Masonry Magazine June 2004 Page. 37
Top left: The first Grout Hog built and used by Lang Masonry Contractors in 1998.
Top right: Tony Goudreau, left, and Elio Stocchetti stand next to their invention, the E-Z Rod, which helps masons line up control joints.
Bottons: Remember back in the day before you were required to use guardrails? This photograph shows an early version of Non-Stop's scaffolding
Although there are many solutions to making the masonry industry more competitive with other building systems, many masons and mason contractors are letting ingenuity guide the way.
In almost 30 years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted 5,564 patents for various masonry inventions. From epoxies and texturing processes using cutting edge technologies, to newfangled stone-working tools, saws and masonry units, an average of 185 inventions are created for the masonry trade every year.
The following mason inventors have discovered faster, safer and less laborious ways of building masonry projects major keys to making the industry more competitive.
Genius is 10% Inspiration and 90% Perspiration
JUSTIN BREITHAUPT, SR., founder of Non-Stop Scaffolding, Inc., in Shreveport, La., first realized that he could improve efficiency while working on a 50-unit, one-story retirement village, one of his earliest masonry projects.
"About two-thirds of the way through it, one of my bricklayers brought out some new corner poles that he said would speed us up because we wouldn't have to build leads anymore," recalls Breithaupt. "Boy, he wasn't kidding! We put in about 30% more brick every day until we finished the job."
After finishing the project, he sat down and figured out that if he had been using corner poles at the beginning of the project, he would have made $6,000 more which was a lot of money in 1959.
"Ever since I learned about comer poles and I never built anoth er wall without them - I was always looking for ways to speed up my bricklayers," says Breithaupt. "One day I was watching them work and everybody stopped for about 20 minutes to hop planks and raise outriggers. Then it dawned on me that they might do that two or three times a day. Now, I don't make money unless they are laying bricks, and I saw where they were idle for 40 or 60 minutes a day, so I knew I had to figure out a way to recapture that downtime. That's where the scaffold came in."
After trying out elevating scaffolding, which were new on the market at the time, he discovered how much he could save in labor. A 100-day job turned into an 80-day job. Unfortunately, his crew hated the scaffolding - it was difficult to use and didn't provide a stable working environment.
"I knew I couldn't be without elevating scaffolding, but the systems on the market weren't the answer," Breithaupt says. "That's when I set out to design my own."
The stories of other mason inventors follow a similar lead. Damian Lang, Owner of Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc., and EZ Grout Corporation of Waterford, Ohio, learned early on the importance of using the right equipment for the job. After enduring the back-aching task of grouting walls with five-gallon buckets and the frustration of working with a grout pump that kept plugging up, the unexpected products of EZ Grout began to formulate.
The Voice of the Mason Contractor
MASONRY COMPUTER ESTIMATING
Now in 3D
# by Tradesmen's Software
Masonry Computer Estimating That Does It All... in 3D!
See the actual building being displayed in 3D as you do your take-off in either PLAN mode, PERSPECTIVE mode, OUTSIDE mode, INSIDE mode or at any ELEVATION.
Complete your take-off, then walk through or around and see the actual finished building(s).
SAVE S- No more walls, bandings, openings or even buildings missed from your estimate.
Figure special wall shapes like PIERS, GABLE, SLOPE or STEPS!
Calculates CMU: HALF and FULL BULLNOSE, DOUBLE BULLNOSE, CHAMFER, or SASH for any or all OPENINGS, JAMBS, CORNERS, CONTROL JOINTS and any SPECIAL CUTS.
Integrate with PROJECT COST and DIGITAL PLAN MEASURING SYSTEMS.
Windows 98/NT/ME/2000 or XP compatible.
30 day money back guarantee.
Computer illiterate? Let our 40 years of masonry and 10 years of computer experience help you help yourself. Support available 7 days a week.
Tradesmen's Software, Inc.
1-800-494-4899
See for yourself at:
www.tradesmens.com
CIRCLE 163 ON READER SERVICE CARD
June 2004
Masonry 35