# Squint/mitred sill set out



## jason shannon (Oct 14, 2009)

Does anyone have the formula on how to properly set out a squint sill??

Basically any sill the isn't a right angle.


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

English, Man!


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## CookeCarpentry (Feb 26, 2009)

Square root of the radius, divided by .18, add 10% for error and there you go!


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## 4th generation (Mar 28, 2008)

Good grief another Kiwi !!
So hows it going in windy Wellington then? :laughing: I came from Rotorua many years ago.
Most here dont know what squint bricks are, I remember (when I was a little fella in N.Z) my dad building sills out of them, and actually I was talking to one of my guys about them just the other day!


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## dakzaag (Jan 6, 2009)

Good grief 4'th, if you understand the man, answer his question and then fill the rest of us in. :thumbup:


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

*This any help?*










60° ~ http://www.ixlbrick.com/index.php?page=60-squint












30° ~ http://www.ixlbrick.com/index.php?page=30-squint


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## 4th generation (Mar 28, 2008)

Actually those are regular squint bricks not (squint) sill bricks . Oh man it was so long ago and I was so young that I cant remember the finer details of it , so I'm of little help, sorry !! but I do remember the cussing & swearing and the air turning blue when the old man was building them though !! it was enough to make a sailor blush. :w00t:


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Cut one that works and use it as a template.


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## jason shannon (Oct 14, 2009)

4th generation said:


> Good grief another Kiwi !!
> So hows it going in windy Wellington then? :laughing: I came from Rotorua many years ago.
> Most here dont know what squint bricks are, I remember (when I was a little fella in N.Z) my dad building sills out of them, and actually I was talking to one of my guys about them just the other day!


Actually , I'm a yank . but i've been in NZ for 10 yrs. I contract and deal with the assessing of apprentices


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## jason shannon (Oct 14, 2009)

those bricks in the drawing above are squints. BUT I'm after the formula for Accurately marking out a window sill that would go on that wall or any wall that isn't 90 degrees. The 90 degree corner sill has a method of marking out but we can't seem to locate the other.

And i'm not talking about eyeballing cuts!!!


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## dakzaag (Jan 6, 2009)

Why would you want saw cut exposed? I agree with TS cut a couple til you get what you like and mark the table. If your teaching a bunch of kids, show them how to do the same thing and then no matter what the angle is, in the future they will know how to set it up.:thumbsup:​


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

Some brick manufacturers make squints and doglegs by cutting and glueing bricks as shown below. This method is easy to do yourself and much cheaper.








Here the brick is cut twice at the correct angle








Next the end is resin glued to the brick making a squint and the cut is dipped into the brick dust to cover the join. It's not glued here and badly cut with an angle grinder quickly by me when the foreman wasn't looking. A bench saw is better as the cut needs to be spot on.








In this one a dogleg has been made using two cut bricks, as this is more suitable for half bond. Squints were originally designed for quarter bond Engish or Flemish bond although a dogleg should be used on the inside skin to maintain sectional bond. The inside blockwork is tied with butterfly wall ties at the angle
Jason. 
To set out for a canted bay window with 4 squint angles, set out your lines and profiles for a large rectangle the size of the bay without the squints. Set out a smaller one in the centre the size of the front of the bay. String the lines through from the corner of the front to the angles nearest the wall and set up your profiles. This gives you the lines to dig your footings. When the concrete is down set up the lines from the profiles again and build up the footing to DPC level. If you have a timber former of the window you can check the angles are correct.


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

This is an old quater bond wall done in squints.









Squint corners need more care than 90 degree ones at it's much harder to tap them back into place.


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## 4th generation (Mar 28, 2008)

Hey Stuart those bricks in the second pick look like Ibstocks am I right?
See in the " old days" you used to have to hand cut the brick to the angle then get another brick or a rubbing stone and rub rub rub till the end was smooth. Of course the bricks were softer then & it usually fell to the apprentice to accomplish it, another nasty job was chasing out the walls


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

You learn something new every day. That is a new term to me, and here, it would simply be called a "special" and ordered per job. In lieu of that, it would simply be a vertical joint with no cut face exposed.


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

4th gen, spot on m8, do Ibstock export to Canada? These are Ibstock commons as the walls are being painted to match the old hoses in the row. This is not my job, but I know a bloke that works on here by the name of Rodger the Bodger. It looks like he stuck the insulation in.
Years ago a bloke we knew called Andy the painter was doing a job with Rodger painting a house. 
The woman asked if they could knock a hole in the kitchen wall and put a window in. They agreed, even though neither had a clue what to do. When they finished it was about 2 inches out of plumb and looked a mess inside and out. 
The only thing that the woman picked up on what the brick rubble lying around. Neither of them had a car and used to get the bus in as the stop was out side her house. 
Rodger had the bright idea of them both filling up some plastic carrier bags and taking them on the bus each night and leaving them on the bus. This worked out OK for a week until the bus company realised and stopped them. 
Rodger fell out with the woman over the money( he'd aready had most of it) and Andy asked us if we could re-plaster the reveals as the woman wasn't happy with them. They were really rough and when we hacked the plaster off you could see that he'd stuffed a load of old cornflake packets into the cavity as he didn't know how to return the inside skin. 
I told the lady that the the frame was so far out it needed to come anyway so we ended up putting all his work right for next to no money. That was the last time I ever got involved in their jobs again.
The lady's favorite expression was 'I am just going upstairs to have a nervious break down'. Didn't make much cash on that job(as normal) but had plenty of laffs.


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## 4th generation (Mar 28, 2008)

Yup Ibstock do import here & dont worry we have plenty of "Rogers" here also


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