Brick arch

[23vc]

Hi, got to do an archway in a 9" garden wall, over a 3' ish opening, with the bricks laid across the thickness of the wall rather than upright if you see what I mean. After some advice of whether I need to bend a sheet of thin ply across the formers under where the bricks will be laid as I'd have thought just the 2 formers each end would do it?
Cheers
John

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

" just the 2 formers each end" Surely, one former each end? The weight of several courses of bricks is significant, so make sure your formers are strong enough. I once built an arch in a Victorian garden wall, 42" wide about 8' high in the centre, the whole thing was made with special shaped bricks, so the brickwork of the arch was about 15" high, but only 9" thick If you put strips between the formers, you can tart up the pointing before removing the former. Make sure you can drop the former before starting. (Use wedges?)
Frank

 

[23vc]

Thanks for the reply, what I was trying to ask was do you need continuous ply bent around the formers or just the 2 formers like you say, sounds like just the formers will do the trick. I was planning on sorting the bottom pointing after removing the formers, can't see any other way? (Not sure what you mean by strips)
Cheers
John

 

[foxhole]

If you don't have anything underneath you are going to loose a lot of the mortar dropping thru?

 

[^woody^]

If you don't have anything underneath you are going to loose a lot of the mortar dropping thru?

No, the idea is to put the mortar on the side of the bricks

 

[^woody^]

just the 2 formers

You make an arch centre as one unit.

Your two "formers" are presumably what would be the sides of the arch centre. If you don't join them, there is a risk of the arch bricks being uneven due to misalignment of the "formers". You don't need anything on the top, but then any unevenness in your cutting of the arch shape will be more pronounced in the finished brick arch shape.

 

[^woody^]

Double post from poxy forum lag, ffs.

 

[23vc]

Spot on thanks

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Another point, you will need to think about how you are going to get your mortar thickness correct. I can't remember how I did it. It would be useful to mark a centre line on the face of each former and brick up from both sides at the same time in a bid to keep each half of the arch the same and perhaps cut the "keystone" brick to take up any inaccuracy. Also you can't brick downhill .
Frank

 

[stuart45]

Another point, you will need to think about how you are going to get your mortar thickness correct. I can't remember how I did it. .
Frank

Pair of dividers and then a compass to mark the gauge.

 

[^woody^]

My old instructor told us that the key brick (the centre brick at the top of the arch) or the last brick if there is a joint at the centre point, is the only brick you are allowed to hold with both hands.

 

[23vc]

Thanks for the replies