US2314927A - Bead setter - Google Patents

Description

Patented Mar. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES TET OFFICE BEAD SETTER James T. Farrington, Tampa, Fla.

Application January 4, 1940, Serial No. 312,359

8 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for setting metallic corner beads or base beads in a vertical or a horizontal line and spaced from the lath or other wall at a desired distance equal to the thickness of the plaster or cement to be placed thereon.

Corner beads are pieces of metal shaped to provide a round or bull-nosed bead portion and having sides or wings perforated or expanded for nailing or otherwise securing in place on a wall. When set on a corner, such a bead forms a straight edge to which the plaster may be brought up from both sides, the bead thus acting as a guide for the plasterers tool to determine the thickness of the plaster and forming a protection for the finished corner to prevent pieces from being easily broken out when the corner is struck.

Base beads are used as a finishing strip between a lower wall portion of a hard cement and an upper wall portion of a relatively softer plaster. They serve as straight-edged guides for the tools used in smoothing up both the cement and the plaster, thus regulating the thickness of both and acting as a straight line of separation between the two materials.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple, eflicient, and inexpensive device for holding a long, flexible bead in a straight line, the device having means for indicating when the bead is plumb or level, and having means for engaging the wall to which the bead is to be applied, to position-the head at the desired distance from the wall and to hold it when set until it has been secured in place, the adjustments of the wall-engaging means permitting the bead to be positioned accurately whether the plaster is of the same thickness on both walls or of greater thickness on one wall than on the other.

' 'A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be positioned quickly to form a gage in which the bead portion of a metallic corner piece may be set and maintained in a vertical line at a desired distance from each of two walls which form a corner, and in which the wings of the corner piece are capable of movement for securing them in place upon the respective walls.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a positioning device by which a bead may be set plumb or level by any workman of average intelligence without the use of other tools and the device then be secured to the wall to hold the bead in adjusted position until it can be nailed or otherwise secured to the wall by a helper while the workman is otherwise engaged.

A still further object of the invention is to pro.- vide a device which may be used to set a corner bead upon the corner of a pilaster which projects only a short distance from a wall surface,

the device having means for determining the bar or body having the necessary levels, clampsand contact members; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through a wall of a room showing the device applied in three different ways for setting beads at corners; Fig. 3 is an end view of a clamp and a bracket, with parts in section; Fig. 4 is anend elevation with parts in section, of the device as used for setting a base bead; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing about one-third of one end of the device as used in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of a bracket and the shank of a contact member. The scale of Fig. 2 is twice that of Figs. 1 and4, and the scale of Figs. 3 and 6 is four times that of Fig. 2.-

A bar member or body I, which may be of wood or of any other suitable material, has a straight face 2 within which are seta plurality of; guide blocks 3. Each block has a longitudinal groove in the center of one face of aproper width and depth to receive the bead portion 4' of a corner bead or base bead member, while permitting ;a certain amount of sidewise movement of the sidesor wings 5 to bring them into contact withthe wall or walls. Each block is set in a recess in the body I with the bottom of the groove flush with the surface 2, so that the bead 4 can lie in contact with the surface 2 between the blocks, and aworkman can thus see that the bead is straight throughout its length on the side toward thesurface 2. The flanges or projecting portions, of the blocks 3 that form the two sides of the grooves are in alinement alongthe face to engage the sides of the bead at frequent intervals to maintain it in line at right angles to the face 2.

One or more screws 6 may be used to hold each Spring clips 1, shown in Fig. 2 as held remov ably within a socket in the body I by a cotter pin 8, are adapted to snap over the sides of a bead 4 to hold it Within the blocks 3 and against the face 2. The shape and size of the clip will be determined by those of the bead to be set. A bolt or screw may conveniently replace the cotter pin.

It is a common practice in building to provide grounds, which are strips of wood nailed to a wall near the floor to act as guides for the plasterer to determine plaster thickness. At a corner, such grounds should be set on each side, and there may be situations where such grounds differ in thickness to bring the plaster to the exact place desired, but the bead must be set at the intersection of the surfaces of the grounds, regardless of the difference in thickness of plaster on the two walls.

Near each end of the body I clamp 9 are secured as by bolts which pass through slots H which permit adjustment of the clamps lengthwise of the body to agree with the different distances from the floor at which the grounds may be placed. As best seen in Fig. 3, a cross bar l2 which liesin contact with the rear face of the body I', connects two guide members l3 having inturned, beveled flanges l4 forming, guides for brackets l5 which are correspondingly beveled to slide within the guides. A screw It for each bracket engages the member l3 within the channel formed by the flanges l4 to hold the bracket in adjusted position.

In the form shown at the top of Fig. 2, the bracket I 5 has a portion I"! inclined at about 45 to the portion within the guides and an outer portion I 8 inclined at a little less than 90 to the portion H. The shank I9 of a contact member 20 is slidably adjustable longitudinally of the portion l8 of the bracket, the shank preferably having side flanges 2| on opposite sides of the bracket and-having a slot 22 for a bolt 23 held within the bracket and having a wing nut 24 by which the shank may be held at any desired position of adjustment. When the nut is loose, the shank may slide on the bracket for the full lengthof the slot, one end of the slot acting as a stop to position the contact face of the member 20 in the broken line adjustment in which the outer face of the portion I1 and of the member 26 are in a .common plane.

If the grounds are set at five inches from the floor, one of the clamps 9' will be adjusted along the slots H until the bracket is at the same distance from the end of the body as the grounds are from the floor and the bolts ill will then be tightened to hold the clamps in place. The con-, tact members Zilwill be adjusted to bring their outer faces flush with the outer faces of the bracket portions I l and the nuts- 24 will then be tightened. Each of the brackets IE will be set in the guides in the clamps to a point, (which may conveniently be indicated by registering mark on bracket and clamp), at which the plane of the outer face of the portion I! will be tangent to the bead 4 when it lies in the grooves of the blocks 3; and the screws It will hold the brackets in this position.

-'I'he corner bead will be placed against the straight face 2 of the body with the bead portion in the grooves in the blocks 3 and with the clips 1 engaging the sides of the bead to hold it in the grooves. The operator can glance at the bead between the blocks to be sure that the whole length is in contact with the face 2'. Sometimes a bead may be sprung out of line in shipment go into a mortar joint.

fore it is ready for setting. With a straight bead held is a straight line by the clips, when the lower contact members are placed against the grounds at a corner, the sides of the bead at the lower end will be at the proper distances from each of the walls meeting at the corner. A level 25 mounted in a recess in the body at a convenient height to be observed by the operator shows when the face 2 is in a vertical plane, and a level 26 set at right angles to the sidewalls shows when they are in vertical planes. When both side and face are vertical, the bead will of course be plumb.

When a bead has been plumbed, with the lower contact members 20 held against the grounds, the

upper contact members will be slid forward into contact with the walls on each side of the corner, as is indicated in the top position in Fig. 2, and the nuts 24 tightened to maintain this adjustment.

The bead is now in position for nailing, but the wings are still free. It is evident that the tool can be lifted away from the corner, carrying the bead with it, and it may remain away as long as may be desired, but when it is again set in place with the lower contact members against the grounds and the upper members against the wall, the bead will again be ready for nailing in place, so long as no change has been made in the adjustment of the parts. The bead will be plumbed by the simple act of replacing the device against the corner with the flat contact faces against the flat wall.

Ordinarily, the skilled workman. who sets the beads will have a helper following after him to nail them on, as he sets one bead after another through a house. On large jobs, where there are many beads to be set, two or more of the tools will be used, to avoid delays, and as soon as the adjustments have been made and a bead set in position, a strap 21 may be placed around the body at any convenient height along the central portion, and the ends of the strap secured to the wall as by a nail driven through a hole at each end of the strap. In masonry walls, the nails will This strap does not fit tight around the straight edge, the idea being to hold the tool against the corner but not to force it sidewise when driving the nails. Very little force is needed to hold the tool erect, because it-rests solidly on the floor with four contact members resisting movement of either end toward either wall.

The workman will have both hands free for nailing the wings of the bead in place and as soon as he is done, the strap can be readily detached from the wall and from the-tool to free it for use in some other location. With a slight pull, the entire device will be released from the bead, since the spring clips are easily detached from their engagement with the rounded bead portion. On masonry walls, where nailing cannot be done, the beads will be secured in place by. quick-setting plaster, and as soon as this has become hard, the device can be removed without injury to the bond.

When no grounds have been set near the floor, the lower contact members 20 will, of course, be adjusted outward beyond the plane of the outer faces of the portions I! of the brackets to a distance equal to the thickness of the plaster that is to be applied to that wall surface, and when these contact members are placed against the walls on each side of the corner, the bead will be held at the proper distances from both sides. It

. will be evident that when the bead is placed urement.

within the clips and held up to a corner, it may easily he slid lengthwise of the tool within the grooves in the blocks 3 until it comes into contact with the grounds, while still remaining straight, and plumb, and in position for setting.

When the tool is to be used for setting a bead on the corner of a pilaster which does not project out from a wall surface far enough to use a regular contact member 28 on the narrow side of the pilaster, another form of contact member will be used, such as is illustrated in the central portion of Fig. 2. At the outer end of a bracket l5, a member 28 is provided with an outer face 29 which is at substantially right angles to the prtion I! and within this member 28, a rod 30 is slidable substantially parallel with the face 29.

If a ground has been set near the bottom, the lower end of the bead will be set in vertical position at the corner of the ground and the bracket l will be slid within its clamp to bring the face 29 against the wall at one side of the pilaster and at a little distance therefrom. In the absence of a ground, the operator will set the bracket to bring the surface 29 outward to a distance corresponding to the desired amount of projection of the pilaster beyond the adjacent wall surface, including the plaster on the pilaster face, and making the proper allowance for the thickness of the plaster on the adjacent wall. The rod 38 will be adjusted and secured by its set screw 30 to bring its outer end into contact with the side face of the pilaster when the bead is in proper position to project beyond the unfinished side wall a-distance equal to the thickness of the plaster to be applied to that wall. These adjustments of the bracket and of the rod may be made with the bead held upright at the corner, or they may be made in advance before the tool is taken to the wall when the thickness of the plaster on each surface and the desired projection of the pilaster are known, as set forth in the blue print or in the building specifications. On the outer face of the pilaster, the usual contact members 2|! may be used. It will be evident that the surface 29 when set in place will determine the amount of projection of the pilaster from the adjacent wall and that the rod 30 will determine the position of the bead longitudinally of the pilaster and hence the thickness of the plaster on the side wall of the pilaster.

By providing duplicate levels 25 and 26, the entire device may be reversed for use on both sides of a pilaster when the special member 28 is used.

In many places, as at an arch or a doorway, it may be desirable to adjust the beads to straighten a plaster surface to overcome an irregularity due to faulty woodwork. At the lower end of Fig. 2, a structure is shown in which the lath 3| is not at right angles to the lath 32 and in which the lath 33 is neither at right angles to the lath 3| nor parallel with the lath 32. In every building, there will of course besome points or surfaces from which the proper position of other points or surfaces may be determined, as by sighting or meas- Assuming in the given case, that the lath 32 is at right angles to the wall 34, the bead setting tool will be set up at the outer end of the lath 32 with the contact member 23 flat against the surface of the lath. In the clamp 9 on the other side of the tool, a bracket 35 will be provided with a long straight arm 36 at an angle of 45 to the bracket or at an angle of 90 to the face of the member and hence at right angles to the wall of which the lath 32 is a part. It will be seen that the arm 36 is not parallel with the lath 3|, but it will be adjusted outward from that surface to give as much plaster as is necessary or desired to cover the surface of which the lath 3| is a part. With the tool thus set in place, the bead 31 may be secured to its corner. Since the thickness of plaster is almost the same on both sides of the corner, as shown, the bead 31 will be in about the normal setting with respect to the corner as in both corners above in the same figure, but since the plaster on the opposite corner of this wall is relatively thin over the lath 3| and thick over the lath 33, the bead 38 will need to be tilted at an angle to bring it out to the line at which the two wall surfaces it serves will be tangent to the sides of the bead. After the lower end is fastened in the right place, the tool can be disconnected from the bead 3'! and attached to the bead 38 to plumb it before it is secured rigidly to the corner.

For setting base beads, plates 39 will be secured to the body at about one-fourth of the length of the body from each end, these plates having threaded socket-s for screws 40 which act as vertically adjustable legs for the device to support it at any desired height from the floor to agree with the position at which the bead is to be set. A block 4| having sockets 42 to receive the lower ends of the screws to protect them and to assist in making the device more stable may be used if desired with each pair of screws. A centrally located level 43 may be used to indicate a proper adjustment of the screws.

lhe base bead 44 will be held against the body by clips 1 adapted to the particular form of bead to be used and the distance of the bead from the wall will be determined by contact members 45 whose wall-contacting surface are substantially at right angles to the brackets.

It will be seen that the device is adjustable to meet any conditions in Which anything is out of normal, as well as to provide for any desired thickness of plaster. The brackets will all be interchangeable in the diiferent clamps so that any contact membermay be used at any of the four places on the tool.

The entire device is so easily handled that any workman of average intelligence should be able to secure perfect results with little practice.

Many changes in size, proportions, details of construction, and in the arrangement of the parts may be made without departure from the principles of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A device for setting corner beads comprising a body having a plane face, means to grip a bead against said face in a straight line, brackets on said body each having a portion projecting beyond said face, the outer surfaces of the projecting portions lying in planes tangent to the outer sides of said head, whereby when the outer surfaces of said brackets are placed in contact with grounds, the bead will be positioned with its outer surfaces in line with the surfaces of the grounds.

2. A structure as in claim 1 having contact members adjustable outwardly upon said brackets beyond the outer planes of the projecting portions of the brackets, said contact members having contact faces parallel to the outer surfaces of the brackets.

3. A device for setting beads comprising a, body, means upon the body to grip a bead to hold it in a straight line, means adjustable on the body for engagement with a wall to hold the body at a desired distance from the wall, and a support for the body to hold it at a desired distance from the floor.

4. A device as in claim 3, in which the support comprises means for vertical adjustment of the body.

5. A device for setting beads comprising a body, adjustable means for supporting said body in a substantially horizontal plane, means on said body for engagement with a wall and means for holding a bead upon said body in a straight line, one of said means being adjustable to position said bead at a desired distance from the wall.

6. A device for setting beads comprising a body, means on said body for holding a bead in a straight line, a screw on each side of the longitudinal center of said body acting as a support for said body and adjustable to position the body in a substantially horizontal plane, and an additional screw on the opposite side of the transverse center of the body from the other screws acting as a support for said body and adjustable to position said body in a substantially horizontal plane transverse to said first mentioned supporting screws.

7. A device for setting a bead at a corner at which two walls meet, comprising a body, brackets secured to said body and projecting outward therefrom, each of said brackets having a plane surface to determine the positioning of the body with respect to the wall adjacent to said surface and at a desired distance, the planes of said surfaces being substantially at right angles to each other and means on said body for holding a bead in a straight line with the outer sides of the bead tangent to the planes of the contact surfaces near their intersection.

8. A device for setting a bead at a corner at which two walls meet, comprising a body, means on said body for holding a bead in a straight line, brackets on said body near one end, each of said brackets having a plane surface adapted for contact with a surface with which the bead is to bear a definite relation, the planes of the contact surfaces of the brackets being substantially at right angles to each other and tangent to the sides of the bead near their intersection, and contact members near the other end of the body from the first mentioned brackets and extending outward on opposite sides of the bead, said contact members having a portion adjustable toward and from adjacent wall surfaces for engagement therewith when the bead i in desired position with the brackets in contact with the surfaces determining the bead position, and means for securing the adjusted portions in desired position.

JAMES T. FARRINGTON.

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