Angle grinders and other hand-held disc cutters are dangerous machines and should only be operated while wearing protective gear (see here). Follow the manufacturer’s advice, and if you have never operated one before, it’s advisable to ask an expert or the tool rental store to show you how to use it safely.
Cutting bricks
To cut just a few bricks, for the projects in this book, we recommend using hand tools for the sake of simplicity. The most common method is to simply chop the bricks with a brick chisel and club hammer (see here).
Various machines are available for cutting brick and masonry (see here). You can use an angle grinder, brick guillotine (good for quick 90° cuts, but the results aren’t as good as with a masonry saw), circular saw fitted with an abrasive masonry blade, or a disc cutter fitted with a stonecutting disc. If your design requires hundreds of bricks to be cut, consider renting a masonry saw with a diamond blade (which will also cope with angled cuts).
Cutting blocks, slabs, stone and tiles
Concrete block pavers can be cut in the same way as bricks, as described above. Concrete slab pavers, flat pieces of stone and thick concrete or clay tiles can all be cut with a heavyweight disc cutter or masonry saw (depending on size). However, for safety reasons we recommend using a small angle grinder fitted with a stone-cutting disc to score a cut, and then finishing the cut with a brick chisel and club hammer (see here). Most thin tiles can be cut with a basic hand-operated tile-cutting machine.
Wear gloves and goggles when cutting by hand; if using a machine, wear gloves, goggles, a dust mask, earmuffs and sturdy boots.
Club hammer
Bricklayer’s hammer
Angle grinder
Brick chisel
ADDITIONAL TOOLS
Claw hammer
Rubber mallet
General-purpose saw
Power drill
Jigsaw
Twist drill bit
Scissors
Masonry drill bit
Paintbrush
Screwdriver
Gardener’s trowel
Wire brush
Woodwork
Sometimes the projects require you to use formwork (wooden frames) during the casting of foundations. Formwork usually consists of planks of wood laid square and level, held in place by stakes and nails (see here). A general-purpose saw (or crosscut saw) and a claw hammer are all that is needed to make it.
Simple brickwork arches are easy to build as long as you use a wooden former to establish the shape of the arch and support the bricks during the building process (see here, 136–143, 144–151, 152–157). The former is made from plywood cut with an electric jigsaw, which is a safe and easy-to-use tool. After drawing the curved shape on the plywood (you may use a trammel for this—see here), hold down the plywood on the workbench, start up the saw (don’t allow the blade to touch the wood until the motor is running) and gently guide the blade around the curve. Wear goggles and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Drilling holes
A general-purpose power drill with hammer action is ideal for drilling jobs. For drilling wood, use twist bits for small-diameter holes (under ⅜″ (10mm) in diameter), and flat or spade bits for larger holes. For drilling into brickwork and masonry, use masonry bits and set the drill to hammer mode. Always follow the instructions supplied with the tool.
Finishing
Once you have completed a project (or at the end of each day if you are conscientious), you will need to clear up the site and clean any blobs, splashes and smears of mortar off the brickwork and ground. Use a wire brush to scrub bricks (wear gloves and goggles). If you choose to apply a treatment to the surface of the brickwork in order to clean it (see here), use a paintbrush. A paintbrush is also used for any painting tasks such as sealing render with waterproofing paint, as in the water feature on here.
Miscellaneous
A rubber mallet is useful for bedding brickwork or masonry in mortar. It is soft, but heavy, and does the job without damaging the surface of the material. The wooden or plastic-covered handle of a club hammer or bricklayer’s hammer will do a similar job. Other useful tools include a screwdriver for driving in screws (if you prefer them to nails) and a gardener’s trowel for projects such as the Decorative Raised Bed and the Strawberry Barrel, where planting is required.
When building water features that employ lining materials, such as the Classic Round