GB2142964A - Temporary support device for a door, window or other frame - Google Patents

Abstract

A temporary support device for a door, window, or other frame, during the erection of a building, comprises a base (18), preferably in the form of a rectangular plate, a post (21), preferably of square box section, upstanding from the base, and support means having a part (22) slidable on the post (21) and an arm (23) extending or extendible therefrom, the underside of which is provided with teeth (25) to grip the top of a wooden frame, or holding means (30, 35) to grip either side of the top of a metal frame. Such a device does not adversely affect parts of the frame visible in the finished building, does not extend inwardly so as to form a hazard, and can easily be placed in position and removed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Temporary support device for a door, window or other frame This invention relates to a temporary support device for supporting a door, window or other frame during the erection of a building. Whilst it is particularly suited for use in supporting a wooden door or window frame during the erection of a building, it is not limited to use with such frames, but can also be applied to the support of metal door or window frames, or to frames other than door or window frames, such as for example, timber frames for timber frame house construction. For the sake of simplicity, however, it will be described with particular reference to door and window frames.

In erecting a house, for example, it is necessary to support door and window frames in their correct final position whilst the bricks or blocks forming the wall of the building are laid on either side of the frame. The temporary support means is removed when the surrounding brickwork or blockwork is sufficient itself to hold the frame in the correct position.

Hitherto, it has been customary in building operations for building workers to support a wooden frame in the correct position by the use of a scaffold plank resting at its lower end on the floor of the building and held in position at that end by a pile of building blocks or bricks, whilst it is temporarily attached to the top of the frame by means of a nail.

This commonly used arrangement is illustrated in Figures 1,2 and 3 of the drawings, which are schematic side sectional views of a house during erection, Figures 1 and 2 showing part of a lower floor with a wooden door frame and a wooden window frame respectively, and Figure 3 showing part of an upper floor with a wooden window frame, in each case the frame being supported in this known manner.As will be seen, the door frame 10 or window frame 11 is held in its correct vertical position on the brickwork or blockwork 12 already provided, by means of a scaffold plank 13 which is placed in cantilever fashion with its lower end 14 resting on the floor slab 15 (Figures 1 and 2) or on the floor joists 15' (Figure 3), of the building art a point some distance from the door or window frame itself, the lower end 14 of the scaffold plank being prevented from slipping in the case of a lower floor as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by its abutting against a pile of building blocks or bricks 16 of adequate weight, or in the case of an upper floor by means of a nail 17 which fixes it to a convenient one of the joists 16'. At its upper end, the scaffold plank 13 is fixed to the top of the door or window frame, as the case may be, by means of a nail 17'. When the brickwork or blockwork surrounding the door or window frame has been carried out to an extent such that the door or window frame is held in position thereby, the scaffold plank is removed by knocking it from below so as to remove the nail from the top of the door or window frame, and, in the case of an upper floor, from the floor joist.

This practice, whilst very common in the building industry, has a number of disadvantages. In the first place, it is a mis-use of scaffold planks. Secondly, the use of a nail (usually a four-inch nail) used to secure the plank to the top of the door or window frame frequently leaves a nail hole in a part of the frame which will be visible when building is complete and must therefore be stopped before painting and, if the nail is carelessly driven home frequently splits the top of the frame. The final removal of the scaffold plank, which normally involves hitting it from below with a hammer, is very likely to shake the frame loose in its surrounding brickwork.Again, the fact that the scaffold plank extends for a considerable distance into the interior of the building and that a number of such scaffold planks will normally be used for supporting door and window frames at the same time makes them a hazard to those moving about within the building, and particularly to a workman carrying, for example, a wheelbarrow-load of mortar; should he hitthe scaffold plankorthe supporting pile of blocks in moving the wheelbarrow, the door or window frame is likely to be moved out of its correct alignment and this may not be noticed and rectified before the surrounding brickwork or blockwork is erected. Additionally, but by no means of least importance, the safety factors must be considered.Firstly, the or each nail used is likely to be left in the scaffold plank and, if it is, as is usual, a four-inch nail, is likely to protrude therefrom for a distance of at least two inches and is therefore a safety hazard to workers if the plank is left with the nail protruding upwards. Secondly, essential scaffold planks which have already been constructed into an approved scaffolding are, at times, removed by building workmen to perform the customary method of frame support; this practice causes unsafe scaffolding. There is one further disadvan- tage that this known method of supporting cannot be used with a metal door or window frame.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simple device for temporarily supporting a door, window or other frame during the erection of a building, which does not suffer from the above disadvantages.

According to the invention, there is provided a temporary support device for a door, window or other frame during the erection of a building, comprising a base, a post upstanding from the base and support means comprising a part arranged to be slidable on the post and a support arm attached thereto which is adapted to engage the top of the frame so as to releasably hold it in position.

The base is preferably in the form of a square or rectangular plate on which building blocks or bricks may be piled to hold it in a desired position on the floor or floor joists, or which, in the latter case, may be fixed to the joists by nailing. For easier stacking of such blocks or bricks, the frame may be provided with upstanding walls at two adjacent sides thereof, the post extending upwardly from the frame at the angle of junction of the two walls. Alternatively, an L-shaped base plate can be used, the width of the arms of the L being sufficient to support the weighty bricks or blocks. For use at an upper storey, the base may be provided with holes through which it can be nailed to adjacent floor joists. The dimensions of the base, must, of course, be such that it will span the distance between adjacent joists.

The post is preferably of square box section, but can be of any other section, if desired, such as, for example, cylindrical.

The support means comprises a part surrounding and slidable on the post and an arm fixed thereto and extending or extendable at right angles to the post. When the post is of square section, the arm is preferably hinged to the sliding part, so that, when not in use to support a frame, it can be folded downwardly parallel to the post and thus be out of the way for easy site storage, with the nails positioned so that they cannot cause damage. The end of the arm is provided with means for temporarily gripping the top of the frame. In the case of a wooden frame, for example, such means may be in the form of a plurality of sharp teeth or spikes extending from the undersurface of the arm.

For holding metal frames of a single width, the arm may be provided with a simple holding means to fit over the top of the frame, e.g. a pair of pegs or tabs extending downwardly from the arm and spaced apart so as to accommodate the width of the frame between them. If metal frames of differing widths are required to be held, a more sophisticated form of holding means may be provided, comprising a pair of fixed tabs extending downwardly from the arm and spaced apart by a distance greater than the maximum width of frame to be accommodated. The two tabs have holes therein through which a threaded rod is passed in use, the rod passing through a hole in a free tab not fixed to the arm between the support tabs, and which can be locked at any desired position on the rod by means of locking nuts.This free tab serves as an adjustable frame stop, whilst the innermost of the fixed tabs serves as a fixed frame stop. To anchor the threaded rod firmly to this support device, the end of the rod may be screwed through an internally threaded holder in the sliding part of the support means, until it bears against the post, thus preventing hingeing of the arm and clamping it in the horizontal position.

In orderto cope with both wooden and metal frames, either replaceable support means may be provided, one having an arm with teeth only for use with wooden frames, and another with an arm having suitable holding means for metal frames, or, preferably, a single reversible support means having an arm with teeth for holding wooden frames on one upper or lower face, and holding means for metal frames on the other such face, the support means and the arm merely being inverted on the post when the material of the frame to be supported is changed.

The post is preferably provided with a stop at its upper end to prevent the support means from being completely removed from the post. Where a reversible or replaceable arm is used, this stop may be detachably secured to the post, so that the support means and arm can be removed from the post when required.

Since the device is to be used on a building site, it will obviously be preferable to make it of material which will stand up to rough treatment, and preferably it is made from mild steel plate and section with welded construction and is suitably protected against corrosion, e.g. painted, galvanised, or zinccoated.

The invention will now be further described with reference to Figures 4 to 10 of the drawings, in which: Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a device according to the invention for supporting wooden frames; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Figure 4; Figures 6, 7and 8 are schematic side views similar to those of Figures 1,2 and 3 respectively, illustrating the application of the device of the present invention to supporting a door frame and a window frame on the ground floor, or a window frame on an upper floor; Figure 9 is a schematic side view of a reversible form of support means for use in the device of the invention in a first position; and Figure 10 is a similar view to that of Figure 9 with the support means in a second position.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the device illustrated comprises a base 18 in the form of a square mild steel plate, having at two adjacent sides thereof upstanding side walls 19 and 20 also of mild steel plate. In the angle between the two side walls 19 and 20, there is arranged a post 21 in the form of a mild steel square box section fixed, e.g. by welding to the plates 19 and 20. The post 21 which extends substantially normal to the base plate 18 is provided with a support means having a part 22 arranged to slide freely along the post 21 and an arm 23 which is hinged at 24 to the part 22 and can be extended in the direction away from the base 18. The end of the arm 23 remote from the post 21 is provided with a plurality of teeth 25 extending for some 7 mm from the underside of the arm.The upper end of the post 21 is provided with a stop 26 which acts to prevent the sliding part 22 from being removed from the post.

The base 18 is of such a size that it will span two adjacent floors joists of an upper storey and is provided with holes 27 by way of which it can be nailed to the joists.

In use, as shown in Figures 6,7 and 8, the device is positioned at an appropriate point adjacent to the door or window frame and the base is held down by piling an adequate weight of building blocks or bricks thereon, or, in the case of an upper storey, by nailing the base to the floor joists. The part 22 carrying the arm 23 which will be in a position in which it is substantially parallel to the axis of the post is then raised above the top of the door or window frame and is then lowered until the teeth 25 bite into the wooden frame so as to hold the frame in its correct position. If necessary, this can be assisted by a blow to the top of the arm. When the brickwork or blockwork on either side of the door or window frame has been completed so that this holds the frame in its correct position, the arm 23 can easily be lifted from the top of the frame and the frame removed.

When the support means is required to be used with a metal frame, either the support means with the spiked arm 23 is replaced with one having an arm provided with holding means for gripping the top of a metal frame on either side, as described below, or, preferably, a reversible support means is used, such as is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10.

As shown in these Figures, the arm 23 can be reversed by merely sliding the sliding part 22 off the top of the post 21 (after removing the stop 26, if present) and turning it upside down so that the lower face of the arm is provided, either with teeth 25 for holding a wooden frame, or with holding means for a metal frame.

Whilst, particularly when the support device is only required for use with metal frames of a single standard width, a simple holding means may be used consisting, for example, of a pair of pegs or tabs fixed to the arm at a distance apart sufficient to accommodate the width of the frame, preferably an arm provided with holding means as shown in Figure 10 is used, which can be adjusted to cope with metal frames of varying widths.

As shown in Figure 10, the holding means comprises two fixed tabs 30 and 31 which are secured, as by welding to the face of the arm 23 opposite to that carrying the teeth 25. The tabs 30, 31 project at right angles to the arm 23 and are provided with holes 32, 33 respectively through which a threaded rod 34 is passed, the holes being so alignedthatthe rod extends substantially parallel to the arm 23. A free tab 35 (i.e. one not secured to the arm 23), also provided with a hole 36 in register with the holes 32, 33 and through which the rod passes, is located between the fixed tabs 30,31 and can be fixed at any point along the rod by locking nuts 37. This tab 35 acts as an adjustable frame stop, whilst the inner fixed tab 30 acts as a fixed frame stop, the top of the metal frame being held between the two stops in use.

The inner end of the threaded rod 34 is screwed through an internally threaded element 38 within the sliding part 22 until its end abuts against the post 21, and the rod is held in this position by means of a locking nut 39 abutting against the outer face of the fixed tab 31. In this position, the arm is clamped and can no longer be pivoted about the pivot 24. The arm can, of course, also be clamped in this way when the teeth 25 extend downwardly to engage the top of a wooden frame, provided thatthethreaded rod is left in position when the arm is reversed. The outer end of the threaded rod is provided with a finger plate 40 to enable it to be rotated manually.

In operation, the position of the free tab 35 is adjusted so that the spacing between the tabs 30 and 35 will accommodate the width of the metal frame to be supported, and the tab 35 is locked in this position by the lock nuts 37. The rod 23 is rotated so that its inner end is freed from the post and the part 22 carrying the slide on the post until the tabs 30 and 35 can be lowered on either side of the top of the metal frame. The arm is locked in this position by turning the rod 34 until its end abuts against the post 21 and locking it against rotation by means of the locking nut 39.

As will be seen from Figures 6,7 and 8, the frame takes up very little of the floor space, does not form an obstacle to movement within the building and avoids the incorrect use of a scaffold plank and any danger of damaging the door or window frame by the use of a nail. The teeth 25 merely form holes in the top surface of the frame which is eventually covered by the brickwork or blockwork. For a door frame or a small window frame, the use of one device according to the invention will normally be adequate, but for a particularly wide window, two or more such devices may be used.

The height of the post will need to be sufficient to enable the arm 23 to be placed on the top surface of a standard door or window frame and, as previously stated, the size of the base must be sufficient to span two floor joists. Preferred dimensions are a height of the post 21 of approximately 2.3 m, a length of the arm 23 of approximately 0.3 m and a base size of approximately 0.50 m side. The post may conveniently be about 4 cm square.

Claims (15)

1. A temporary support device for a door, window, or other frame during the erection of a building, comprising a base, a post upstanding from said base, and support means comprising a part slidable on said post and an arm attached thereto and adapted to engage the top of a frame so as to releasably hold it in position.

2. A support device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said base is a rectangular plate.

3. A support device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said base is provided with holes whereby it can be nailed to floor joists.

4. A support device as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said base is provided with upstanding walls at two adjacent sides thereof, said post being located at the angle of junction of said walls.

5. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said post is of square box section.

6. A support device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said arm is hinged to said sliding part of said support means so that it can be folded parallel to the post when the device is not in use.

7. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the underside of said arm is provided with a plurality of teeth or spikes adapted to engage in the top surface of a wooden frame to hold the latter in position.

8. A support device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein, for use with a metal door or window frame, said arm is provided with downwardly extending holding means adapted to fit over the top of the frame.

9. A support device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said arm is provided with teeth or spikes extending from one of the upper or lower faces thereof, and holding means for a metal frame extending from the other face thereof.

10. A support device as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9 comprising two spaced tabs fixed to and extending from the face of the arm and having aligned holes therein for the free passage of an externally-threaded rod, a further tab freely movable on said rod between said fixed tabs, and means for locking said free tab at any desired position on said rod between said fixed tabs, one of said fixed tabs and said free tab in its locked position extending in use on either side of the top of a metal frame.

11. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein clamping means are provided to clamp said support means at any desired position on said post.

12. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said post is provided with a stop at its upper end to prevent accidental removal of said support means therefrom.

13. A support device as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said stop is removable to allow removal and replacement of said support means.

14. A support device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein said device is made of mild steel having a corrosion-protective coating.

15. A temporary support device for a door, window, or other frame, during the erection of a building, substantiaily as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4 to 10 of the drawings.