Logan Republican | 1903-04-14 | Page 5 | Trowels of the Bricklayer

TROWELS OF THE BRICKLAYER. Modern Changes In Them Different Styles Used. "Tho brlcklayor's trowel," sold n dealer In such things, "might have seemed long ago to have reached its final perfected shape, never to change again; but, as a matter of fact, It has been In tho past dozen years altered considerably In Its proportions, tho better to adapt It to modorn conditions. condi-tions. "Tho old stylo trowol was used for laying bricks with mortar, but now bricks are laid moro commonly with cement, wlch Is used in a far moro nearly fluid stato than was mortar, and tho old stylo trowel wouldn't take up enough of It. So masons wore continually con-tinually calling for a wider trowel, and In answer to this demand tho trowel has gradually bcon widened until now It Is an Inch or more wider than It formerly was. It Is also made nowadays now-adays a little shorter than formerly. "And of trowels in general thoro are now moro styles thnn thero formerly wero, duo to tho greater complication of modorn construction, nnd tho greater great-er need of trowols for special uses. "Whllo tho bricklayer's trowel, shorter and wldor, as I havo described it to you, Is now tho standard horo-abouts, horo-abouts, bricklayers throughout tho country do not ovorywhoro uso tho samo kind. Thus, whllo wo uso hero a trowel of a certain form nnd dimensions, dimen-sions, they uso In Callfornln n trowol with a bigger and thinner blndo than that of ours; thero they don't cut nnd trim bricks with tho edgo of tho trowel, but uso a chisel that Is mailo for tho purpose. But, then, men In dlfforont parts of tho country havo different methods In bricklaying prac-tlco, prac-tlco, as well ns dlfforont tools. "A Western mason, for Instance, will spread his mortar or cement along and lay threo or four bricks at once, whllo a Boston mason luys bricks singly. sing-ly. I don't know that ono method Is any faster than tho other."