CAR
87
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i
®> c, d, e, to the crown of the front rib at d ; and thusma y you finish your work.”
*Ve now proceed to Smith’s Carpenters Companion, andlough he presents nothing new in geometrical principles,18 observations are very judicious and worthy of transcrip-. 011 ; and his practical remarks, though perhaps objectionablea few instances, are more to the purpose of a generalConnected detail of what should be done in the constructivej 1 , rt carpentry, and more systematic, than those of mosttier writers; though the examples and designs which het . o ^ar e not generally the best. He begins his introduc-
p * 1 he usefulness of carpenter’s work in building, and thejo notice taken of it by authors who have treated ofoitecture, and the few there be that rightly understand’prompted me to write the following treatise.
Carpenter’s work is one of the most valuable branchesth arc ^’ tecture ; it was contemporary with the first ages ofana Wor ^ 5 an( l with the knowledge of this art, Noah closelyS q Orally connected those timbers in the ark, which werenicely wrought, that they not only kept the water frometr ating into it, but were proof against the tempest andter, rollin g billows, when, in its womb, it carried all theof the earth and air.
^ -those naval preparations, through all ages of the world,all^ 6 ^ as ffi 086 stupendous temples and edifices, erected in. countries, demonstrate the perfection of this art. Theto UtUera ble floating buildings, which roll from one countryanother, through tempestuous storms, tossed from theth e nta ' n ’ s height to the depths of the ocean, without injuringcar ^ esse k evidently show the vast use and judgment ofPenter’s work.
j Ut as that branch of it which relates to templar orof uses, is the subject of this work, I shall only treatCam S Us ? fulness ’ n them; and may venture to affirm thatajar’s work is the chief tie and connection of a building,rZ ln S the ligaments which bind the walls together.
•f he bond-timbers, which strengthen and tie the angles
Ca ' building, and prevent its separating, is the work of thefi'scli nter • Linteling over doors and windows, with other“ g r ® ements °f weight, it is his care to perform.
if (f -u timbers in cross walls, when settlements happen,f 0r , l .®y are well applied, prevent the cracking of the walls,alijj le y keep the whole together, and every part settlethif r, ’ , w h'ch would fill the buildings with gaps and chasms
‘‘N eCted -
th e . ex * i°r the floors ; the rightly framing them, by trussingn ear 8 ' rders , by placing them on joists, so that they comel Usk‘ 110 fi uni, els of chimneys ; the manner of tenanting,all fi rarr| i n g of timbers for chimneys, stairs, &c. I say,pe t f 0 a ^ h is the business of the carpenter to see carefully
Cr acV artit '° ns lecher, their manner of trussing to preventgir,} ln S> settlements, &c. and the discharge of weight ofb ? ams ’ or cross walls, is carpenter’s work; as is,“R V he Naming of timber bridges.
Or ^ ots °f various sorts, for common houses, large edifices,Pitch ^‘cfr manner of framing, the height of their
°f p e j.j. strength, usefulness, &c., with the various manner'vhich r tnin 8 these works, is the subject of this treatise,design 1 1'ave rendered intelligible to every capacity, bya K la 3 °fi several sorts, and have described them in suchParti Cu i er ’ as will render the work useful to carpenters;°f r v to those who are unacquainted with the manner“ Tile 's 1118 ’-ficse operations of framing.c«rr • 1 ^'' n o which the carpenter must consider, for
7 ln g on a building, is the plan, in which you are to
prepare your timber, in having it cut into proper scantlingswhich shall be hereafter noted.
“ You are to prepare for lintelings and bond-timbers; forlintels over doors or windows, stuff of five inches thick andseven broad, and it is a slight way of building to put in anyof less scantling ; as for door-cases, their manner of making,and scantlings of stuff, it is needless to speak of; it is thebest way to have them put in when the foundations arebrought up high enough for them. Bond-timbers shouldbe dovetailed at the angles of the building and cross walls.And here note, that it is a durable, though expensive way,to have all fir timber, which is laid in the walls of the build-ing, to be pitched with pitch and grease mixed together; thequantity of grease, one pound to four pounds of pitch. Allthese things are the care of the carpenter.
“ Bond-timbers should be four or five inches thick forcross walls, and in the angles of a building, six or seveninches, and proportionably broad; six or eight feet long ineach wall; and it would not be amiss to place them six oreight feet distant all the height of the building, in everyangle and cross wall ; these, if a building be on an infirmfoundation, cause the whole to settle together, and preventthe cracks and fractures which happen, if this be neglected.
“ We come now to the floors, in which these things areto be observed—the magnitude of the room, the manner offraming, and the scantlings of the timber. For the first,you are to observe to lay the girders always the shortestway, and not to have a joist at any time exceeding twelvefeet in length.
“ The first common method of framing floors, is wherethe joists are framed flush with the top of the girder.”( The trimming-joists supposed to come against chimneys andstairs, are always thicker than common joists, being weakenedby mortising .) “ The scantling of joists, when a floor is framedin this manner, ought to be as followetli :
Common Joists.
Trim’mers.
ft. long.
Scantlingin inches.
ft. long.
Scantlingin inches.
5
7 by 21
5
7 by 3
6
7 by 21
6
7 by 4
8
7 by 2f
7
7 by 5
9
8 by 3
8
8 by 4
10
8 by 31
9
8 by 5
11
8 by 31
10
9 by 6
12
9 by 4
“ These are such proportions as will render the worksufficiently capable of sustaining any common weight.
“ The next manner of framing floors is with binding-joistsframed flush with the under side of the girder; and aboutthree or four inches below the top of the girder, to receivethe bridgings, which are those which lie across the binding-joists, and are pinned down to them with pins of wood, orspikes of iron. These binding-joists should be framed aboutthree feet, or three feet six inches distant from one another,and their thickness four or five inches, or in the proportionto the length of their bearing, as trimming-joists.
“ These floors, if they settle out of a level with the build-ing, are made level when the bridgings are put in, which isgenerally after the building is covered in, and near com-pleted ; they are generally double-tenanted. The binding-joists are chased, and the ceiling-joists tenanted into them,and put in generally after the building is up. These ceiling-joists should be 13 or 14 inches apart, and the scantling2 or 3 inches square, and in large buildings 3 and 4. As forthe bridgings, which lie on the top of the binding-joists, they