Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The Brick-axe is used for reducing or cutting off the soffits of bricks to the saw-
cuttings, and the sides of the lines drawn by the scribe. Much of the labour
required for rubbing the bricks may be removed by the axe being managed with
dexterity.
The early style of brick axe (examined in Chapter 1) is clearly not that shown
in Nicholson's fig 2. The stated use of it, for 'cutting off the soffits to brick
to the saw cuttings, and the sides to the lines drawn by the scribe', is reveal-
ing. This brick axe is considerably bigger and heavier. Lloyd (1925, 289) repro-
duces a photograph of the two different types of brick axes placed side-by-side
with their respective details recorded beneath. The larger brick axe having nar-
row 3 inch (76 mm) blades, was 25½ ins (645 mm) in total length, with a similar
sized grip to that shown by Moxon, but it weighed about 6¼lbs (2.83kg). A
similar, but slightly larger brick axe, in the possession of Richard Filmer, was
28
5
/
8
ins (728mm) in total length, with blade widths of 4ins (101mm) with a
thickness of
5
/
16
ins (8 mm) down to a cutting edge; and weighed 6.6 lbs (3 kg)
(Fig. 98). The brick axe tapers from both sides, in a regular fashion, to form
each of the two cutting edges. The central handle is 4½ inches (108 mm) long,
the thickest point at the centre of the handle measures 1
1
/
8
inches (28mm)
high with a width of 1
1
/
4
inches (32 mm). These styles of later brick axes, being
large and heavy, were never intended for fine shaping, like the Moxon axe,
their sizes negate such use. They were designed to cut as large a waste por-
tion of brick as possible, something which was important because of the large
amounts of 'axing' (or cutting) of brick arches in the cutting shed.
Figure 98
A large brick axe viewed
in comparison to its
earlier and smaller
counterpart. (Courtesy
of Richard Filmer)
Lloyd (1925, 72-30) quotes the larger brick axe in use from
The Dictionary of
Architecture:
…The lines having been first marked on the brick by a species of small saw, the
axe is then taken by the middle and held in a perpendicular position, its edge
is then applied to the brick where marked, and both being raised together, it
is struck smartly on a block of wood, by which the brick is cut into shapes. The
rough edges of the brick are then rubbed on a piece of grit stone.
