This document lists and describes common tools and equipment used in bricklaying. It includes trowels, hammers, chisels, levels, squares and other tools used for measuring, marking, cutting, shaping and finishing bricks and mortar. Key tools discussed are walling and pointing trowels, brick hammers, lump hammers, bolster chisels, spirit levels, lines and pins, and half round jointing tools. Details provided include typical materials used for handles, common styles or uses, and safety tips for proper use.

1. Basic Tools

2. Tutor Copy

3. Bricklaying Tools
and Equipment
• Walling trowel
• Pointing trowel
• Spirit level
• Line and pins
• Corner blocks
• Brick hammer
• Lump hammer
• Bolster chisel
• Scutch hammer
• Builders square
• Half round jointing tool
• Boat/pocket level
• Straight edge
• Mortar board

4. Brick trowel
The best trowels are forged from a single piece of steel.
Handles can be made from timber (hickory), fibre glass or rubber.
Styles are: Broad heel and Philadelphia

5. Pointing Trowel
Used to finish joints when pointing (weather struck, and struck
are the most common)
The best trowels are forged from a single piece of steel.
Handles can be made from timber (hickory), fibre glass or rubber.

6. Tape measures
Tape measures vary in size.
Pocket tapes start at 3 m and can go up to 8 m
Setting out/surveying tapes are usually made from fabric and
range from 30 m to 100 m in length.
surveying/setting out
tape measure
General tape measure

7. Brick Hammer
This type of hammer should never be used with a chisel.
Handles can be made of wood (Hickory), fibre glass or rubber.
The sharp end is used to neatly cut bricks and the hammer
end is used to roughly break bricks in half.

8. Scutch Hammer
Handles can be made of wood (Hickory), fibre glass or rubber.
Scutch combs have teeth and are replaceable

9. Lump Hammer
Also known as a “Club Hammer”
Used to strike a chisel or metal pin.
Care must be taken to avoid the hammer head coming loose.
Handles can be made of wood (Hickory), fibre glass or rubber.

10. Bolster Chisel
These are usually 100 mm wide and are used to cut
bricks/blocks.
Care must be taken to avoid the handle “mushrooming” after
a lot of use.

11. Plugging Chisel
Also known as a “Remer”
Used with a lump hammer to chisel existing mortar out
from between bricks (pointing).

12. Cold Chisel
Cold chisels can be bought
in different sizes.
These are used to chisel
(cut) out bricks
e.g. if you were taking a
section of a wall down, you
would use the Plugging
chisel to remove the
mortar between the bricks
and then use the Cold
chisel to cut the brick out.

13. Lines and Pins
The pins are used to attach lines to walls by inserting them into
“perp” joints. They enable bricklayers to lay a lot of bricks fast
“to line”.
Line is usually made from hemp or nylon.

14. Corner Blocks
Modern corner blocks are made from plastic.
Why not make these yourself out of wood?

15. Tingle plate
A tingle plate is made of
metal and is used to
hold the line in the
middle of a long wall to
stop it sagging – you
could make this
yourself.

16. Spirit level
Spirit levels are available in various lengths ranging from 225mm
up to 1.2m
Used for Plumbing (vertical) --- Levelling (horizontal)

17. Sequence for checking a
Spirit level:
1. Set two screws into a bench just slightly closer together than
the length of the level to be checked.
2. Turn one of the screws until the bubble reads level, when the
level is resting on the heads of the two screws.
3. Reverse the level and replace it on the screws, and if the
bubble is between the lines, the level is accurate.
4. If the bubble is not in the centre of the lines, adjustment must
be made to the bubble tube.
5. Keep checking by reversing the level on the screws.

18. Half round Jointer / Bucket
handle
These are usually made from stainless steel and are available
in different widths.
They create a half round joint finish to bricks or blocks.

19. Sliding Bevel
A sliding bevel is an adjustable gauge for setting and
transferring angles on to bricks.
Once set they can be locked to make sure the angle is
maintained.

20. Raker / Chariot
The nail in the racker can be adjusted.
It is used to cut out mortar joints to a set depth, this
is called recessing.

21. Point Master
Similar to a raker/chariot. Different attachments are used to
produce struck pointing, half round jointing and shaped
recessed/raked joint finishes.