US3461565A

US3461565A - Mason's line stretcher

Info

Publication number: US3461565A
Application number: US722456A
Authority: US
Inventors: George T Harris
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-04-18
Filing date: 1968-04-18
Publication date: 1969-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 1986-08-19

Description

9, 1969 a. T. HARRIS MASON'S LINE STRBTCHER Filed April 18, 1968 INVENTOR. GEORGE T. HARRIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,461,565 MASONS LINE STRETCHER George T. Harris, S. Rte. 3, Box 68, Farmington, N. Mex. 87401 Filed Apr. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 722,456 Int. Cl. B4411 3/00 US. CI. 33-86 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A multipurpose line stretcher for anchoring a masons line. The line stretcher includes a wide body and two depending legs spaced to straddle a masonry unit or a portion thereof. An extension of the body serves as a tongue for attaching a masons line.

Background of the invention Field.'lhis invention relates to line stretchers of the type used by masons to anchor a taut line in position to serve as a guide in the laying up of brick, block, or tile.

State of the art.--'Ihe line stretchers most commonly used by masons are designed to straddle the entire Width of a block or brick. Usually, the stretcher is cast in one piece and has gripping legs spaced to straddle a selected maximum width. Such a tool cannot anchor satisfactorily to masonry units with widths much narrower than the spacing between the gripping legs of the stretcher. Thus, a given stretcher tool is useful to anchor a masons line to only specific sizes and types of masonry units. Line stretchers are, in fact, commonly classified as either 8- inch to 12-inch, 6-inch to 8-inch, or 4-inch to 6-inch stretchers, respectively. Adjustable line stretchers which permit adjustment of the spacing between the gripping legs to straddle 4-inch to 12-inch units are available but are generally unsatisfactory, particularly for use with narrow units. The adjusting hardware of such stretchers tends to'loosen, resulting in lost parts or loose lines. Further, on narrow units, a substantial portion of the stretcher cantilevers from the unit, thereby making it difficult to balance the stretcher properly. None of the available stretchers performs satisfactorily on Z-inch units, such as tiles, or in situations where there is insufiicient room to accommodate a tool made to straddle the entire width of the unit. In such instances, less convenient anchoring systems, e.g., line pins and line trigs must be relied upon.

Other types of line stretchers have been suggested, but they have not been widely accepted, probably because they fail to perform as satisfactorily in use as those described hereinbefore. The devices disclosed by US. Patents 2,530,121 and 2,806,290, for example, are designed to straddle 4-inch bricks. In practice, such tools do not perform Well when positioned to straddle the outer shell of a cement block because the legs do not tightly grip the relatively thin walls of the block. These devices will not anchor acceptably to a 2-inch tile. The device disclosed by US. Patent 2,523,101 has depending legs which are spaced to closely straddle the side wall of a cement block. This device, however, offers relatively little resistance to bending under strain and tends to twist and lift from position when pulled by a taut line.

Accordingly, there has been and remains a need for a simple, one-piece stretcher which may be used to anchor a masons line to bricks, blocks, and tiles of various sizes and shapes.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a one-piece masons line stretcher which anchors a taut line to all common types Patented Aug. 19, 1969 ice of bricks, blocks, and tile having central voids. It is also uniquely useful for laying up 2-inch tile.

The claimed line stretcher includes two gripping legs spaced appropriately to straddle and engage a 2-inch tile without slipping. The legs are connected by an elongate body which has a flat undersurface that is adapted to rest in face-to-face relationship on the upper surface of a masonry unit, e.g., a 2-inch tile or other unit with a side wall or comparable structural portion having a thickness of about 2 inches or less. The body is constructed with width such that, when emplaced, it bears on the upper surface of the masonry unit at points remote from straight lines connecting corresponding sides of the gripping legs and in the direction of pull of the masons line. Such a construction prevents lifting of the stretcher tool from positionwhen it is pulled by a taut line. Many shapes and constructions of the body are suitable. For example, the body may be solid or it may be constructed as a frame; it may be rectilinear or it may be curved.

The legs depend from the flat undersurface of the body substantially perpendicularly, i.e., normal thereto, and have their longitudinal axes substantially intersecting the longitudinal axis of the body, so that a single stretcher device of the invention can function as either a right hand or a left hand tool and so that the width of the body at either side of such longitudinal axis serves to stabilize the device against tipping when the line attached thereto is pulled taut.

In the preferred form illustrated the body is rectangular with one end tapered toward one of the legs which is at that end and with a line-fastening tongue reentrantly formed as a longitudinal, coplanar extension of such body at the opposite end thereof, the second leg depending from such opposite end of the body so that the tongue extends as a cantilever lying substantially wholly within the plane of the body.

In use, a masonry unit is positioned at each end of a new course about to be laid up. These units are carefully positioned at the appropriate elevation to serve as guide units for the remainder of the course. One end of a line is looped over the tongue and around the closest leg of a line stretcher of this invention. The stretcher is then anchored to one of the guide units. In the case of narrow units, e.g., two-inch tile, the stretcher is placed to straddle the unit. When wider units with central cores or voids, e.g., cement blocks, are being laid up, the stretcher is placed to straddle a side Wall. The free end of the line is then attached to a second line stretcher of the invention such that the length of the line between the stretchers is shorter than the length of the course between the guide units. By anchoring the second stretcher to the second guide unit, the line is stretched and made taut. The stretchers are held in place by the tension of the taut line. This tension causes the stretchers to pivot around axes normal to the bodies of the respective stretchers, thereby bringing the legs into gripping engagement with the walls of the masonry guide units.

Description of the drawings In the drawings, which illustrate what is presently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out the invention:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the line stretcher.

FIG. 2, a pictorial view showing a pair of line stretchers anchored for use in laying up a course of SRC brick.

FIG. 3, a pictorial view of the line stretcher anchored to a 2-inch tile, and

FIG. 4, a pictorial view of the line stretcher anchored to the side wall of a cement block.

Detailed description of the illustrated embodiment The line stretcher illustrated by FIG. 1 is of one-piece construction, preferably blanked and bent to final formation from A; inch strap iron stock. As so fabricated, the stretcher comprises a rectilinear body 11 with a tapered end 11a and a tongue element 11b at the end of the body opposite the tapered end; a first leg 12 depending from the tapered end of the body; and a second leg 13 depending from the body at a position intermediate the tongue 11b and leg 12. The

legs

12 and 13 are approximately parallel and depend from approximately the center line of the body 11. Desirably, a line groove 14 is provided, as illustrated, in the edge of the leg 13- opposite the tongue 11b and adjacent the underside of the body 11 to hold a masons string (15, see FIG. 2) in proper position for use. The stretcher may be constructed in any convenient fashion. Rather than being blanked and bent as illustrated, the legs may be welded or otherwise fastened to the body.

Proper dimensioning of the line stretcher is essential for its satisfactory performance. Of particular importance are the width of the body 11 and the spacing of the

legs

12 and 13. It has been found that the stretcher tends to lift on one side when it is pulled by a taut line if it is less than about 1 /2 inches wide. Stretchers which have body widths of at least about 2 inches remain in place under even extraordinary conditions of use, such as the high tension required to maintain an unusually long line taut in the wind. The spacing of the

legs

12 and 13 should be about 2 inches for best results. Many tiles and side walls are too thick to be straddled conveniently by legs spaced less than about 1% inches. Spacings of about 1% to about 2 /2 inches constitute the preferred range. Spacings of greater than about 2 /2 inches offer no advantage, and stretchers with legs spaced this far apart are unsatisfactory for most applications because the legs tend to slide rather than engage the walls of a masonry unit.

Other dimensions of the line stretcher are of less importance. The legs may be of any convenient length, about A; of an inch being satisfactory for most purposes. The stretcher may also be of any convenient length, its overall length depending largely on the shape and dimensions of the tongue element. The illustrated form of the invention will ordinarily be about 3 /2 to about 5 inches long, with an inch or more of its length at one end tapered so that the body width reduces down to the width of the leg 12. A square-cornered tool may be used for many applications, but an all-purpose tool will include the tapered element illustrated. This taper allows the stretcher to twist and engage a facing masonry unit, such as a tile, without prying on the back-up wall. Preferably, the tapered element of the body is tapered equilaterally so that a single tool may function as either a right or left hand stretcher.

The tongue 11b is conveniently reentrant adjacent the body as illustrated, to facilitate fastening of a line to the body 11 of the stretcher. Of course, the tongue may be of any other desired configuration and may carry various means by which to tie the line. For example, the tongue may be in the form of a knob or ring, so long as it lies substantially wholly Within the plane of the body 11. The illustrated configuration provides for simple manufacture and highly satisfactory attachment of a line to the stretcher.

According to a preferred embodiment, the legs are pegs of relatively small cross section. They may be either rounded or rectilinear, but are preferably prismatic or cylindrical and rectilinear along their lengths. In the illustrated embodiment, leg 12 is a geometrical prism of rectangular cross-section about A; inch by about A1, inch; leg 13 is a similar prism about A; by about /2 inch in cross sections; each leg is about inch long. The longest cross sectional dimensions of the legs are in parallel alignment with the center line of the stretcher. The body is considerably wider than the legs so that it bears on the upper surface of a masonry unit at remote points outside the area bounded by straight lines connecting the legs, as previously indicated.

In use, the stretcher is placed over the side Wall of a brick, the width of a tile, or the side wall of a block as illustrated by FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, line 15 is looped over the tongue 16 and around leg 17 of a first stretcher 18. The stretcher is anchored to a brick 19 by placing the second leg 20 of the stretcher 18 in hole 21 of brick 19 such that the legs 20 and 17 straddle the wall 19a of the brick 19. A second stretcher 22 is fastened to line 15 at a point such that the length of the line between

stretchers

18 and 22 is shorter than the distance between the

guide bricks

19 and 23. Stretcher 22 is then anchored to guide brick 23 in the same fashion that stretcher 18 is anchored to guide brick 19. The masons line 15 is thus stretched sufficiently taut to avoid sagging or side drift due to wind.

Many modifications within the legitimate scope of the invention will be suggested to those skilled in the art by the present disclosure.

I claim:

1. A masons line stretcher, comprising:

an elongate body having a fiat undersurface adapted to lie on the upper flat surface of a masonry unit in face-to-face engagement therewith;

two legs depending from said undersurface and at respective opposite ends of the body in mutually spaced, rectilinear alignment along the longitudinal axis thereof, said legs having their longitudinal axes extending normal to and substantially intersecting the said longitudinal axis of the body;

said body having width along its length sufiiciently greater than the corresponding respective widths of said legs so as to bear on the upper surface of a masonry unit at locations remote from straight lines connecting corresponding sides of said legs, to prevent tipping when the line stretcher is emplaced and fastened to a taut line; and

a line-fastening tongue extending longitudinally from one end of said body and lying substantially wholly within the plane of said body.

2. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body has a fiat underside and is at least about 1 /2 inches Wide.

3. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body is about 2 inches wide.

4. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the tongue element is reentrantly formed adjacent the body to receive and hold the line.

5. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the body is rectangular and tapered along a portion of its length adjacent the leg at the end opposite the tongue to reduce its Width to approximately the width of said leg.

6. A line stretcher according to claim 1, wherein the spacing of the legs is about 2 inches and the width of the body is at least about 1 /2 inches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,714 6/1911 Platt 33--85 2,215,663 9/1940 Frisk 33-86 2,530,121 11/1950 Garwood 33-86 2,659,973 11/1953 Patzel 33-86 2,806,290 9/1957 Tiefel 33-85 HARRY N. HAROIAN, Primary Examiner