Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Using the Mason’s Frame Jig


On the weekend I made a trip to a new construction job site to measure for an installed fireplace screen in a space which will be a screened porch.  Even though we have had some very nice weather that work day was cold and the wind was blowing a gale.  It was very hard to make notes because the wind whipped the paper pages.  I got the measurements and got back in the pickup as quickly as possible.
The job was made a bit easier because I brought the mason’s frame jig I use to measure the inside dimensions of firebox openings.  The frame is made of four corner elements of 1” x 14 gauge square tube and the vertical and horizontal bars are 3/4” x 14 gauge tube.  To record the measurements the corners are extended and four machine screws are tightened to secure the positions.  Finally I use a presto pen to mark each bar where it enters the ends of the corner tubes so if a screw loosens the frame can be properly reset.  The jig along with written notes and several digital images make it hard to go wrong.  
Back in the studio I build the fit frame from angle and soon I will return to the job site to insert it and check for any needed modifications before proceeding with the screen construction.
When everything is satisfactory I will repaint the jig to erase the presto pen marks and it is ready for the next job.






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