GB2176228A - Improvement in erecting door and window frames - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods of erecting wooden door and window frames and to a building device for ensuring the accurate erection of wooden door and window frames. The building device comprises a rectangular metal frame 1 set precisely at right angles to constitute a jig for a rectangular wooden frame. The building device is employed in the methods of erection to ensure the rectangularity and alignment of the wooden frames. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in building methods and building devices This invention relates to improvements in building methods and to novel building devices.

In the building of walls and partitions both in new houses and in apartment and office blocks and other buildings and in the renovation of existing houses and other buildings the walls or partitions are erected around window and door frames. A continuing problem in this practice is the difficulty of ensuring on site that such frames and specifically door frames are accurately aligned to the right dimensions so that, when the doors are later fitted to their frames, they will hang in their frames with the required accuracy.

In practice several problems arise. The carpenter who is employed to prepare the frame generally erects this with the use of a spirit level and tape measure and is normally unable to achieve even at the outset the desired level of accuracy. Furthermore, since the frame is normally only held in its desired shape on a temporary basis by means of a batten holding the feet of its upstanding portions and possibly a cross-piece connected across an upper corner of the frame the frame may depart from its true outline in the course of building operations after it has heen placed in position and erection of the wall or partition has commenced.Quite apart from the fact that the battens or cross-pieces referred to are insufficient to secure even the original approximate relationship of the frame members forming its corners or to maintain all the members correctly aligned in relation to one another so that the axial plane of the frame remains substantially vertical, the ordinary hazards of building on site will frequently result in the distortion of the frame. Thus for example one or both battens or cross-pieces may be knocked by building operatives and in some cases detached from the frame and the frame itself may be still further distorted by such normal building hazards.

A further problem is that even the erection of a frame with the relatively low level of accuracy just discussed requires the services of a skilled carpenter sometimes for as long as 2 hours or more and at a significant cost particularly when multiplied through an apartment or building. Even when a frame has been built and erected by a highly skilled carpenter and has not been subject to any of the hazards referred to resulting in distortion of the original shape, the quality of timber in normal use and the limitations of the rudimentary building methods used by carpenters on site result in the need for a second skilled carpenter to spend significant additional time in hanging a door in its intended frame.It is frequently necessary for the door hinges to be readjusted so as to obtain even a barely acceptable fit and planing of the door is also frequently needed just to achieve tolerable standards. It is indeed unusual for the level of fit which is normally accepted in the building trade to ensure that the same width of gap should be maintained between the door and its frame aroundthe whole outline of the door.

Accordingly there has been a long-standing need in the building trade for a way of overcoming the difficulties normally experienced in setting up a door frame in particular and fitting the doors to their frames after the completion of the walls or partitions including such frames and other frames found in buildings generally.

We have now surprisingly found a simple and effective way of overcoming these known problems in the art. Furthermore, although the solution to such problems which we have discovered and developed is particularly applicable to door frames, the method and apparatus which we have devised allow improvements in the building not only of door frames but also certain types of window frames arches within partition walls and generally all frames for apertures both in external walls and partition walls of buildings. Specifically, the method and device of the invention allow a very much higher degree of accuracy than hitherto to be achieved wherever a frame is needed which includes corners of defined angles, e.g. right angles and which requires to be correctly aligned horizontally vertically or at defined angles to a given plane, and in its planar orientation.

According to one aspect of our invention we provide a method of erecting a wooden frame for an intended aperture of a wall or partition of a building in which a rectangular metal jig is employed to ensure rectangularity of at least two adjoining corners of the wooden frame, the jig is provided with means for checking the alignment of the members of the wooden frame with the corresponding members of the jig at said corners, temporary fixing means are then used to ensure that the aligned members of the jig and frame are securely held together during erection of the frame with its jig in the desired location of the frame, and a pair of plumb lines, one on each side of the jig, are used to ensure vertical alignment of the upright members of the wooden frame both before and during secure fixing of said frame in said location, by partial or complete construction of said wall or partition whereupon said temporary fixing means are disconnected and said jig is removed from said frame. According to another aspect of our invention we provide a method of erecting a wooden frame for an intended aperture of a wall or partition of a building in which the desired wooden frame is first constructed with two upright members and a horizontal upper cross member and optionally a horizontal lower member defining a rectangular wooden frame; in which a rectangular metal frame constituting a jig for the wooden frame and comprising frame members of generally T-shaped cross section is placed over the wooden frame in such manner that the projecting stem part of the metal frame lies within the wooden frame with one face of the wooden frame in contact with the corresponding base part of the metal frame; in which the correct alignment of the wooden frame in relation to the metal frame including the spacing between the wooden frame members and the adjoining stem part of the metal frame is checked by means of a plurality of sight holes provided within the base part of the metal frame and spaced around the latter; in which, after any manual adjustment needed to secure said correct alignment between the wooden and metal frames, the two frames are secured together by means of temporary fixing means; in which the wooden and metal frames are together erected in the location of the desired aperture to be defined by the wooden frame in such manner that all members of the wooden frame and its metal jig are either at right angles to, or parallel with each other; in which the vertical alignment of the upright members of the wooden frame ischecked by means of a pair of plumb lines, one on each side of the metal frame, and such vertical alignment is manually adjusted as needed; in which the wooden frame is secured in position in its desired correct alignment, and the wall or partition wall is either completed or sufficiently completed to ensure secure fixing of the wooden frame in said position, and in which the metal jig is removed from the wooden frame after disconnection of the temporary fixing means.

The invention also comprises a building device for the accurate erection of wooden frames to define apertures in walls and partition walls of buildings which comprises a rectangular metal frame of generally T section comprising a planar base part and at right angles to said planar base part, a stem part which projects from one face of the base part and defines a box-like rectangular frame open on one side the walls at the outside corners of which are precisely at right angles to one another to constitute a jig for a rectangular wooden frame in which at least two of the inside corners are required to be right angled corners sight holes being provided in the base part of the device which are positioned to allow visual inspection from the other face of said base part of the members of the wooden frame when these are brought into alignment with the box-like stem part of the metal frame to ensure the correct angularity of the inside corners of the wooden frame.

According to a particular feature of the invention means are provided on the metal frame to allow a temporary fixing of the wooden frame securely to the metal frame, whereby, when the wooden frame and its associated jig are erected in the desired location of the wooden frame the latter can be correctly aligned by ensuring a correct alignment of the metal frame constituting its jig.

According to a further feature of the invention a pair of plumb lines are provided and each fixed at one end to the opposite longer sides of the metal frame at heights which allow plumb bobs attached to the other ends of the plumb lines to hang freely down when the metal frame and its attached wooden frame are erected in an upright position, whereby the vertical disposition of the metal frame and its attached wooden frame can be checked and adjusted where necessary.

The improved method of the invention for setting up frames within buildings, more particularly door frames, has considerable advantages over the present practice in the building art. Both the accuracy achieved in squaring up the frame, namely ensuring that the members of rectangular frames are properly at right angles to one another at the corners of the frame and also to ensure the vertical posture of the upright members of the frame, and the speed of setting up such frames are very considerably improved by the use of the method and device of the invention. The need at present for further work by a skilled carpenter in ensuring an acceptable fit between the door and the frame after the surround of the frame has been partially or completely erected is now for the most part obviated.This also saves considerably in costs and furthermore the present practice of planing or otherwise altering the outline of the door is now made unnecessary with considerable advantages both in speed and in the quality of the finished product.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one con structionai form of metal jig according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view also in perspective of part of the jig of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan corresponding to Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the construction of the jig of Figs.

1 and 2; Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view similar to Fig. 2 and also illustrating the construction of the jig of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an elevation corresponding to Fig.

1 showing further details of construction including tolerances; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a door frame which is to be erected in a wall with the jig of Figs. 1 to 6; Fig. 8 shows the jig of Fig. 1 and the frame of Fig. 7 assembled together; Figs. 9 to 11 show details of the assembly of Fig. 8; and Fig. 12 shows part of a wall in which the frame of Fig. 7 has been erected and from which the jig of Fig. 1 has been removed.

The metal jig shown in Figs. 1 to 6 mainly comprises a rectangular framework 1. This is constructed of T-shaped aluminium extrusions which have been modified by the shortening of one side of the head of the T and also the stem as shown in Fig. 4. The parts constituting the framework have been prepared in lengths of the required dimensions by diagonally cutting the extruded metal sections to the required lengths and welding two long members 9 and two short members 11 together (as shown for instance in Figs. 5 and 6) to construct the framework of Fig. 1.

It will be noted that the assembled metal framework of the jig comprises a stem part 5 and a base part 6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The upper face 7 of the base part 6 and the outer face 10 of the stem part 5 must be kept as smooth as possible so that any welding fillets have to be on the inside of the stem part 5 and on the underside or edge face only of the base part 6 as shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 6, sight holes 3 are drilled in all the sides of the framework 1. There are six 12 mm sight holes 3 on each long side of the framework which are spaced apart along the length of each long side and three sight holes 3 in each short side 11 of the framework. Suggested dimensions and spacings of these sight holes are indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.

Additionally 4 mm holes 2 are drilled at 300 centers around the entire framework 1. The holes 2 constitute fixing holes for temporary securing of the framework 1 for example to a door frame which is to be erected in a wall or partition wall.

Fig. 6 also illustrates the dimensions of the framework 1 and indicates thereon the tolerance which is acceptable for the departure from precise shape given by the fact that the diagonals XX and YY must be within 0.5 of a millimeter of each other. A plumb bob 4 is provided for each of the two longer sides of the framework 1 which are to be erected in an upright vertical position respectively. Each plumb bob 4 has a corresponding plumb line 17 which is secured at its top end to a hook 1 8 fixed to the stem part 5 of the frame 1 (see Fig. 11). Crosses defining reference points 12 for the plumb bobs 4 are directly scribed on the inside face 20 of the stem part 5.

Fig. 7 illustrates a conventional wooden framework as is normally prepared by a carpenter on site. The framework 13 comprises a pair of parallel long members 14 and a head member 15 joining the members 14 to define a rectangular framework.

Fig. 8 shows the metal framework 1 positioned over the wooden frame 13 so that the stem part 5 of the framework 1 lies within the framework 13 with the outer faces 10 of the stem part 5 snugly fitting against the inside faces 16 of the members 14 and 15 of the wooden frame and the face 7 of the base part 6 of the frame 1 contacting the edge faces 19 of the members 14 and 15. Double headed nails 8 (Figs. 9 and 10) inserted through the fixing holes 2 of the frame 1 secure the metal frame firmly to the wooden frame 13. Fig. 9 shows the sight holes 3 at the upper left-hand corner of the metal frame 1 (as viewed from the front) and Fig. 10 shows the sight holes 3 at the upper righthand corner. A constant gap 22 is maintained between the wooden frame 13 and the stem part 5 of the jig frame 1.The size of the gap 22 will vary in practice but, in general, a snug fit with a small gap 22 is desirable determined by the length of the member 15. The lower cross member of the jig 1 is provided with a pair of adjustable feet 21 which allow the alignment of the jig 1 to the vertical to be corrected as needed.

Fig. 12 shows part of a partition wall 23 which has been erected around the wooden frame 13 and also shows the metal jig frame 1 removed from the frame 13.

The jig 1 is employed as follows. A wooden frame 13 is prepared by a carpenter on site and laid flat on a floor with its edge 19 uppermost (Fig. 7). The jig frame 1 is then laid on top of the frame 13 and pushed tight into a top corner of the frame 13 as shown in Fig. 9 so that the stem part 5 of the jig frame 1 is in contact with the head 15 and one side member 14 of the wooden frame 13 and the base part 6 of the jig 1 abuts against the edge 19 of the frame 13.

The frame 13 is secured to the jig at the top corner A of the assembled frame and the jig (Fig. 9) by means of the double headed nails 8. The adjacent sight holes 3 on the side and top member of the jig defining the corner A are used in a visual check to make certain of a precise and snug fitting of the jig frame 1 against the wooden frame 13 when the frame and jig are secured together. In practice any gaps between the wooden frame and the base part 6 of the jig and between the frame 13 and the inside face 16 of the jig at the corner A are virtually eliminated by ensuring a snug fit when the frame and its jig are secured together. A similar check and fixing are effected at the opposite upper corner B (Fig.

10) using the sight holes 3 to check the fitting of the stem part 5 against the members 14 and 15 at the corner B. The double headed nails 8 are driven through the fixing holes 2 along the head and both sides of the jig 1 to fix the wooden frame 13 to the metal jig. Before each nail 8 is driven in the width of the gap 22 is checked successively and any adjustment needed is made manually to maintain the gap constant as shown in inset view Fig. 10A. Where there is a measurable gap width feeler gauges 24 (Fig. 10B), for example, may be used in addition to visual inspection.

The door frame 13 with the attached jig 1 is then offered up to the desired location with the jig 1 on the side of the frame that the door is to be hung, and both upright sides of the jig 1 are checked for vertical alignment by checking the registration of the plumb bobs 4 with their reference points 12. Any departure from vertical alignment on either side of the jig 1 is corrected by adjustment of the height of the corresponding foot 21.

The frame and jig assembly 1, 13 is firmly but temporarily secured in its desired position by means of wedges or battens for example.

Any departure from the vertical is indicated by the bobs 4 becoming out of register with their reference points 12. This is corrected during the course of temporary fixing of the assembly. The studs or bricks of the wall are built around the wooden frame 13 which is secured to the studs by metal fastenings or to bricks by means of conventional ties (not shown). As the wall or partition wall is built up around the frame 13, the vertical alignment of the jig 1 and its accompanying frame 13 are regularly checked by means of the plumb bobs 4 and any necessary adjustment for verticality is made until the frame is sufficiently secure within its wall or partition for movement to be effectively prevented.

At this point, it is possible even if the wall or partition wall is not entirely completed to remove the jig 1 possibly for use elsewhere in the building work. A claw hammer is used to remove the fixing nails 8 whereupon the jig 1 is manually removed from the frame 13 which is now secure (Fig. 12).

Various modifications and simplifications can be made in the arrangements discussed.

Thus various temporary fixing means other than the double headed nails 8 may be used to secure the wooden frame 13 to its jig 1.

The nails 8 simply represent a convenient and inexpensive means of achieving a temporary union between the two frames. It is only necessary to ensure that, when the jig 1 is correctly aligned for vertical position the frame 13 must of necessity be also correctly aligned and its corners remain right-angle corners.

This is achieved by making the temporary fixing sufficiently secure.

The device of the invention, namely, the jig 1 with its associated plumb line device 4, 17, is particularly valuable in the setting up of door frames. Door frames are at present difficult and costly to set up accurately, as explained above. The method of the invention using the jig 1 ensures that the door frame becomes and remains correctly rectangular at its upper corners both before and after the frame has been securely fixed in its desired position in a partition or wall. This method also makes certain that the upright members 14 of the frame 13 are set up vertical and remain vertical. Neither of these requirements can be safely ensured in normal work on site quite apart from the very much greater periods of time which have to be employed at present in setting up door frames.Similarly the present practice requires a careful skilled carpenter to return to the site when a door is to be hung within its frame. The carpenter frequently has to adjust the door hinges to allow for an acceptable hang of the door within its frame. He may also need to plane the door so that it will have an acceptable fit.

This involves a further expenditure of time, further costs and often a barely acceptable product. Thus in most buildings at best, the gap between a door and its frame is rarely even, and worst there are unsightly variations and in some cases an incorrect fit.

None of these problems arises when the jig 1 of the invention is used. The jig is made to dimensions which correspond with frames for doors of standardised dimensions. provided the standard doors have been made to the standard dimensions and are not warped, they will fit door frames set up with the jig of the invention. The time taken to set up the door is a small fraction of that presently needed.

Furthermore, the door will hang correctly without the numerous adjustments and readjustments of its hinges which are current practice.

Similarly, the normal practice of having to plane parts of the door in order to obtain an acceptable fit is no longer needed. This also reduces costs and leads to a better product.

It will be appreciated, however, that the jig 1 whilst being particularly valuable in connection with door frames may be used with equal success for example with window frames in which a casement window is to hand. Naturally a jig of different dimensions is needed as is the case if door frames of other than standard size are needed.

A further use of the method and device for the invention is wherever a wooden framework with two or more right-angled corners is required, e.g. as an arch in a partition wall. In the case of an archway of rectangular construction, it may not be practicable for economic reasons to make a special jig for a very wide arch. However, the jig of the invention may still be usefully employed. Thus the jig may be used successively at each corner of the frame to ensure a right angle and that the upright arm of the frame corner is correctly vertical, or two jigs may be used simultaneously. It will readily be understood that the jig 1 may be used each time a right-angled corner requires to be checked for accurate rectangularity.

Other similar uses of the jig 1 will be readily apparent to skilled persons in the building art.

The jig may for instance be used as a guide for a saw when cutting or marking sheets of timber. It may also be used to determine the dimensions of the frame head 15 without the need for a tape measure.

Claims (5)

1. A method of erecting a wooden frame for an intended aperture of a wall or partition of a building in which a rectangular metal jig is employed to ensure rectangularity of at least two adjoining corners of the wooden frame, the jig is provided with means for checking the alignment of the members of the wooden frame with the corresponding members of the jig at said corners, temporary fixing means are then used to ensure that the aligned members of the jig and frame are securely held together during erection of the frame with its jig in the desired location of the frame, and a pair of plumb lines, one on each side of the jig, are used to ensure vertical alignment of the upright members of the wooden frame both before and during secure fixing of said frame in said location, by partial or complete construction of said wall or partition, whereupon said temporary fixing means are disconnected and said jig is removed from said frame.

2. A method of erecting a wooden frame for an intended aperture of a wall or partition of a building in which the desired wooden frame is first constructed with two upright members and a horizontal upper cross member and optionally a horizontal lower member defining a rectangular wooden frame; in which a rectangular metal frame constituting a jig for the wooden frame and comprising frame members of generally T-shaped cross section is placed over the wooden frame in such manner that the projecting stem part of the metal frame lies within the wooden frame with one face of the wooden frame in contact with the corresponding base part of the metal frame; in which the correct alignment of the wooden frame in relation to the metal frame including the spacing between the wooden frame members and the adjoining stem part of the metal frame is checked by means of a plurality of sight holes provided within the base part of the metal frame and spaced around the latter; in which, after any manual adjustment needed to secure said correct alignment between the wooden and metal frames, the two frames are secured together by means of temporary fixing means; in which the wooden and metal frames are together erected in the location of the desired aperture to be defined by the wooden frame in such manner that all members of the wooden frame and its metal jig are either at right angles to, or parallel with, each other; in which the vertical alignment of the upright members of the wooden frame is checked by means of a pair of plumb lines, one on each side of the metal frame, and such vertical alignment is manually adjusted as needed; in which the wooden frame is secured in position in its desired correct alignment, and the wall or partition wall is either completed or sufficiently completed to ensure secure fixing of the wooden frame in said position; and in which the metal jig is removed from the wooden frame after disconnection of the temporary fixing means.

3. A building device for the accurate erection of wooden frames to define apertures in walls and partition walls of buildings which comprises a rectangular metal frame of generally T section comprising a planar base part and, at right angles to said planar base part, a stem part which projects from one face of the base part and defines a box-like rectangular frame open on one side the walls at the outside corners of which are precisely at right angles to one another to constitute a jig for a rectangular wooden frame in which at least two of the inside corners are required to be right angled corners, sight holes being provided in the base part of the device which are positioned to allow visual inspection from the other face of said base part of the members of the wooden frame when these are brought into alignment with the box-like stem part of the metal frame to ensure the correct angularity of the inside corners of the wooden frame.

4. A building device according to Claim 3 im which means are provided on the metal frame to allow a temporary fixing of the wooden frame securely to the metal frame, whereby, when the wooden frame and its associated jig are erected in the desired location of the wooden frame, the latter can be correctly aligmed by ensuring a correct alignment of the metal frame constituting its jig.

5. A building device according to Claim 3 or 4, in which a pair of plumb lines are provided and each fixed at one end to the opposite longer sides of the metal frame at heights which allow plumb bobs attached to the other ends of the plumb lines to hang freely down when the metal frame and its attached wooden frame are erected in an upright position, whereby the vertical disposition of the metal frame and its attached wooden frame can be checked and adjusted where necessary.