Research

Wooden mallet used by the stone mason when working stone with chisels. It has an elongated, often slightly curved head. The direction of the wood fibres is perpendicular to the handle, which often has a spherical bulge at the bottom. Frequent use often creates wear in the form of a cavity. If the wear is too strong, the ends are sometimes shortened to create a new face. The lost weight is sometimes compensated by iron nails hit in the head. The hammer may also be fitted with two ferrules (1).  Sometimes vinegar wood is recommended for bluestone, palm wood for sandstone and beech wood for limestone (2). [MOT] (1) BESSAC: 161. (2) JELLEMA: 45.

Metal tool with two pyramidal tips, used to cut away the coarser irregularities in natural stone on the vertical surfaces.  Tool description to be completed. More technical information on the dutch version of this page. [MOT]

The stone-dressing concave hammer is a metal hammer with one or two concave faces, to make rough cuts from a block of natural stone; sometimes in combination with a pick. [MOT]

The stonemason's handsaw is a small hand saw with wooden handle to saw notches in soft stone. In contrast to woodworking handsaws, the teeth of these saws are never set (= alternately bent outwards). [MOT]

This text can only be consulted in Dutch <https://www.mot.be/resource/Tool/stone-fork?lang=nl>

This text can only be consulted in Dutch <https://www.mot.be/resource/Tool/stitch-prick?lang=nl>

This text can only be consulted in Dutch <https://www.mot.be/resource/Tool/spud-knife?lang=nl>

Light tool suitable for mowing the lawn in hard-to-reach places such as along tree trunks, stones, fences and roadsides. The grass whip consists of a thin blade (approx. 20-25 cm), serrated on both sides (1) or provided with a cut on both sides and front (2). The handle is covered with wood or rubber. The tool is swung back and forth in front of the feet, with the blade lying parallel to the ground, cutting through the thin grass stems. Due to the double-sided cut, it works on both sides. See also the grass hook. [MOT] (1) According to LOGAN: 176, the grass stems cannot bend away due to the serrated cut. (2) Catalog 1976: Wilkinson Sword. The name on the world's finest garden tools.

Sometimes the roof tiler has to remove a piece of a roof tile in order to install it. He often does this with a trowel (see mason's trowel), although that is not an ideal treatment for that tool. Some tilers therefore use pliers that resemble large carpenter's pincers. However, the rafter has narrower jaws, which do not close completely because a rod between the arms keeps them at a certain distance from each other. Often one arm ends in a hook to hang the pliers from a roof bar when not in use. See also tile pincers and marble pincers. [MOT]

This text can only be consulted in Dutch <https://www.mot.be/resource/Tool/tongueing-plane?lang=nl>