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?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronrivera7d 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.

charlesowens7d ago

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.