Putting down a frame for pouring a concrete roof

Question

We are enclosing a room at the house. Today they are putting up the forms for the concrete roof to be poured into. They call in Cimbrar or Sembrar. I looked up both words and neither makes perfect sense, yet sembrar seems closer. I have asked several of the workers how it is spalled and all of them tell me cimbrar.

Help!! Which word is it and how did it come to be used in construction?

Paco, if you are out there I know you can answer this.

And for the actual pouring of the concrete the verb is colar. Now café colado is perculated coffee, strained through a filter. But how did this word come to be used for pouring concrete?

Answer 1

La cimbra

Están haciendo una cimbra para colar la losa del techo.

They are putting up the forms for the concrete roof to be poured into.

Could you help me to translate this sentence into English?

Para hacer una cimbra se colocan postes de madera en los que se apoyan las vigas y se pone la duela en la que se vacía el concreto.

This is my attempt:

To put up the forms, wooden poles that support the beams are placed, and the plank where the cocrete is to be poured into is placed on the beams.

Also, thanks for confirming the use of Hacer una cimbra. - gringojrf, Feb 4, 2015

Gracias, Luis, eres un tigre. - annierats, Feb 4, 2015

Guau! What a compliment! Thank you! - LuisCache, Feb 4, 2015

Answer 2

Sí, se trata de un molde o una cimbra de madera, en que se cola el hórmigon. Creo que se puede decir ' echar' tambien pero se dice recién colada.

Shuttering in English although Americans seem to say formwork.
And why 'colar', I look forward to seing what people will write, I have not found an explanation, although u-tube has a lot of self-build instructions on how to make it.

Now I feel stupid. I looked up the verb cimbrar but not cimbra. Duhhhhhhhhhh! - gringojrf, Feb 4, 2015

So the act of making a cimbra could not use the verb cimbrar but rather something like hacer una cimbra? - gringojrf, Feb 4, 2015

I think so, Gring. I will ask my husband when he comes in, he has a good memory for building terms, and I don't, I consulted u-tube . - annierats, Feb 4, 2015

Cimbrar exists, RAE gives it as to double something, or to vibrate, but it could be local, or maybe it's cimentar? - annierats, Feb 4, 2015

Answer 3

Here is how I would say it in English:

The form is made by placing wooden poles that support the beams and planks (which form a pan) into which the concrete is poured.

Now to modify yours:

To place the forms, wooden poles are placed to support the beams, then planks are placed on the beams into which is poured the concrete.

Finally my attempt to translate your Spanish sentence:

Para hacer una cimbra se colocan postes de madera en los que se apoyan las vigas y se pone la duela en la que se vacía el concreto.

To make a form, wooden posts are placed that suport the beams and planks are placed in which the concrete is poured.

Not even close to a literal translation. But most things don't do well with literal translations.

PS: Thank you for the excellent photo that shows how this is done.

Muchas gracias, gringojrf! Excelente versión! - LuisCache, Feb 4, 2015