The way I stack brick changed completely after watching an old mason from Italy work for 20 minutes

I had this guy come through a site I was on in St. Louis last summer, must have been 70 years old. He laid about 300 brick in the time it took me to do 150, and his joints were tighter than anything I've ever done. The difference was he never stopped moving his trowel hand even to pick up a new brick. He'd scoop mortar, flip the brick, tap it, all in one fluid motion. I tried copying his rhythm the next day and my output went up maybe 40 percent after a week of screwing it up. Has anyone else picked up a weird trick from watching some random old-timer on a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

williams902d ago

It's crazy how much of life works like that. You watch someone who's been doing a thing for 40 years and they've stripped away every wasted motion, every extra second. Same thing happens at my local diner, the old waitress can carry four plates in one hand and balance a coffee pot in the other without even looking. Most people think speed comes from going fast, but really it comes from knowing exactly what to skip.

tessa3682d ago

Watch your grip too, @williams90. I switched to a pinch grip like the Italians use and my wrist stopped aching at the end of the day.