A mason's point and also a star drill will prove useful. The former is used for chipping where a scutch could not be used, and for various other things: for instance, starting a hole (where the star drill will be used later on) in cement or stone or in a masonry wall. Such a hole would be used for a bolt, an iron spike to hold a trellis, or for some other reason.

An electric or hand drill can also be used for boring holes. Use a carbide or tungsten-carbide-tipped drill made especially for boring holes in cement, concrete, brick, stone, or marble. When the carbide-tipped drill strikes a particularly hard piece of aggregate or a hard vein of stone, it is a good plan to stop drilling and to use a star drill and a hand hammer to crack the hard spot until it is penetrated or sufficiently broken up to permit use of the drill again.

The folding rule or roll-up tape line-in both cases the minimum length recommended is 6 feet-can also be used for carpentry projects, as can the steel square. The professional mason's square is somewhat smaller, but the large carpenter's square is usually adaptable for the amateur's use.

Mason's line or cord may be made of cotton, but nylon or linen cord is less likely to stretch excessively. The cord is used in laying out a project and making sure that the corners are squared up (explained in Chapter XI), as well as to keep courses straight, as we spoke of earlier in this text. A pair of mason's line blocks, either purchased or home- made (see sketch), which hook around corner blocks or bricks at each end of a wall to keep courses straight, are held in place by the tension of a well-stretched mason's line between them. They are most useful.

Jointers, used for striking the mortar joints in various ways, are shaped for easy use in the hand. If you plan to make any of the fancier kinds of joints (see sketch of Masonry Joints), you will find that a jointer of the right type will speed your job. They come in various shapes, each especially formed to make a certain kind of joint, sometimes combining two types in one S-shaped tool. You'll use them also in certain kinds of concrete work and for striking joints in bricks or blocks used for paving.