilst the radius arm 5 and the axle 7 are fixedly joined to predetermine the angle of inclination a, in other embodiments the radius arm 5 is hingedly connected to the axle 7 to enable adjustment of the angle of inclination. The 15 guide assembly I is also adaptable to incorporate other angles of inclination by inserting a stopper or wedge (not shown) between the radius arm 5 and the bung 8 to decrease the angle of inclination a. It is also appreciated that fitting the screeding blade 12 into the channel 10 creates a small difference in height (of about 3 mm) in the screeded surface 6 20 between the radius arm 5 and the screeding blade 12. This 3 mm height difference advantageously creates a small step in the bed 22 to resist any backflow of fluid out of the drainage outlet 3 and does not adversely affect the substantially uniform gradient of the bed 22. Moreover, this height difference is not visible when the tiles 23 are laid on the bed 22. 25 In addition, whilst the bung frictionally engages the pipe 3, in other embodiments the hub 2 or bung 8 includes a circumferential peripheral flange 24 at one end to engage the pipe 3, as best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5. This allows the hub 2 or bung 8 to be loosely fitted to the pipe 3 and facilitates quicker installation of the cement bed by permitting the hub 2 or bung 8 to be lifted by the 30 flange 24 to loosen the bung 8.

- 11 Referring now to Figure 8, a screeding blade assembly 30 according to one embodiment of a further aspect of the invention is shown. The screeding blade assembly 30 is also suitable for use with the guide assembly 1. The screeding blade assembly 30 includes a first screeding blade 31 and a 5 second screeding blade 32, each having a screeding blade portion 33 and 34 mounted to a handle portion 35 and 36. The first and second screeding blades 31 and 32 are substantially complementary in shape such that the first screeding blade 31 is at least partially nestable within the second screeding blade 32. The first and second screeding blades 31 and 32 are telescopically 10 engageable for sliding relative movement. The handle portion 36 of the second screeding blade 32 includes an inwardly curled lip 38 for nestably retaining the handle portion 35 of the first screeding blade 31, whilst permitting relative sliding movement between the first and second screeding blades 31 and 32. The blade portions 33 and 34 each include an edge 39 with a saw-toothed profile. This 15 profile creates corrugations in the screeded surface to promote bonding by increasing the contact area between the screeded surface and the tiles. The screeding blade assembly 30 is extendable or retractable between various lengths by sliding the first screeding blade 31 relative to the second screeding blade 32. The inwardly curled lip 38 securely retains the screeding 20 blades 31 and 32 together. Thus, by providing telescopically engageable screeding blades 31 and 32, the length of the screeding blade assembly 30 can be adjusted for screeding surfaces with non-uniform areas, irregular configurations or irregular shapes. To assist in determining the appropriate length of extension, indexed 25 markings 40 are provided on the handle portion 35 of the first screeding blade 31. It will be appreciated that indexed markings can be placed on the second screeding blade 32 where more than two screeding blades are used. However, it is -12 envisaged that in a particularly preferred embodiment the screeding blade assembly 30 only has two screeding blades 31 and 32, and sets of the screeding blade assembly can be provided to cater for different lengths. For example, one set may have a pair of screeding blades extendible between 500 mm and 1000 5 mm. Another set would have a pair of screeding blades extendible between 1000 mm and 1900 mm. A third set would be extendible between 1900 and 3200 mm. As will be recognised by a skilled person in the art, when the screeding blade assembly 30 is used in conjunction with the guide assembly 1, a screeding tool assembly is formed which can screed surfaces with non-uniform areas, 10 irregular configurations or irregular shapes whilst retaining the advantages of the guide assembly 1. That is, the second screeding blade 32 can be slid radially outwardly from the first screeding blade 31 to increase the effective combined radial length of the radius arm 5 and the screeding blade assembly 30, thus increasing the surface area that is screeded. The adjustability of the screeding 15 blade assembly 30 also permits gradual adjustment of the effective combined radial length to enable screeding the corners of a room with relative ease and convenience, as best shown in Figure 9. The guide assembly I and the screeding tool assembly 18 are also adaptable for room configurations with surface areas greater than the effective 20 combined radial length of the radius arm 5 and the screeding blade 12 or screeding blade assembly 30. As best shown in Figure 10, an initial area 41 is circumscribed by a boundary ring 42 from an exterior area 43 bounded by the walls of the room. The screeding tool assembly 18 is fitted to the pipe 44 to screed the initial area 41. Since the ring 42 is at a height of 5 mm and the cement 25 bed is approximately 10 mm at the wall, it is relatively easy to screed the exterior area 43 freehand, or preferably with the screeding blade assembly 30, using the ring 42 as a reference plane. This modification demonstrates the versatility of the applications that can be achieved with the guide assembly I and the screeding tool assembly 18 to screed various sizes and shapes of rooms.

- 13 The screeding blade assembly 30 is also versatile in its application to surfaces other than floors. Referring now to Figure 11, a wall 60 has been screeded by the screeding blade assembly 30 in one simple pass, unlike the wall 62 in Figure 12, which requires greater manipulation of the screed tool to screed 5 the same surface area. This ability to adjust the length of the screeding blade assembly 30 provides versatility and adjustability which cannot be achieved with existing tools. The advantages of the various aspects of the invention can be achieved with greater effect by using a specially prepared adhesive in accordance with a 10 broadly contemplated aspect of the invention. The adhesive is formed by combining a chemical construction glue sold under the trade name "KemGrip" with a moisture resistant or waterproof additive and stiffeners. The stiffener may include a fine ground sand or stone. One particular formulation of the adhesive suitable for a cement bed or a 15 wall of a room is as follows: - The adhesive is initially prepared by adding 10kg of Kemgrip powder to 2 to 3 litres of water. - The Kemgrip power and water are mixed until a thick creamy consistency is obtained. 20 A waterproof additive sold under the trade name "Kemcrete" is prepared in the proportion of I part Kemcrete to 4 parts water, and then added to the mixture. - Crushed dust is then added as a stiffener. - The mixture is allowed to stand for 5 to 10 minutes and its re-stirred prior to 25 use. For extra waterproof and for flexibility in the adhesive, an additive sold under the trade name of "Elastacrete" may be added to the mixture.

-14 This combination of the glue and additives provides unexpected advantages in providing a moisture proof and water resistant adhesive that is suitable for application to a slab instead of a standard cement bed. It is believed that this combination of the glue and additives unexpectedly confers an ability for 5 the adhesive to have the wet seal to be applied directly upon its surface, unlike other cement renders, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, this enables a wet seal 63 to be applied either underneath or on top of the adhesive 64 when applied to brick walls, as illustrated in Figure 11. In contrast, rendering the brick wall 62 in Figure 12 with sand and cement requires the cement render 65 to dry for several days 10 with a pair of setting sticks 66 before the wet seal 67 is placed over the render 65, as it does not stick to the wet render directly. It will be appreciated that the guide assembly 1, screeding tool assembly 18, screeding blade assembly 30 and adhesive embodying the various aspects of the invention provide a simple, convenient and cost effective means of screeding 15 surfaces with a uniform gradient for tiling, such as bathrooms, washrooms, laundries and other rooms with a drainage outlet. In particular, the drainage pipe now can be cut to approximately the level of the floor, contrary to the known method, and thus obviates the wastage in construction materials. Other embodiments of the invention provide a hub with the a hub axle and 20 a hub plug fixedly mounted to each other, the hub being rotatably engageable with the fixed support. In this case, the hub axle and hub plug are integrally formed. In other embodiments, the screeding tool assembly includes a plurality of screeding blades, each slidingly engageable with an adjacent inner blade. Another embodiment of the screeding tool assembly has the screeding blade integrally 25 formed with the radius arm. Other embodiments have the screeding blade fitted onto the channel by providing a stop pin to securely attach the blade to the channel. The angle of inclination is slightly less than 900, although in other embodiments, the angle of inclination may vary between 80* and 90*. In one - 15 preferred embodiment, the angle of inclination is 890. Other embodiments of the screeding blade include strengthening ribs disposed at intervals along the length of the blade. Although the invention has been described with reference with -specific 5 examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (28)

1. A guide assembly for at least one screeding blade, said at least one screeding blade being manually operable, said assembly including: a hub releasably mountable to a fixed support for defining an axis of 5 rotation; and a radius arm mountable to said hub for rotation about said axis; said radius arm having an angle of inclination to said axis and further adapted to support said at least one screeding blade, such that rotation of said radius arm induces said at least one screeding 10 blade during manual operation to screed a surface defined by said angle of inclination.

2. A guide assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radius arm includes an axle rotatably mounted to the hub.

3. A guide assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hub includes a bore 15 for rotatably mounting the axle, said bore being coaxial with the axis of rotation.

4. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hub frictionally engages the fixed support.

5. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hub is in the form of a bung. 20

6. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hub includes a circumferential peripheral flange at one end for engaging the fixed support.

7. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hub has a complementary shape for engaging the fixed support. 25

8. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hub plug is releasably engageable with the fixed support. - 17

9. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixed support is fixed relative to the surface.

10. A guide assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fixed support is a pipe embedded in the surface. 5

11. A guide assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the pipe defines a drainage outlet.

12. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the angle of inclination is between 80" and 900.

13. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein 10 the radius arm and the at least one screeding blade are slidably engageable.

14. A guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the radius arm has a substantially U-shaped cross-section to define a longitudinal channel.

15. A guide assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein the radius arm includes 15 a pair of side edges extending divergently outwardly with respect to the channel to form a flared opening.

16. A screeding tool assembly, said assembly including: a guide assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims; and at least one screeding blade supportable by said radius arm for manually 20 screeding a surface defined by said angle of inclination.

17. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in claim 16, further including a plurality of screeding blades, each engageable with an adjacent radially inner blade.

18. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein the 25 blades are telescopically engageable. - 18

19. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the at least one screeding blade includes an edge with a non-linear, corrugated or saw-toothed profile.

20. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in claim 19, wherein the edge 5 slidably engages the bottom of the channel.

21. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein there are two screeding blades and one of the two screeding blades is indexed for indicating alignment of the respective edges of the two screeding blades.

22. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in claim 21, wherein indexed 10 markings are provided on a handle portion of said one of the screening blades.

23. A screeding tool assembly as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the at least one screeding blade includes a first screeding blade and a second screeding blade, said first and second screeding blades being substantially complementary in shape such that said first screeding blade is at least partially 15 nestable within said second screeding blade.

24. A screeding blade assembly as claimed in claim 23, wherein said first screeding blade and said second screeding blade each have a screeding blade portion and a handle portion, the second screeding handle portion including an inwardly curled lip for nestably retaining the first screeding handle portion whilst 20 permitting relative sliding movement between the first and second screeding blades.

25. A manual screeding method, said method including the steps of: releasably mounting a radius arm to a fixed support for rotation about an axis of rotation and at an angle of inclination to said axis; 25 supporting at least one screeding blade upon said radius arm; and rotating said radius arm about said axis, thereby inducing said at least one screeding blade during manual operation to screed a surface defined by said angle of inclination. - 19

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, further including the step of mounting a plurality of screeding blades slidably engageable with each other to selectively adjust the area of the screeded surface.

27. A surface screeded according to the method as claimed in claim 25 or 26, 5 or by a screeding tool assembly as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 24.

28. A guide assembly for at least one screeding blade, a screeding tool assembly, or a manual screeding method, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying Figures 1 to 6, and 8 to I1 of the drawings. 10