Made carriages for laying aerated concrete blocks. Construction speed doubled

The article DIY tool for laying aerated concrete blocks I showed a homemade carriage that any self-builder can make from improvised materials and a notched trowel of the required length:

In the article, I also cited a video of how it is convenient to apply glue to aerated concrete using such a simple device. Factory carriages made of metal have no small cost (and weight) and it is not so convenient to work with them - I did not consider their purchase. And such a carriage speeds up the work on laying aerated concrete blocks, allows you to make the laying clean, without smudges in the seams.

I did not consider buying such buckets either. I decided to make two homemade carriages for the width of the blocks in my walls: 400 mm (external walls) and 300 mm (internal load-bearing wall).

I made carriage frames from laminated plywood scraps. But, looking ahead, I will say that their length is excessive. Can be reduced by 1.5-2 times. You cannot pour much glue in them, because it will spill out through the spatula when sliding. The door handles were in stock - I didn't buy them on purpose, I decided to attach them. Convenient to grip and slide. Inside, you need to screw the side strips. This will prevent glue from spilling out during application and the masonry will be clean.

I purchased spatulas, they are called like this:

• Swiss gear ironer, stainless steel with a wooden handle 8 mm, 130x480 mm - 542 rubles.
• Front notched spatula, stainless steel 6 mmx350 mm - 119 rubles.

Significant price difference due to the wooden handle. Prices for 350 mm wide spatulas that can be used for the carriage:

I think not everyone will lay walls 400 mm thick and the carriage will be made for 300 mm blocks.

For the kit I bought two plastic buckets and a bucket.

I removed the plastic handle on the spatula. It breaks off very easily - there is only one hole in the stainless steel for fixing. But it is better not to remove it entirely, but to saw off only the handle - the plastic will be like a stiffener and the metal will not bend.

From the second spatula I sawed off the interfering part of the wooden handle and cut off the side toothed part. I did not remove the entire handle due to the fact that it is difficult to do this and you still need to have a stiffener on this spatula. This plywood rib had to be screwed on the 300 mm carriage. The carriages are ready.

Carriage 400 mm on aerated concrete. In the carriage by 300 mm, I slightly reduced the width and moved the spatula lower, for closer contact with aerated concrete.

Result. Here the glue was a little thick (it was hot) and the wave was too high during application (since the teeth were 8 mm high). I cut it to 5 mm with a grinder and the thickness of the seam decreased and the glue began to leave less. When applying glue, it is better to moisten aerated concrete with water.

In general, I am completely satisfied with the result and application process. Thanks to this device, I was able to lay a number of blocks, taking into account the inner wall, in one evening. I think this carriage can be used for brickwork and other building blocks.

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Photos of the author (c)

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