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That time a brick arch started to sag before the mortar set
We were building a fireplace in a house in Springfield, and the wooden support for the arch slipped about an inch. I saw the center bricks dip right after we laid them. My partner held the center up with a trowel handle while I jammed some quick wedges under the support frame. It held, but we had to re-check every joint before we could walk away. Has anyone had a support fail like that and how did you fix it on the spot?
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cameronrivera2mo ago
You said you used quick wedges under the support frame... I'd be careful with that fix. If the wedges kicked out, the whole thing could have dropped. I always keep a couple of screw jacks in the truck for exactly this, to take the load right away instead of trusting friction.
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Man, that's scary! My buddy had a whole lintel start to go once. He did exactly what @cameronrivera said and used a jack from his truck to hold it, then rebuilt the support.
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jake_martin162mo ago
Yeah, that's the right call. I saw a temporary brace fail once and it was not a good day, so @charlesowens is spot on about getting a solid jack under it fast. You just don't mess around with that kind of weight.
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