Cutting Tools

• Cutting stone, ceramic or brick is a fundamental chore in masonry applications. Cutting provides custom fitting pieces as needed by the project. Cutting tools used today are tile cutting saws and wet saws, both operated with an electrical power source. Additionally, many masonry materials come pre-cut from factories, which reduces a significant portion of sizing work. Before this cutting was effected with chisels, hammers and pre-determined break lines. The pieces then were finished with hand saws and minor chipping.
  
  

Anchoring

• Anchoring to establish wall bases and corners requires connecting one masonry material to another. A typical application involves brick anchored to a cement foundation. A fundamental tool involved here is a masonry drill. A masonry drill uses special drill bits that can cut into stone and cement without dulling. The hole is then filled with a metal bolt or stud to make the actual connection.
  
  

Adhesive Application

• Much of masonry involves joining blocks of material such as brick and stone. The adhesive used is either mortar or cement. To apply the adhesive, different types of trowels are used. One small type of trowel used is known as a scooper; larger trowels increase the mason's loading ability. A flat, rectangular type of trowel allows the mason to spread an adhesive such as mortar between the surfaces to be fixed together. A v- or square-notched trowel cuts grooves in the adhesive material so that it spreads evenly. Tile work and brick work both involve heavy use of trowels.
  
  

Lines and Level

• Nothing is more obvious in masonry than a floor or wall that has been laid crookedly. To avoid this problem, leveling tools and mason lines are used to keep constructions straight and true. A level is typically placed on the surface to be leveled; an air bubble in the middle of the tool is then observed. If the bubble is centered, the surface is level. A mason line allows a worker to accurately mark installation points along a straight line. Usually used with tile work, a mason line helps the mason avoid crooked work that will be hard to repair later on.