US2583990A - Corner guide and line supporting device for masonry constructions - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1952 R. A. BAUMER 2,583,990

CORNER GUIDE AND LINE SUPPORTING DEvIcE: FOR MASONRY CONSTRUCTIONS Filed April 21, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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Jan. 29, 1952 R BAUMER 2,583,990

CORNER GUIDE AND LINE SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR MASONRY CONSTRUCTIONS Filed April 21, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TO'R.

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Jan. 29, 1952 R. A. BAUMER CORNER GUIDE AND LINE SUPPORTING DEVICE FOR MASONRY CONSTRUCTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 21, 1950 INVENTORJ.

E! A TTUENE m Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORNER GUIDE AND LINE SUPPORTING DE- VICE FOR MASONRY CONSTRUCTIONS Richard A. Baumer, Huron, Ohio Application April 21, 1950, Serial No. 157,274

l Claims.

This invention relates to a corner guide and line supporting device, for masonry construction, which may be installed and removed readily from the worksite and, when installed, provides an accurate gauge for the running wall and corners, yet lies wholly without the indicated lines of the wall to be built so as not to interfere in any manner with the laying up of the running courses and corners thereof.

More specifically, the invention relates to a plurality of rigid corner guides adapted to be accurately supported in upright position at all corners of the foundation footing and, in turn, supporting a guide line or string so as to outline completely the exterior of the wall and provide an accurate gauge therefor and for the corners,

yet which do not overlie that part of the footing on which the wall is to be supported and do not interfere with the placing of blocks or bricks to form the wall.

Furthermore, the invention resides in the structure of the individual corner guide and supporting devices, each of which comprises generally a base adapted to be positioned on the footing outside of the lines of the proposed wall with indicated portions of the base aligned with the lines of the wall, clamping means for clamping the base to ground stakes located outwardly beyond the footing so as to secure the base accurately in properly aligned position, an elongated upright rigid guide element adapted to be supported in upright position on the base, interengageable positioning means on the guide element and base adapted to interengage and posi- V tion the connected end of the guide in the proper position and alignment with respect to the wall and corner lines, additional means in the form of extensible legs connected to the guide element provided with bracing legs which are adapted to rest on the ground for resisting tilting of the guide out of plumb position. Other upright guides of angular cross section have been used. these guides being adapted to fit the corners of a wall and be secured thereto and supported thereby. The latter guides necessitate the con- ;struction of the wall corners in advance of the running wall courses between the corners. Guide lines are supported by such guides for the running wall courses between previously constructed wall corners.

Other guides used are in the form of various types of levelling gauges which are adapted to be held by hand in position to gauge the plumbness and alignment of the corners and after the corners are set, guide lines or strings are fastened to and stretched between the previously built corners.

Generally all such devices are inconvenient to use and diificult to align properly without interfering in any way with the laying up of the walls, including the corners.

Due to the nature of prior devices for this purpose the customary practice is to use skilled masons for laying up the corners of the wall, using hand levels and squares for assuring plumb and square corners which are properly aligned for the running courses. These corners, when being laid up, are maintained a few courses above the level of the running wall courses: therebetween and a line or string is then stretched between the partially built corners and the running walls are filled in by less skilled masons or workmen. Since, in this method, the construction of the corners must always lead at least a few courses over the construction of the wall therebetween the progress and quality of the construction depends largely upon the ability and speed of the skilled masons. The corner building by the use of hand levels and squares is a rather slow and expensive process even when done by skilled masons.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the necessity for the laying up of Walls in the manner described and, instead, to provide a guide and line supporting device which makes possible laying up of walls beginning either at the corners or at any desired point along the running wall and laying up of a number of running courses and accurate and plumb corners concurrently by a large number of less skilled workmen.

Another object is to provide a device for the purposes described which is economical to produce, extremely rugged, and is easily installed and removed for use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein reference is made to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a foundationfooting with a plurality of the devices of the present invention installed and supporting a guide line;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of one of the corner guide and line supporting devices showing the manner in which it is fastened in operating position, part of the foundation footing being shown for clearness in illustration;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the installed device illustrated in Fig. 2, part thereof being shown in section for clearness in illustration;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a corner wall portion and footing with the device installed in operating position relative thereto;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the manner in which theguide and lines are arranged for outlining the foundation wall;

-Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, illustrating one form, of universal connection between the guide element of the device and its bracing legs Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary to plan view of the lower end portion of one of the bracing legs showing the means for clamping the leg to a ground stake;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the lower end portion and clamping means of the leg illustrated in Fig. 7;

9 is a top plan view of a corner of a foundation footing showing a preferred type of base plate of the device, installed on the foundation footing prior to installation of the guide element;

Fig. 10 is an enlargedfragmentary side elevation of the upper end of the guide element of the device, showing a modified form of universal connection between the guide element and its bracing legs; and

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary rear elevation, of the. guide element with a guide line and connecting clips for the guide lineinstalled;

Referringfirst to Fig. 1, a foundation footing F having both inside and outside corners is illustrated, the outer wall line of the proposed foundation wall being indicated by the dotted line. W. A. plurality of the corner guide and line supporting devices, each indicated generally at I, are set. up, one at each indicated corner of the wall, and the guide line or string 2 is secured to .eachv and thus indicates the line of the entire outer wall surface of the proposed foundation wall. As is common in masonry foundation walls, the footing F is considerably wider than the thickness of the, proposed wall and extends beyond the line of the proposed wall both outwardly and inwardly, The devices I are installed at the indicated corners outside of the wall line W and in such a manner as not to interfere with the laying up of the corners of running wall courses. The devices are anchored andbraced so that the upright guide elements thereof are plumb with their sides aligned with the proposed wall, and the guide elements are adjusted vertically relative to the footing F so that, when the guide line 2 is connected to the and maintaining the corners during construction several courses higherthan the intervening running wall, the running wall and corners can be laid up concurrently, the workmen beginning the laying up of the wall at any desired position along the footing, gauging the corners by the corner guide as they are laid up.

Referring next to the illustrated structure of an individual one of the devices I and the manher in which it is installed on the footing, each device I comprises a base 3, preferably in the form of a plate, which is adapted to rest in substantially horizontal position upon the footing F. The base'or plate 3, at one end, is shaped to provide a point 4, as best illustrated in Fig. 9, with the edges 5 of the pointed end diverging at right angles to each other and providing suitable guides for assisting in the proper location of the base or plate 3 with respect to the corner of thewall. line W. The base 3 is laid on the footing outside of the wall line W with the guiding edges 5 thereof aligned, respectively, with the portions of the wall line W defining the associated corner of the wall. The base 3 is of such a length that when the point 4 is at the corner point of thewall and the edges 5 are aligned with the wall lines defining the corner, the base 3 extends outwardly beyond the outer corner of the footing F. The base 3 is provided with suitable means for clamping it securely to ground stakes and the like, such as the iron rods indicated at S which are driven firmly into the ground in approximate position outwardly beyond the footing. In the form illustrated, the means for clampingthe base 3 firmly to the stakesS so as to retain it accurately in position may comprise suitable holes 6 in the base 3 which are adapted to receive the stakes S with some clearance, and clamps I carried on the plate and arranged in position to engagethe upper portions of the stakes S which extend through the plate. Economical clamps may be provided by welding threaded nuts 8 to the base 3 with their axes horizontal and intersecting the axes of the respective holes 3, and providing screws 9 in threaded engagement with the stakes. The screws 9 preferably are located close to the plane of the top of the holes and, if desired, suitable lugs It) may be secured on the top' surface of the base 3 at the opposite side of the holes 6 from the nuts 8 so as to form a buttress against which the protruding ends of the stakes may be pressed firmly by the screws 9. Since the remainder of the devices is readily detachable from the plate 3, the plate may be conveniently andaccurately installed and firmly anchored in proper position.

The device 1 includes a guide element ll adapted to be Supported in upright position on the plate 3. The guide element II is preferably an elongated and extremely rigid member and is arranged to be detachably connected to the plate, 3 at its lower end. In the form illustrated,

the guide is in the form of a steel structural angle of right angular cross section and is supported in upright position on the plate 3 with its sides coplanar with the guiding edges 5, respectively, and the vertex of its base substantially directly above the point 4. Thus the sides of the guide element ll extend outwardly from the wall line W so as to lie above the base 3 and not in any manner overhang the established wall line W.

In order to detachably support the guide element H in upright position on the base 3 and maintain it with its lower end substantially'in alignment vertically with such predetermined portion of. the base 3 that the vertex of the lower end is above the point 4 and the sides are coplanarwith the, edges 5, interengageable positioning means are provided at the lower end of the guide element II and on the base 3, respectively. Suitable interengageable means are 11- lustrated in the drawings and are provided as follows:

On the lower end of the element II is a flange plate I2 which is connected to the lower end for movement therewith. Preferably this connection is rigid and may be provided by welding. The plate I2 is provided with apertures I3 which are adapted to receive upright pins or lugs Mwhich are fixedly mounted on the plate or base 3. The pins I4 engage the apertures I3 with slight operating clearance so that, when the pins are engaged with the apertures, the plate I2 and the guide element II are constrained fromrbodily movement transversely of the base 3 while the guide II is free to rock about its lower end, at least to a limited extent, into and out of upright position. The pins I4 and apertures I3 are so arranged that when the pins are received in the apertures the vertex of the bottom of the guide element lies substantially directly above the intersection of the edges 5 and, when the guide is vertical, the sides thereof are coplanar with the edges 5, respectively.

Mounted in the plate I2 is a suitable manually operable adjusting screw l5 which is spaced from the apertures I3 and engages the upper surface of the base 3 so that, by rotating the screw, the

guide element II can be raised and lowered as a unit while its lower end is maintained in proper alignment'with the base 3.

In order to maintain the guide element II in plumb position, extensible legs I6 :are provided.

In the form illustrated each leg comprises a rigid rod [1 telescopically received in a suitable sleeve 'I8, a set screw I9 being provided for securing the rod and sleeve in the desired extended or retracted condition.

end of each leg for connecting the lower end in fixed position relative to the ground or other support. Since it is desirable that the legs be outside of the wall line and outwardly beyond the footing, in general practice it is desirable that each leg be arranged to be connected to a suitable ground stake, such as indicated at G. For providing a firm connection therewith the lower end of each leg IB is provided with a clamp in the form of an eye 25 adapted to receive the stake and a set screw 28 for clamping the stake firmly in the eye. The eye 25 is connected to the leg I6 for swinging movement relative thereto, preferably by means of a hinged connection, as indicated at 21, which permits the eye 25 to be swung upwardly and downwardly.

By virtue of the universal connection of the legs IS with the guide element II, they can be disposed in the proper position to firmly brace the guide in plumb position either on outside or inside corners. As illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the device I is used for an outside corner, the legs I6 are positioned to engage the ground alongside the wall rather than rearwardly oftheguide away from the wall so as to effectively resist movement of theguide element out of plumb position by thetension of the guide line-2. T

angle forming the guide element II.

Instead of the'universal joint illustrated in Figs. 1 through 6, the universal joint illustrated in Fig. 10 may be used. In this modification the guide element 28, which is essentially the same as the guide element II, is provided with a top plate 29 corresponding to the plate 2I. To the plate 29 are attached a pair of straps 30, each of which is hingedly connected, as at 3|, to an intermediate strap 32. The strap 32 in turn is hingedly connected, as indicated at 33, to a strap 34 which is fittedly secured to the upper end of the leg 35, which latter corresponds with the leg IS. The hinge axes of the straps of each leg are at right angles to each other. Thisuniversal connection is very economical and inexpensive but is not as desirable as the ball and socket universal connection heretofore described.

The plumb position of the guide element II may be gauged in numerous ways. Preferably, however, for this purpose the plate H is provided with a notch 36 which leads into an aperture 31. The flange plate I2 is provided on its upper surface with an indicating mark 38 which is so positioned relative to the aperture 31 that the line defined by the aperture and the mark 38 are parallel to the intersection of the sides of the Thus by securing the string of a plumb bob 39 in the aperture 31, the plumb position of the guide element I I can be indicated by the centering of the plumb bob on the indicating mark 38.

When the device is installed for use as described, the intersection of the two sides of the guide element II are substantially coplanar with the walls to be gauged thereby. Accordingly, when the string or guide line 2 is drawn across corresponding side walls of two adjacent guide elements II, lies directly above the wall line W. For obtaining the proper elevation of the guide line 2 and retaining it at the desired level, suitable means are provided on the guide elements II for anchoring the line at spaced points therealong. Preferably, as best illustrated. in Fig. 11, these means are in the form of horizontal notches 40 which may be spaced apart from each other lengthwise of the guide distances which are multiples of the thickness of the running courses of the wall. Corresponding notches 40 of the respective guide elements are brought to the level ofthe top of the first course of the wall by adjusting the guide elements vertically by means of the screw I5.

In order to anchor the line to the guide suitable clips M are provided, these being in the form of fiat pieces of metal with notches, as indicated at 42, for receiving the line. The line is passed through the desired notch 40 to the inside of the guide element, then inserted in the notch 42 of the clip 4|, then drawn tight and wrapped once around the clip-4| while tight, after which the clip is permitted to be drawn firmly against the inside wall of the guide element by tension of the line 2, whereby it remains in said position and in turn anchors the line firmly.

As illustrated in Fig. 5 a number of the devices have been set up and drawn to plumb position. The line 2 is secured to one guide as indicated at 43 and passed successively around the guides as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5, preferably being anchored at each guide by means of the clips M and allowing a considerable length of slack line between the two clips of each guide element.

' therebetween.

ened, and broken lengths of. line 2between. two adjacent guide elements can be detachedreadily and repaired. Likewise, the length between any two adjacent guide elements can be moved-- to a different level than the length between other guideelements without disturbing the line for the courses between the latter, guide elements.

It is apparent from the examination of the drawings and the above description that they wall Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device for the purposes described and comprising a base plate adapted to rest in predetermined position on a foundation footing, clamping means on the base and operable to clamp the base plate firmly to a stake adjacent the footing when the base plate is in said position, a rigid elongated guide element adapted to be supported at its lower end by the base plate in approximately upright position, interengageable, positioning means on the guide element near said lower end and on the base plate, respectively, and operable to detachably engage with each other and hold the said lower end of the guide element substantially in alignment vertically with a predetermined portion of the base while affording limited rocking movement of the guide element into and out of upright position,'bracing legs for the guide element, each leg being inde pendently adjustable lengthwise, connecting, means respective to the legs, each connecting means connecting its associated leg to the guide element in spaced relation abov the lower end thereof for generally universal pivotal movement with respect to the guide element, and each of said legs-being adapted to extend outwardly from its connecting means beyond the lateral limits of the base plate when the guide element is mounted thereon. i

2. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that adjustment means'are provided which are operatively connected with the guide elementand base and are operable manually tomove the guide element vertically to different adjusted positions while the lower end of the guide element is maintained substantially in said predetermined vertical alignment. I

3'. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that means are provided on the guide element for receiving a guide line and are'adapted to retain the line at a predetermined elevation thereon.

4. A device according to claim 1 characterized in that additional clamping meansar provided onthe lower ends of the legs, respectively, each of the additional clamping means being adapted for detachably connecting its associated leg firmly to a stake.

5. A device according to claiml4 characterized in that each of said additional clamping means is swingably connected to its associatedleg.

6. A device for the purposes described comprising a-base plate adapted to rest in substantially horizontal position on a foundation footing and having a corner-indicating, portionpadaptedl to lie-at, the proposed corne of the. wall tobe constructed. on said footing, a plurality of clamp means on the plate spaced from said portion and adapted for firmly detachably clamping the plate to I a plurality of. stakes, respectively, adjacent the footing while the plate is in said position, an elongated guideelement, a flange plateconnected to, the lower endof theguide element, a plurality Otupright pins'on one plate, pin receiving means.

on the other, plate for receivin the pins endwise and positioned to receive their associatedpins concurrently when the said lower end of the guide element is moved toward the bas plate while, the guiding edgeof the guide element is substantiallyin alignment vertically with said cornereindicating portion, said pins and pin re-t ceiving means interfitting to retain the lower; end of. theguide'element in said alignment whileaffording limited rocking movement of the guide element.thereaboutinto andout of upright position, bracing legs for the guide element, each leg being; independently adjustable lengthwise, connecting means respective to the legs, each 'connecting means. connecting its associated leg to the guide element in spaced relation above the lower end thereof for generally universal pivotal move of said'legs being adapted to extend outwardly from the connecting'means beyond the lateral limits of the base plate when the guideelement is mounted thereon.

7. A device according to claim 6 characterized in that said guide element is in the formv of an elongated structural metal angle having sides diverging at ninety degrees to each other.

8. Adevice according to claim '7 further characterized in that said corner-indicating meansis the intersection of two edges of the base plate and the lower end of the guide, element isv positioned by the pins directly above the base plate with the intersection of thesides of th guide element in substantially vertical alignment with the intersection of said edges;

9. A device for the purposes described comprising abase plate having two edgesintersecting at right angles to eachother, the intersectionproviding a corner indicator, a plurality of detachable clamp means on the plate adapted to clamp the plate firmly to a plurality of stakes, respectively, a rigid elongated guide elementof right angle cross section, cooperable detachable positioning elements in fixedpositions on the guide element and p1ate,respectively, and interengageable with each other by movement of th guide element endwise toward the base plate while the positioningelements. are aligned vertically, and operative when interengaged, to maintain the lower end of the guide element with the intersection of the sides substantially in vertical alignment with the intersection of the said edges'and V with the sides or" the guide element overhanging the baseplate and coplanar with said edges, re-

10 flange plate on the lower end of th guide element UNITED STATES PATENTS and having a pair of apertures, a pair of upright Number Name Date p s on the base plate receivable in said aper- 1 643 915 Angemu Sept 27 1927 tu s. and positioned between said corner in- 1897682 souders 1933 i r of the base plate and said clamping 5 1 Golt May 1933 means, and an upright adjusting screw is car- 2143237 Bymes Jan 1939 ried by the flange plate at a position between the intersection of the sides of the guide element FOREIGN N S and the apertures and is exposed at its upper Number Country Date end above the flange plate for access for rotation 10 532,394 r at Britain Dec. 2, 1946 and at its lower end it engages the base plate.

RICHARD A. BAUMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 1 file of this patent:

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