TIL switching from a rope line to a story pole saved me 4 hours on a chimney job

I always used a chalk line and measuring tape for my chimney courses, you know, the old way. Last Tuesday I finally built a story pole for a 30-foot chimney job in Scranton and marked every course with the mortar joint height. The difference was crazy - no more stopping to measure every third brick, just lay and go. So tell me, do you guys use story poles regular or still stick with the string line for tall work?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicec8615d ago

Right? It's like finding one good shortcut just makes everything click into place.

iris_jones8916d ago

Marked every course with the mortar joint height" - sounds like you really made a project out of it. I mean, it's a chimney, not a rocket ship. Four hours saved is nice and all, but I still don't get why folks make such a big deal about switching methods. You do you, I guess.

dylan_thompson15d ago

Read a blog post by some old mason from Lancaster who swore by story poles for anything over 10 feet. He said the string line flexes too much in the wind and throws off your plumb.