A Guide to Stonemasonry
What stonemasons do is to shape irregular pieces of rock and make accurate structures. Levels, gauge lines and plumb bob are used by stonemasons in order to set vertical and horizontal alignments of the structure they are building. When they lay out foundations and wall patterns, stonemasons use levels, staked lines, and a straight edge. With the use of a chisel, hammers, and power grinder, a stonemason is able to smoothen out rough or defective spots and in order to repair cracked or chipped stone, they use a blowtorch.
Usually when building a monument, the monument parts are carried by truck to the site and the stonemason has to see it removed from the truck bed, then he guides it to the foundation using cranes, hoists, and even skids. Then, the stonemason will make parts of the structure with a mixture composed of stone.
There are many types of stonemasons.
A quarryman’s job is to work in a quarry splitting rock sheets down their vein in order for stone to be extracted.
A sawyer mason makes these rough chunks of stone and using diamond-tipped saws, shapes them to the required size and shape.
Further honing of the stone is done by a banker mason such that the size and shape is according to that required by the design of the building. The goal of the banker mason is to ensure that the stone is positioned in the building in much the same way as it was positioned in the ground.
The artistic ability of the carver mason is used to create designs and patterns in or from the stone-like figures, animals, or different designs.
Permanently fixing stones onto building structures using cement and epoxy resin is the specialization of a fixer mason. This position is a highly skilled and dangerous one because it requires tolerances that are precise and high altitude work. A fixer mason will use a tackle lift system in order to manipulate stone pieces that are very heavy.
Gravestones, statues, and memorials are carved by a memorial mason.
The workplace of a stonemason is generally outdoors. Hard hats and caution is extremely important in this job because it is relatively hazardous. In a stonemason’s work, it requires much physical effort and during bad weather, since they work outdoors, contracts are less frequent. But today, stonemasons can work outside whatever the weather condition is because of various advancements in masonry technology.
You do hard physical labor as a stonemason because you will be required to climb scaffolding, use hammers and chisels, and work all day bending, kneeling, and lifting very heavy materials though rough terrain. Often, stonemasons are contracted privately and are given a time schedule to follow. Sometimes in order to meet deadlines, stonemasons need to work on weekends and overtime.
stonemasons Perth Award winning stonemasons
perth stonemasons stonemasons in perth
stonemasons Perth Award winning stonemasons
perth stonemasons stonemasons in perth
stonemasons Perth Award winning stonemasons
perth stonemasons stonemasons in perth
stonemasons Perth Award winning stonemasons
perth stonemasons stonemasons in perth