Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 12 Laying Brick 233 6. Plumb the corner brick. See Figure 12-30. Then plumb the tail end. See Figure 12-31. Leveling is done on the outside and top edge of the brick. 7. Line up the bricks between the two plumb points. See Figure 12-32. Here the level is used as a straightedge and the bubbles are disregarded. When building a corner, always follow the same sequence—level the unit, then plumb, and then line up. 8. After one side of the corner has been laid and trued, start the other side of the corner as shown in Figure 12-33. Again, spread the mortar and furrow it. Lay three or four bricks. Level, plumb, and line them up. Do not tap the level with a trowel or hammer use your hand. This time the corner brick does not require plumbing because it has already been plumbed. However, if you think you might have moved it, recheck it. Also check to ensure that the two bricks that form the corner are flush across the Author’s images taken at Job Corps, Denison, IA Figure 12-28. A—The corner brick is laid at the exact corner of the wall. Tap the top of the brick with the trowel to gently position it in the mortar. B—After positioning the brick, cut mortar and replace it to the mortar board. Cutting mortar and then picking it up reduces the chances of smearing the clean brick with mortar. A B Author’s images taken at Job Corps, Denison, IA Figure 12-29. A—Level the first four brick with a mason’s level. B—Remove excess mortar and return to mortar board. Performing this will aid in keeping the masonry level clean when plumbing and straight-edging the brick. A B Continued Author’s image taken at Job Corps, Denison, IA Figure 12-30. After leveling, plumb the corner brick to make its edge exactly vertical. The mason is lightly tapping on the outer edge of the brick to bring it into plumb.