GB2220435A - Building aid - Google Patents

Abstract

In building brick walls, it is known to use what are known as "profiles", a profile consisting essentially of a staff provided with attachment means for attaching it firmly, in an accurately vertical position, to the base of a wall which is being built. Such a profile is often placed at the outside of an angle where two walls meet, so that its inner vertical edge defines the outer edge of the corner. The present invention provides a profile assembly which utilizes two substantially standard spirit levels 10, 20 (already a part of a bricklayer's kit - of tools) as part of the assembly, joined by a connector 25, which may include locking means. The assembly may include side glasses to aid in setting it vertical. One or more fixing brackets and/or a stand-off bracket may be provided, for attaching and locating the assembly at the footing of the angle of two walls. An adjustable slider may be provided, for locating a string for guiding bricklaying. The assembly is cheap and can be readily disassembled. <IMAGE>

Description

Building Aid The present invention relates to building aids, and more specifically to means for aiding bricklaying.

In building brick walls, it is necessary to ensure that the walls are occurately vertical. This can be done by using a vertical spirit level which is applied by hand to the wall each time a fresh course of bricks is started.

However, using this technique demands considerable care on the part of the bricklayer and is also time-consuming.

It has therefore become known to use wtat are l.nown a: "profiles". Such a profile consists essentially of staff provided with attachment means for attaching it firnsly, in an accurately vertical position, te the base of a wall which is being built.The profile thus acts as a guide for ensuring, that brick idid adjacent to the profile are accurately aligned vertically; also, a horizontal liiie can readily be attached to the profile as guide for ensuring thot full courses of bricks to be laid are accurately maligned horizontally.

The profile may incorporate spirit glasses so that it can be adjusted directly to the vertical Alternatively, the profile itself may have no such spirit glasses; in thot case, the user lays spirit level, held vertically, aainst the profile to check its verticality. The attachment means generally forn, part of the bottom end of the profile, and may fix the profile either to the ground at the base of the wall or to the bottom of the wall itself (in which case a few courses must be built before the profile can be fixed in place). The attachment means generally incorporate adjustment means so that the profile can be adjusted to å true vertical.

One form of profile is designed to be used at a corner where two walls nict at right angles; such a profile is generally intended to be placed at the outbid of the angle, so that its inner vertical edge defines the outer edge of the corner. Another form of profile is designed for use at an intermediate point or a straight wall; the inner face of such a profile defines the outer surface of the wall.

Such profiles are of considerable value in enabling walls to be built accurately and rapidly. However, they are generally expensive, and their life expectancy on building sites is limited, be.usc of the d ..- - cf tt . LW either damaged or l-=t. Further, they are generally large, and their transport timid storage therefore often causes considerable inconvenience.

The object of the present invention is to provide improvements in profiles, uch that the cost of the profiles is reduced and their storage is rendered easier. This is achieved generally by providing a profile assembly which utilizes standard spirit levels as part of the assembly, the levels being connected by a connector. This means that the cost of the profile assembly is reduced, since the largest components are standard spirit levels and those levels dre very cften already a part of a bricklayer's kit of tools. Further, the profile assembly is reddily stored, since the largest component is a standard spirit level and it is normal to be able to store such a spirit level.

A profile assembly in accordance with the invention will now be described ili detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of various parts of the profile assembly, Fig. 1A is a partial perspective view of a modified assembly; Figs. 2 and 3 are a top view and a perspective view of the profile assembly in use at a corner; Fig. 4 shows a slider for use on the profile assembly; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an optional component of the assembly.

The staff of the profile assembly is formed by combining two standard spirit levels, preferably one long one and one short one. Such spirit levels are constructed generally from rectangular section aluminium extrusion, with apertures in which spirit glasses are fixed. There are generally two spirit glasses in a level, one set in the long edge of the level for use when the level is at or near the horizontal, and the other set in the thickness of the level arid with the glass aligned across the level for use when the level is at or near vertical.

Fig. 1 shows one end and a middle section of a long standard level 10, and one end of a short standard level 20. Typical dimensions for such levels are roughly 1200 mm and 600 mm respectively in length, with the transverse dimensions being roughly 50 mm x 20 mm (the same for both). The long level 10 is formed of a box section aluminium extrusion 11 with a spirit glass 12 set in a cut-out in the middle of one narrow edge and another spirit glass 13 set in a circular aperture through the extrusion, as shown. The end 14 of the extrusion is normally closed by means of a plastic cap 15, having an outerrim 16 and a plug 17 which fits tightly in the open end 14; the other end is closed by a similar cap (not shown). The short level 20 has similar glasses (not shown), and has its ends closed by similar caps (one of which, 21, is shown).

For the present use, the two plugs 15 and 21 are removed from the levels, and a connector 25 is used to connect the two levels. The connector 25 consists of a block of aluminium having a rim 26, which matches the rim 16 of the cap 15, and two plug portions 27 and 28 which fit snugly into the meeting ends of the two levels 10 and 20. The two plug portions are preferably each roughly 25 mm long, and are preferably slightly chamfered at their ends to make it easier to fit them into the ends of the levels. The two levels are thus com bine.u to form a single long staff of about 1800 mm length. If desired, thin pieces of paper can be inserted between the sides of the plug portions 27 and 28 and the insides of the levels 10 and 15 to ensure a tight fit.

There is another widely used set of levels which are formed from aluminium extrusion consisting of two parallel outer strips joined by a central web, so forming an I section. The spirit glasses are mounted in circular holes made in the central web. For such levels, the connector would be in the form of a block of aluminium with a cross section which just fits in between the two outer strips of such extrusion, and having two slots, one at each end, into each of which the central web of such extrusion fits. The connector may have raised portions around its waist (like the rim 26) so that when two levels made from such extrusions are joined by it, the outer surfaces of the resulting staff are flush.

Figs, 2 and 3 show the profile assembly in use. The two levels 10 and 20 together form a staff 30, which is held vertically against one of the two walls 31 and 32 forming the corner, with its outer edge flush with the outer face of the other wall 32. The staff 30 is held in position by a clip 34, which consists of a metal strap 35 having its two ends bent at right angles. Ono end fits into the gap 36 between two bricks in the wall 32, and the other carrier a clamp screw 37 consisting of a threaded bolt with a knob at one end and a captive washer at the other. The length of the clip may conveniently be some 380 mm, though of course other lengths can be used or the clip may be made adjustable.

In use, one of the levels (preferably the longer one, 10) is placed in position against the corner of the wall (which has had a few rows already laid), and the clip 34 is placed in position (using a gap 36 which has been left free of mortar for the purpose) and tightened gently to clamp the level 10 loosely in position. The position of the level 10 is then adjusted to an accurate vertical.

To ensure that the face of the level 10 is vertical, i.e. that the face of the will 31 will be vertical, the second level 20 is placed with its edge against the flat face of the level 10, and the top of level 10 is moved in towards the wall 31 or out away from it as appropriate. Small shims, e.g. of scrap wood, may be placed between the level 10 and either the top or the bottom of the wall 31 to achieve the correct position. The spirit glass 13 in the level 10 is used to ensure that the face of the wall 32 is vertical; the level can be pushed to one side or the other for this. When the level has been set to an accurate vertical, the clamp screw 37 of the clip 34 is tightened fully. The short level 20 is then fitted to the top of the long level 10 by means of the connector 25.

Obviously two such clips may be used, e.g. spaced vertically apart by two course, to give a firmer fixing of the staff 30.

Fig. 1A shows a modified assembly. The levels 10 and 20 of the assembly of Fig. 1 have been replaced by levels 10' and 20', in which circular holes have been drilled in their narrow sides to accommodate small spirit glasses 22 and 23 (which may be mounted in plastic holders which are press fits in the holes just mentioned). The purpose of this is to make it easier to adjust the verticality of the staff after the two sections 10' and 20' have been joined together by the connector 25'.

The connector 25 of the assembly of Fig. 1 has been replaced by a connector in in which the rim 26 has been lengthened as shown at 26', to accommodate a small spirit glass 29. The purpose of this is the same as for the spirit glasses 22 and 23. Of course, only one of the spirit glasses 22, 23, and 29 need be provided, and it may be preferable to use a glass 29, as this doe not require special modification of the levels, and can be adjusted when the connector 25' is being manufactured.

The plug portions 27' and 28' are longer than those of the connector 25 and have holes 24 drilled through them as shown. Each hole is threaded, and has a grub screw (not shown) fitted in it. Each of the levels 10' and 20' has four corresponding holes 24A drilled in it, one in each side, matching the four holes 24. The four grub screws in each plug portion are therefore accessible through the holes 24A, and in use, these grub screws are tightened through these holes against the opposite sides of the levels 10' and 20', to lock the levels to the connector and eliminate any play or slackness. This modification can obviously be used alone or in combination with the spirit glasses 22, 23, and/or 29.

A slider 50, shown in Fig. 4, may be clipped onto the staff 30, to carry a horizontal cord. The slider comprises a thin sleeve 51 which fits over the staff 30 to slide up and down it, with a screw 53 which can be tightened to hold the slider in place; the end 52 of the slider is thickened to provide an adequate length of thread for the screw 53 to engage with. The slider may conveniently be made of plastics material.

In use, a cord is normally brought along one long face of the slider 50, as shown at 55A, looped round the screw 53, and brought back along the same long face and then along the short face opposite the screw 53 to leave as shown at 55B, so that the two parts of the cord 55A and 553 lie substantially flush with the two walls 31 and 32. Thus with the cord as shown, the outer corner of the two walls would be the vertical line 54. The screw 53 may be released, the slider 50 pushed up the staff by the appropriate distance, and the screw 53 tightened again as each row of bricks is finished and the next row started.

The cord provides a guide for the laying of the next course of bricks, and the slider is positioned appropriately along the staff 30.

The slider may be modified by providing a boss at the centre of one end face to provide an adequate length of thread for the screw 53 to engage with, leaving the remainder of that face as thin as the rest of the slider, and providing one or more pegs at suitable points around the slider, preferably at both ends of the slider. The cord can then be passed around a suitable peg instead of the screw 53. So if the screw 53 happens to be adjacent to the corner line 54, the cord can still be configured normally by passing it around a peg at the other end of the slider. The chance of the cord becoming engaged in the screw thread of the slider is also reduced.

The slider can also be modified from the closed loop form shown to an open G-shaped form, embracing the two short sides of the staff but only the outer one of the long sides, so that the slider does not foul the outer face of the wall 31. Since the slider is locked to the staff by means of the screw 53, its stability is not significantly reduced. The slider can further be modified by including a small spirit glass (not shown), either in the end opposite the screw 53 or in the same end as the screw 53 and above or below it, serving the same purpose as the spirit glasses 22, 23, and 29. The need for glasses in the levels and/or the connector is reduced if the slider has such a glass, and the glass can be slightly larger if it is provided in the slider. Alternatively, a further clip-on element carrying such a glass and similar to the slider can be provided.

With the arrangement of Figs. 2 and 3, the staff 30 is held firmly against forces along the face of wall 32, but is held only by friction against forces along the face of wall 31. The staff is therefore liable to be pulled out of vertical by the latter forces. Fig: 5 shows a modified arrangement, including an additional component, which overcomes this problem.

The additional component is a corner spacer, consisting of a length of 9G- bridle aluminium 45 having two ears 46 bent outwards from one half of the angle and two ears 47 bent outwardly from the other half, as shown, so that the end view is a +. A suitable length is about 200 to 250 mm, and a suitable width for each of the two flanges is about 25 mm. , This spacer is used by placing it against the corner of the two walls with its ears pointing outwards, placing tha level 10 in the angle between its ears, and holding the level 10 in position by means of two clamps like clamp 34, one to each of the walls 31 and 32. In this arrangement, shims must be used for both adjustments of the level 10. The clamps are tightened once the level 10 is accurately vertical, and the short level 20 is attached to its top end as before. The use of two clamps, one on each of the walls 31 and 32, gives the staff great resistance to being pulled out of vertical by a pull along the face of either wall.

The connector 25 may be modified so that the short level 20 is at right angles to the long level 10, This would allow the staff 30 to be assembled before it is adjusted to be vertical, since the upper, short level 20 would then enable the adjustment of the staff for verticality of the face of the wall 32 to be made with the staff assembled. Alternatively, the connector 25 could be made with a central square portion carrying a spirit glass at right angles to those in the levels 10 and 20, These arrangements, however, involve greater complication, and do not permit thlF clip 50 to slide along the full length of the staff.

It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a cheap yet effective profile assembly. The assembly consists of components which can readily be separated. The two largest components, the long and short levels, are normal tools used by bricklayers which they will usually have anyway and will be used to transporting and storing. The remaining components are relatively small, so they can readily be stored safely; they are also relatively cheap, so they can be replaced easily if they should become damaged or lost.

Claims (12)

C la ims

1 A profile assembly comprising two spirit levels having the same section, and a connector having two ends which fit into the ends of the levels to form a substantially rigid staff.

2 A profile assembly according to claim 1 wherein each end of the connector has a plurality of threaded holes with screws through them, by means of which the connector can be locked to the levels.

3 A profile assembly according to either previous claim wherein the connector has spirit glass mounted in a short side.

4 A profile assembly according to any previous claim wherein at least one of the levels has a spirit glass mounted in a short side.

5 A profile assembly according to any previous claim including a slider which can be slid up and down the staff.

6 A profile assembly according to claim 5 wherein the slider has a screw by means of which it can be locked to the staff.

7 A profile assembly according to either of claims 5 and 6 wherein the slider has a spirit glass mounted in a short side.

8 A profile assembly according to any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the slider encircles the staff.

9 A profile assembly according to any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the slider embraces one long side and the two short sides of the staff.

10 A profile assembly according to any previous claim including at least one adjustable C-shaped clamp for attaching the staff to the footings of a pair of walls joining at right angles.

11 A profile assembly according to any previous claim including a spacer element having a ±shaped cross section for holding the staff at the outer angle of a pair of walls joining at right angles.

12 A profile assembly substantially as herein described and illustrated.