Adjustable brace

Claim 2

An adjustable brace especially designed for use by a carpenter to place and hold vertical wall elements for a building in plumb during construction of the building, consisting essentially of an elongated strut which exhibits structural rigidity whether under tension or compression, means for positively adjusting the length of said strut either to incrementally increase or shorten said length over a span of at least 2 inches while simultaneously and continuously maintaining said structural rigidity, the overall length of said strut being between 6 and 11 feet when adjusted to its maximum length and between 5 and 9 feet when adjusted to its minimum length, a temporarily-nail-securable wall anchor pivotally hinged to one end of said strut, a temporarily-nail-securable floor anchor pivotally hinged to the other end of said strut, at least one of said anchors being characterized by having i. a flat section equipped with means through which nails may be pounded for temporarily securing said flat section flush to a flat substrate, ii. a perpendicular flange united integrally with said flat section, said flange being the part of said one anchor through which it is pivotally hinged to said strut, and iii. a lift-lip member under which the claw of a carpenter''s hammer may readily be inserted to pry said anchor from a temporarily-nail-secured position, said lift-lip member being integral with and extending from an edge portion of said flat section and lying in a plane elevated above and substantially parallel to the plane of said flat section, and rotatable means operable within 3 feet of the wall anchor end of said strut for actuating said positive adjustment means, said rotatable means being engageable by a carpenter''s hammer, the engagement by said hammer serving to provide a lever for application of force to operate said rotatable means.

Claim 3

The brace of claim 1 wherein said strut consists essentially of two elongate sections in end-to-end alignment and a structural coupling between said two sections, the connection between said structural coupling and at least one of said sections being formed of cooperatively threaded elements, wherein said means for positively adjusting the length of said strut comprises said cooperatively threaded elements, and wherein said means for actuating said positive adjustment means comprises said structural coupling.

Claim 4

The brace of claim 2 wherein said structural coupling consists essentially of a turnbuckle.

Claim 5

The brace of claim 3 wherein the structurally coupled ends of the two sections of the strut are threaded in opposite directions and said turnbuckle is cooperatively threaded Upon both of said ends.

Claim 6

The brace of claim 2 wherein the two sections of said strut are of unequal length and the longer section comprises a hollow tube member, and wherein the overall length of said strut is between 7 and 9 feet when adjusted to its maximum length and between 6 and 8 feet when adjusted to its minimum length.

Claim 7

The brace of claim 1 wherein at least one end of the strut pivotally hinged to an anchor is flattened into a strut flat which is in longitudinal alignment with said strut, the outer flat surface of said strut flat being in essentially the same plane as a plane directly along one longitudinal side of said strut in the portion of said strut immediately contiguous to said strut flat.

Claim 8

The brace of claim 6 wherein said one anchor is hinged to said strut flat and is formed by shaping a flat blank of metal into an article having one edge upturned as said perpendicular flange, the inner surface of said perpendicular flange being oriented adjacent and parallel to said outer flat surface of said strut flat, and a pivot pin through said perpendicular flange and said strut flat, whereby said anchor may be pivoted into a folded compact overlapped condition upon said strut during storage or shipment of said brace.

Claim 9

The brace of claim 1 wherein said one anchor consists essentially of a shaped unitary blank of metal.

Claim 10

The process of plumbing and holding walls in erecting a building, wherein a reusable brace is employed, said reusable brace being characterized as consisting essentially of an elongates strut which exhibits structural rigidity whether under tension or compression, means for positively adjusting the length of said strut over a span of at least 2 inches, a temporarily-nail-securable wall anchor pivotally hinged to one end of said strut, a temporarily-nail-securable floor anchor pivotally hinged to the other end of said strut, at least one of said anchors having a lift-lip member integral therewith, and means operable within 3 feet of the wall anchor end of said strut for actuating said positive adjustment means, said process including the steps of temporarily nailing the wall anchor of said brace onto a frame member of a preformed structure designed for placement as the basic part of a vertical wall in said building, said wall anchor being nailed on said preformed structure at a point at least about 4 feet from the base thereof and no higher than about 1 foot below the top thereof, placing said preform structure in an estimated approximately plumb vertical orientation at a location on floor elements of said building where said vertical wall is desired, temporarily nailing said floor anchor of said brace to floor elements of said building at a location on said floor elements approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the point at which said wall anchor is nailed on said preformed structure, applying a plumbing test instrument to said frame member while simultaneously manipulating the means for actuating the positive adjustment means of the strut of said brace until said wall is adjusted into a true plumb vertical position, affixing materials designed to become a permanent part of said building upon said plumbed wall and other structural parts of said building so as to hold said vertical wall in permanent plumb orientation even after removal of said brace, then prying said one anchor of said brace from its temporarily nailed position by inserting the claw of a carpenter''s hammer under the lift-lip member thereof and applying removal pressure, and removing the other anchor of said brace from its temporarily nailed position, whereby said brace is fully removed from said wall and floor and made available anew for use in plumbing and temporarily holding other vertical walls.

Claim 11

The process of plumbing and holding walls in erecting a building, wherein a reusable brace is employed, said reusable brace being characterized as consisting essentially of an elongates strut which exhibits structural rigidity whether under tension or compression, means for positively adjusting the length of said strut over a span of at least 2 inches, a temporarily-nail-securable wall anchor pivotally hinged to one end of said strut, a temporarily-nail-securable floor anchor pivotally hinged to the other end of said strut, at least one of said anchors having a lift-lip member integral therewith, and means operable within 3 feet of the wall anchor end of said strut for actuating said positive adjustment means, said process including the steps of temporarily nailing the wall anchor of said brace onto a frame member of a preformed structure designed for placement as the basic part of a vertical wall in said building, said wall anchor being nailed on said preformed structure at a point at least about 4 feet from the base thereof and no higher than about 1 foot below the top thereof, placing said preform structure in an estimated approximately plumb vertical orientation at a location on floor elements of said building where said vertical wall is desired, temporarily nailing said floor anchor of said brace to floor elements of said building at a location on said floor elements approximately perpendicularly outwardly from the point at which said wall anchor is nailed on said preformed structure, applying a plumbing test instrument to said frame member while simultaneously manipulating the means for actuating the positive adjustment means of the strut of said brace until said wall is adjusted into a true plumb vertical position, affixing materials designed to become a permanent part of said building upon said plumbed wall and other structural parts of said building so as to hold said vertical wall in permanent plumb orientation even after removal of said brace, then prying said one anchor of said brace from its temporarily nailed position by inserting the claw of a carpenter''s hammer under the lift-lip member thereof and applying removal pressure, and removing the other anchor of said brace from its temporarily nailed position, whereby said brace is fully removed from said wall and floor and made available anew for use in plumbing and temporarily holding other vertical walls.

Claim 12

An adjustable brace especially designed for use by a carpenter to place and hold vertical wall elements for a building in plumb during construction of the building, consisting essentially of aN elongated strut which exhibits structural rigidity whether under tension or compression, means for positively adjusting the length of said strut either to incrementally increase or shorten said length over a span of at least 2 inches while simultaneously and continuously maintaining said structural rigidity, the overall length of said strut being between 6 and 11 feet when adjusted to its maximum length and between 5 and 9 feet when adjusted to its minimum length, a temporarily-nail-securable wall anchor pivotally hinged to one end of said strut, a temporarily-nail-securable floor anchor pivotally hinged to the other end of said strut, at least one of said anchors being characterized by having a lift-lip member integral therewith and under which the claw of a carpenter''s hammer may readily be inserted to pry said anchor from a temporarily-nail-secured position, at least one end of said strut to which an anchor is pivotally hinged being flattened into a strut flat lying in longitudinal alignment with said strut with the outer flat surface of said strut flat in essentially the same plane as a plane directly along one longitudinal side of said strut in the portion of said strut immediately contiguous to said strut flat, said anchor pivotally hinged to said strut flat being formed by shaping a flat blank of metal into an article having one edge upturned as a perpendicular flange united integrally with a flat section, said flat section being equipped with at least two spaced holes through which nails may be pounded for temporarily securing said flat section flush to a flat substrate, the inner surface of said perpendicular flange being oriented adjacent and parallel to said outer flat surface of said strut flat, and a pivot pin through said perpendicular flange and said strut flat, whereby said anchor may be pivoted into a folded compact overlapped condition upon said strut during storage or shipment of said brace; and rotatable means operable within 3 feet of the wall anchor end of said strut for actuating said positive adjustment means, said rotatable means being engageable by a carpenter''s hammer, the engagement by said hammer serving to provide a lever for application of force to operate said rotatable means.

Claim 13

An adjustable brace especially designed for use by a carpenter to place and hold vertical wall elements for a building in plumb during construction of the building, consisting essentially of aN elongated strut which exhibits structural rigidity whether under tension or compression, means for positively adjusting the length of said strut either to incrementally increase or shorten said length over a span of at least 2 inches while simultaneously and continuously maintaining said structural rigidity, the overall length of said strut being between 6 and 11 feet when adjusted to its maximum length and between 5 and 9 feet when adjusted to its minimum length, a temporarily-nail-securable wall anchor pivotally hinged to one end of said strut, a temporarily-nail-securable floor anchor pivotally hinged to the other end of said strut, at least one of said anchors being characterized by having a lift-lip member integral therewith and under which the claw of a carpenter''s hammer may readily be inserted to pry said anchor from a temporarily-nail-secured position, at least one end of said strut to which an anchor is pivotally hinged being flattened into a strut flat lying in longitudinal alignment with said strut with the outer flat surface of said strut flat in essentially the same plane as a plane directly along one longitudinal side of said strut in the portion of said strut immediately contiguous to said strut flat, said anchor pivotally hinged to said strut flat being formed by shaping a flat blank of metal into an article having one edge upturned as a perpendicular flange united integrally with a flat section, said flat section being equipped with at least two spaced holes through which nails may be pounded for temporarily securing said flat section flush to a flat substrate, the inner surface of said perpendicular flange being oriented adjacent and parallel to said outer flat surface of said strut flat, and a pivot pin through said perpendicular flange and said strut flat, whereby said anchor may be pivoted into a folded compact overlapped condition upon said strut during storage or shipment of said brace; and rotatable means operable within 3 feet of the wall anchor end of said strut for actuating said positive adjustment means, said rotatable means being engageable by a carpenter''s hammer, the engagement by said hammer serving to provide a lever for application of force to operate said rotatable means.