MASONRY, the art of building in stone. The English word "mason" is from the French, which appears in the two forms, machun and masson (from the last comes the modern French form mason, which means indifferently a bricklayer or mason).
The earliest remains of masonry (apart from the primitive work in rude stone—see STONE MONUMENTS ; ARCHAEOLOGY, etc.) are those of the ancient temples of India and Egypt. Many of these early works were constructed of stones of huge size, and it still remains a mystery how the ancients were able to quarry and raise to a considerable height above the ground blocks 700 or Boo tons in weight. Many of the early buildings of the middle ages were entirely constructed of masses of concrete, often faced with a species of rough cast. The early masonry seems to have been for the most part worked with the axe and not with the chisel. The methods of working and setting stone were much the same as at present, except that owing to difficulties of conveyance the stones were used in much smaller sizes.
There are several different kinds of iron hammers used by the stone worker; the mash hammer has a short handle and heavy head for use with chisels; the iron hammer, used in carving, in shape resembles a carpenter's mallet but is smaller; the waller's hammer is used for roughly shaping stones in rubble work; the spalling hammer for roughly dressing stones in the quarry ; the scabbling hammer, for the same purpose, has one end pointed for use on hard stone ; the pick has a long head pointed at both ends, weighs from 14 to 20 lb., and is used for rough dressing and splitting; the axe has a double wedge-shaped head and is used to bring stones to a fairly level face preparatory to their being worked smooth; the patent axe, or patent hammer, is formed with a number of plates with sharpened edges bolted together to form a head ; the mallet of hard wood is used for finishing the chisel work and carving; and the dummy is of similar shape but smaller.
A hand saw similar to that used by the carpenter is used for cutting small soft stones. Larger blocks are cut with the two handed saw worked by two men. For the largest blocks the frame
saw is used, and is slung by a rope and pulleys fitted with balance weights to relieve the operator of its weight. The blade is of plain steel, the cutting action being supplied by sand with water as a lubricant constantly applied.
There are, perhaps, even more varieties of chisels than of ham mers. The point and the punch have very small cutting edges, a quarter of an inch or less in width. The former is used on the harder and the latter on the softer varieties of stone after the rough hammer dressing. The pitching tool has a wide thick edge and is used in rough dressing. Jumpers are shafts of steel having a widened edge, and are used for boring holes in hard stone. Chisels are made with edges from a quarter-inch to one and a half inches wide ; those that exceed this width are termed boasters. The claw chisel has a number of teeth from one-eighth to three eighths wide, and is used on the surface of hard stones after the point has been used. The drag is a semicircular steel plate, the straight edge having teeth cut in it. It is used to level down the surfaces of soft stones. Cockscombs are used for the same pur pose on mouldings and are shaped to various curves.
The implements for setting out the work are similar to those used by the bricklayer and other tradesmen, comprising the rule, square, set square, the bevel capable of being set to any required angle, compasses, spirit level, plumb-rule and bob and mortar trowels. Gauges and moulds are required in sinking moulds to the proper section.