IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k // %// '^ <.\ Sf. ^4 <'' 1.0 1.1 ■ttiii til £ Hi |2.0 IL25 i 1.4 1.6 A y^> ^^ M l\ \ o^ '4^ ^v I CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductlons historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checlced below. D D D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couieur Coloured maps/ Cartes gtographiques en couieur Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages dicoiortes. tachetAes ou piquAes Tight binding (may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin)/ Reliure serr6 (peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion ie long de la marge int6rieure) L'Institut a microfilm^ Ie meillour exemplaire qu'il lui a AtA possible de se procurer. 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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour Atre reproduites en un seul clich6 sont filmies A partir de I'angie supArieure gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mithode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 .-^ i ^ 7-V" GI LL S MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER HKINC A SKlilKS (»K PROBLEMS ON STAIK-BUILDIING AM) HOUSK-CAHI'KNTKY, By JOSEPH HEAVES GIEL, AhTKR miHTV-KlVK YKAKS ACJUAI, KXPKHIKNCK AT THK IlKNt'H, WITH KXl^LANA IJONS OF THK l^T.AH KS, AND A HKKIHAPHK'AL SKETCH OK THK AITUOK WRITTEN BY RI('HAR1> PLANT, HAMII/roN i I'niNTRD BY ROBERTS A ORIFKIN, 5 .lAMKS STRKKT NORTH. 1874. 7JT -y? ... ^c.y^^/ \ Joskiii I\'k\\ Ks Ctii.i., ill t.lic olficc of tJic Minister of Atriicnitnio. roih:kt< .V «;i{iKi-iN, ciiinikks, :, .iami-^ sriiKKT north, hamii,t«»n. Contents. PLATK. How to find the stretch-out of a Semi-circle, 1 Pasteboard problem to get the position of plank without canting, . . 2 Pasteboard problem to get the position of plank cantring downwards, :} Pasteboard problem to get the position of plank cantring upwards, . . 4 To get the wreath round a 14 inch platform cylinder without canting the plank, o Method for cutting rail-? to length « Method for getting casings length of newel i)ost and balusters, . . 7 Strtch-out of cylinder and stiings unfolded ; Metliods for constructing different cylinders ; Method for kerfing around any size of circle, Fig 4, H Method forg(;tting the wr(?ath with plank canting down ; Method for getting the bevels and aj)plying them to the same ; How to find the conjugated axis for the same l> Method for constructing a wreath round a six inch cylinder without canting j)lank, 10 Method to get a wreath round a ipuirter space platform with one continued pitch, ' n Method to construct a platform staii- with one continued pitch round the cyHnder, 12 How to land on floor with (juarter s[)ace windcM's V,i Winding stair round a half s|»ace cylinder 14 Construction of wri^ath to IMatti 14,, 1 .'> Another wreath to Plate 14, 1«> How to land on a floor round a six inch cylins ; si'ction of paneled jambs for door, to brick or stone wall, Section of roof cornice, and cuttiiiii mitres on the rake, b'akiu^Muoulds for sash bar,s ; Method for nut iciii},' newel caj) to rail, Problems for apprentice boys. ranj^fcnt blocks, illustrated, A first class stair, for landinji on floor ; Method for s(|uarinjf the foun- •iation of a buildinj;;, .Metlu)d for niitreinj^' sills on the bevel ; A cramj)od stair, with quarter .space winders. A ([uarter space platfoi'm, fittin;; an obtuse anj^de, A quarter .space platfoini. fitting on acute aiiijles, 24 2r> 27 •2H 29 :}() 31 :}!' :54 :5r) 40 41 42 43 Biographical Sketch. With the number of books already published on the art of stair-building, it may seem somewhat presumptuous on the part of Mr. Gill to enter the lists and ask for a share of public attention and patronage for his " Mechan- ical Stair-l)uilder ;" but when wc take into consideration the length of time so many of them have been before the mechanical community, professing to impart a complete and thorough knowledge of the art, and the very few competent stair-builders that are to be met ^vith, we feel somewhat inclined to question the truth of their assertions, and ask if there is not some dis- crepancy that might be supplied with advantage and profit to the working mechanic ; and then his audacity is perhaps not quite so overwhelming as it might at first sight appear. There is one thing can be said in its favor, which I believe can be said for very few if any of the others, and it is tliis, that the author had an actual working experience of thirty-five years before he publis-hed his book or laid down any of the problems it contains ; his labors have not been confined to one section of country, nor liis acquaintance to a small community of men, he has toiled in the East and in the West, in the North and in the South, and along the extensive range of the Mississippi almost from its source to the sea ; thus his observation has been boundless, and his experience unlimited, and it is impossible for a man to work in a shop with him a day without making the discovery that he is altogether a man of eccentric, superior and original mould. It was the privilege and pleasure of the w *• er to work at the bench with him for years, and a man with more skill auti tact for devising short and expeditious methods of performing work I have never met in the Old World or the New, durin» my thirty years' experience at the bench. To a person working beside him his movements have the appearance of being directed by some superior instinct, for when any unforeseen tech- I r MECHANICAL STAI1^BUILDEK. nical questions arise his decisions are so instantaneous and rapid it seems impossible for him to have had time to think. To say that he never makes mistakes nor arrives at false eonchisions would be simply ridiculous, for no man is perfection ; btit he does to a most wonderful decree possess .that rare tact which enables a man not only to remedy his mistakes, but in some cases actually turn them to advantaj,'e, and I have often heard him jestingly remark that had it not been for his mistakes on some jobs he could not have got through his work. Any sketch of Mr. Gill would be very incomjjlete without the relation of a few incidents of his early days, and some casuist well skilled in the relations of cause and eifect may })erhai)s discover that his early misfor- tunes have largely contributed to constitute him the man he is. Joseph Reeves Gill was born in the State of New Jersey ; his mother died while he was still an infant, and to add atiliction to bereavement, he remained dei. f and dumb imtil he was eight years of age. The family con- nections of his father and mother were .nil in what may be termed well-to- do and ea.sy circumstances and comfortably located on their own j)roperties. The little mute being, an object of general sympathy, lived alternately in in the homes of his relatives, and it is really interesting to hear him speak of the assiduous care and attention which the children of the siuTounding district extended to their little companion who could n(jt hear or speak. When he was eight j ears old he had a slight sense of hearing, and could articulate a few sounds imperfectly, and an eminent physician being con- sulted gave strong encouragement to their hopes that the boy would ulti- mately both hear and speak. Our hero, being furnished with an ear-trum- pet, was sent to school, not with the expectation that he was gohig to learn much, but it was thought his senses of sound and speech Avould be best cultivated in that way, and there was very soon a little imi)rovement in that respect, but he made no progress in learning. When eleven years of age he went to live with one of his aunts with whom he had not been before, and soon became a favorite with the family, which is no wonder, for even now, after struggling with the world for fifty years, he is genial, good humored, and generous to a fault, and at that early age he could not 6 MECHANICAL STAIR BUILDER. have bocn other than a most willin;^ and obli<,'ing boy ; in n»y acquaintance with him for nine years, I cannot remember a time wh(Mi he would not in- convenience himself to befriend another. At eleven year.s of age he could just make himself understood by speaking, and with the aiil of his trum- pet could understand a good deal that was said ; but, notwithstanding these recently gained advantages, he had still very little connnuuication with the outside world ; his mental faculties were employed on natural objects immediately around hini, and being then, as now, impelled by his irresistible and unconquered genius, ever bent on discovering new fields of knowledge and achieving fresh triumphs, he had at that early age erected a philoso})hy of his own, for after looking at the horizon from the highest knolls in the neighborhood, he supposed the earth to l)e a very large plate or top of a round table, with houses, bams, trees and fences on the top ; what was holding it up he could not tell, but very naturally concluded that it rested on the top of a stuni]), seeing so many of them in the fields. Seeing the flowers, grass, and other plants rising out of the ground so slowly, and the sun rise so quickly and so high, and go down again at night, he became anxious to know what the sun rose out of, and deter- mined to find it out as soon as possible. With this resolution formed, and while thinking of the best means of carrying it into effect, his two cousins came home from college ; one had been studying for a doctor, the other for a lawyer. This arrival was quite an epoch in the history of the boy Joe, Doctor Joe very soon increasing his experience in more ways than one. Doctor Joe being, like his young cousin, of a rather experimenting turn of mind, discovered that the latter might be made useful in attending to his horse, and a good deal of the time that had hitherto been devoted to dis- covering the source of our central luminary had to be employed in clean- ing out the stable, and in the mind of our young philosopher the cause of science was doomed. During the remainder of his stay with his cousins he had at the best an unpleasant time of it. He accompanied his cousins to church on Sun- days, and supposes he must have presented rather a strange appearance with his ear trumpet by his side, for the school children in the opposite MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. gallery, with whom ho was a general favorite, very soon got to laughing and motioning to him ; and for this he got a very severe whipjiing from Doctor Joe the next morning, and somehow or other he got whipped every Monday for something that transpired in chnreh, no matter how he con- ducted himself, the Hoggings every time increasing in intensity. He almost bocar^o wearied of s life, and seriously thought of i)utting an end to it. One ounday afternoon Doctor Joe, being moic enraged than usual went out and cut some thorn switches, with the thorns untrinnncd, and told him, by means of his ear trumpet, to what purpose they would be ai)i)lied next morning, while his flesh was bruised and sore from the last whipping. Almost creeping with the thought of what was to come, he determined never to take another whipping from his cousin on any account, and fully made up his mind to drown himself by jumping from the bridge into the creek, when he took the cows to water in the evening ; with this purpose in his mind, he started for the bridge, but on his arrival he felt afraid to take the leap and sat down, feeling so miserable he did not know what to do ; but his good genius and solar philosophy very soon came to his aid, and thinking it a favorable opportunity to settle the very interesting question as to the rising of the sun, he at once put his old i^roject into execution, and with his back to the setting sun, he crossed over fields and fences, and through woods, making a bee line for the east, never doubting that by wallcing all night and next day he would arrive at the edge of the table, and then the sun question would be finally settled. The best of human calculations sometimes fail, and this expedition also was fated to be a failure, for after wandering three nights and three days, without food or shelter, he was found by one of his brothers on the outskirts of Philadelphia, his clothing in tatters from wandering through the bush, his trumpet was lost, so that if he asked a question he could not hear the answer, and he was almost perished with hunger. Such was the elementary training he received in his early days, and according to the light he then possessed the persevering determination he displayed in carrying out his idea is only a very fair sample of that which has distinguished him through life, in pursuit of practical knowledge. 8 MFX'HANICAL STAIR-BUILPEIJ. When ho had ht'cii taken lionio and tlio extent of the pnnishnient he liad received Ijecanie knowii, his lehitivcs were sorely distressed. He then went to hve with his ehlest sister in Phihidelpliia, and for the first time in his Ufo he reahzed what it was to have bestowed ui)on him something like a mother's care. His deafness and imperfect pronnnciation at this time did not achnit of his being sent to school with any advantage to liimsclf, had he been willing to go, but his sister persevered and taught him the little he ever learned, which just enables him to read and write a few words very imperfectly. At the age of fourteen his hearing had improved so nuich that he could has only to say that he will at times, perhaps, impose a heaviei- tax on their patience than they are prepared to bear, for the old saying', " Tliere is no royal road to learning," is just as true to-day as it was three thousand years ago ; and every branch of art, to be truly and thoroughly understood, must be fairly thought out. But in order to render this complex and hitherto ditticult subject easy of accomplishment, the author, in the first four plates, has laid down no lines for rails, his object being to make the workman familiar with the planks, their surfaces, and the api)earances they present when placed in their correct positions for the lines of rail to be apjjlied to tluni. This, as he believes, simple and easy process will no doubt appear difficult ^at first, and he would again urge upon the student not to despair, but to continue with persevering and determined energy, and success will finally crown his efforts. * 13 MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Explanations to Plate 1. HOW TO FIND THE STRETCH-OUT OF A SEMI-CIRCLE. Draw the sprin<>' line, set your compasses to anj' distance, say one foot, as in plate, and strike the semi-circle ; draw a line from the centre at right angles to the spring line ; then with your radius measure off from each terminus of the semi-circle to wheie the lines H cut the semi-circle, and draw the Hues B from the centre through the points cut on the semi-circle with your radius ; then draw the line DD parallel to the spring line, and cutting the crown of the semi-circle, and from the points C, on the parallel lines, cut by the lines B, ap]>ly your radius to the points D, which is the ■ length of the stretch-out. From the centre, cutting the points D, draAv the lines E to any length, say to F ; this rule holds good for any radius, and a line drawn parallel to the spring line to the lines E, M'ill give the stretch-out as at FF, the distance from the parallel to the spring line will give the radius as at GF. 14 [_ _ I /' v./ X¥ :i^i- *4 H H .■J / CM ' N -* i ^/.oints d(l, where the lines of string intersect T 1 and T 4, draw the line D 2 ; now space oft", and draw the " liottom Edge of String, " and continue on the perjjendicular lino E, and stpnire ofl" from top of pitchboard to E; set one point of your compass at a on T 4, and strike the arc lines from c to b, and from f to jaf, which form the ground plan of the rail ; repeat the process on T 1 ; from <1 draw a line at right angles from top edge of string to li, and from (• to i ; on these lines space oft" the width of T 2, and draw the line li i, ami this will form the " Face Mould Leaf" Now, as the scjuare of T 1 is e<|ual to half the well on the ground plan, the pitch line will give the exact length of plank to get out one half of the rail around the same. Now take your peidvnife, and on line C cut through the paste-board from point a on line T4 to v at bottaste- board from d to c, so that the " Face Mould Leaf" will turn up at right angles to string, but be careful not to cut tlnough ; nick the same way fnnn d to a on the line of T 1, and from a to a on the line of C. Now turn up your paste-board at light angles to line C, draw the triangular piece nmnd to Tl, and fold the " Face Mimld Leaf ' to " Spring" line and edge' of erected i)aste-board, now ilraw the i>iece of up}>er string roinid on line T4, and you have the exact positicm and direction of planks when the lines of rail nnist be applied. • It is essential that this problem should be thoroughly understood in all its bearings, and then progress in the next will be rendered less difficult. 20 J •9 MECHANICAL STAIIt BUI LDKlf. Plate 3. In tlcalin^' witli the third |iru1»lein it is not nt'cessiuy to 1»c ho tciliou.s in the (Icsciiption.s as in Phito 2 ; yon will proceoil, on your pasteboard, to lay down the " Sprinj^ " line, which in this case also constitutes the "Face of Kise," then strike the semi-circle and line C par.illel to " Spring " hne, and lay olV yimr tanj^ents as in this ard tlu; forej^oinj;' jdate ; strike the arcs from b to € on T 1 and T 4 ; apply the rise point of pitchboard to c on tany;eiit line, and draw the line " Top of Strinj^," up to d and down the plate. On T 4 apjily the rise of i)itchboard to lino marked " One Rise," and draw the line 1).*] from d up the i)late ; from the point of each " Strinj^ " draw line V '2, which ji^ives the direction of planks when placed in their true positions for the appHcation of rail lines. Before proceeding;: further we had better pause and slightly review Plate 2. Vou will observe that the " Face of Kise " is i)laced between the " Spring " line and line C, and spaced off half a iread from line C, and that the "Siring" lines each i)itch half a rise from "Platform," and it is on this ftccoimt that the rail can be got out of the jjlank without canting or springing, and continued in one raking unbn 'en linc^ up to Hoor landing. Now if every one would l)e content with a stair of this kind, perhai)s a great saving in labor might be eftected in stair-building, but one person chooses one kind of stair, and another prefers something different ; and this being the case, it becomes imperative that wo adapt ourselves to the situation, and be prepared for any and every ome«"?ncy. It is this diversity of opinion and preference, perhaps, that in a eat measure has constituted us so progressive as a people, has placed our race at the head of civilization, and contributed to the grandest engineering achievements that have been attained. Had we been contented with wagons and stage-coaches, there would have been no rail- roads : had nothing superior to packet ships been desired, where would have been our fleets of ocean steamers, with their gorgeous and magnificent palaces, carrying in comfort, elegance and security thousands of passengei*s o'er the vast and trackless deep. If mail boats had sufficed for the pur- poses of commerce and the transmission of news, the earth would not have been girdled with submarine cables, flashing electricity at a speed .surpassing in reality even the grandest imaginative conceptions of our great 23 MECHANICAL STAIK-BUILDElt. dramatist. And thus we might continue adding instancu^ to instance ; but we must return to our task, trusting that the working joiner will see that both duty and interest prompt him to acquire a thorough knowledge of this useful and ornamental art. In returning to Date 3, we shall see that " Face of Rise " is placed on " Spring " line, and in placing the end of plank plumb over line C, it pitches up two-thirds of a lise from line C on line T 1, and on line T4 the plank will pitch down within one third of a rise of lino C ; hence it i necessary for plank on T 1 to cant down and plank on T 4 to cant up, to bring their surfaces together at e, on centre line A. P'rom " Toj) Edge of String " slatcs, and avc have the position of i)lank, Avhich is one continued gradual ascent from first step to upper floor, Avith balusters regularly and evenly spaced oft' around the landing, the same as in straight string. You xnU now see, when the paste-board is drawn around, that the " Kise Spring " and " Conjugate " lines come directly over tlie corresponding lines in the ground plan, which proves to a demonstration that the prol)lcm is correct. Having noAv passed through the fourth problem, the reader will excuse us if Ave attempt to imi^ress upon his mind the importance of being thoroughly conversant with the foregoing plates before proceeding to another problem ; and avc would advise him to study and re-consider them imtil every line, point, space, curve, and bevel, Avith all their details and uses have become as familiar as household Avords, and in no case is anj- thing more important than a thorough knoAvledge of the Ijcvels, for it is on their application that the art of hand-railing depends, and Avithout fully understanding them it Avould be an act of folly to attempt to Avork out a hand-rail. 28 t'm/'jfi'i r~ ,I*f'J MECIIAN rCAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 5. Assuming ; that the reader has made liimsclf familiar witli the pasteboard problems, we will proceed to hiy down the rail lines on Plate 5 for the landing on plate '2. You Avill notice in this plate that the rail pitches up half a rise on phatform. Draw the line marked " Spring," square off line A, si>ace off and draw line T 1, whii.'h is the tangent line for centre hne of rail at Joint i i i ; space oft' and draw line C, which is tangent lino for centre of rail at " Joint 2 ;" space oft" tangent 1 from line L to line H, draw line D 2 which is half a rise from platform line C. At point !i apply the pitchboard to line T 1 and draw the line D 1, Avhich is the line of " String" and " Seat for Tranmicl." Where line D 1 cuts line H, square off" both ways for " Spring " line ; at " Joint 2 " draw line T 2, space oft' width of Tangent and draw line T 1 or slide line. Set one jioint of your compass where line A and " Spring " line intersect, and strike line B, centre of rail for groimd plan ; lay oft" the width of rail i i i, and strike the inside and outside line of ground plan ; now as the space within line A, line V, line Tl and " Spring " line is the si/e of ground plan for centre line of rail, so the space enclosed by the corresponding lines laid oft' from the pitch line will be the size for centre line of rail when in position. From groimd plan sipiare lines i i i up to pitch line for width of face mould at " Joint 2," lay off' the size of rail at i i i, " Joint 1." Get a strip of paste-lioard or a thin slip of wood the size of E, marked " Tramcl Stick ;" place the point of trannnel at i, parallel and close to pitch line, and mark it at " Spring " line, and this distance will be the long radius for inside of rail ; place the point of trannnel at i on " Spring " line and mark it at pitch line, and this will l)e the short radius for inside of rail ; i)lace the tramel parallel with pitch line, with long radius mark touching " Spring " line, move it roimd in the direction of lines marked XXX, making a dotted line, the long radius nuirk must be kept to " spring " line, the short radius mark must be kept to pitch line until trannnel is moved round to " Spring " line, the inside line of rail will then be correct. Apply the tramel to i, " Joint 2," for long radius for outside of rail, and to j, "Joint 1," short radius for outside. 31 MECHANICAL STAIR BUILDER. juul strike it round as before ; sjjuaro the lines from " Sprinjj; " line to "Joint 1," and square the end of rail, and the face nnndd is coniplel(«; bore holes through the face mould i)attern as in jHate on tangent line.s, it is necessary to do this so that in sliding the mould on the plank you can see to keep the lines on mould directly over lines on plank. Sipiare oil" the pattern for end of rail i K i, and draw line L parallel to pitch line and the space between the two lines is the thickness of plank recpiired ; cut a piece of paste-board or thin wood the size of rail end i K i, and bore direct through the centre with a small brad awl. In getting out rail after the plank is cut scpiare to the face mould, tind the centre of wood at "Joint 2," apply the pitchboard, and get the pitch on the end of plank at " Joint '1 " with pitch line, cutting across centre of }»lank, bore in centre of plank with small brad awl, now, with end i)attern of rail on l»iad a^l, ajiply it to the end of wood "Joint 2," and place it so that centre line on pattern will be right on pitch line on end of i)lank, mark around the pat- tern, and when the plank is put in position these lines will be level and scpiarc from platform floor. -Vpply the tangent line on face moukl to pitch line on the upper side of plank, keeping face mould right on i)lank at "Joint 1," this will bring the inside of face mould to corner of i)attern line i K i, mark round inside of mould, ai)ply the face mould to luider side of plank, keeping tangent line to pitch line, and tack it fast to the plank, and this "\\ ill serve as a guide when you are squaring the inside of rail ; bore the end of "Joint 1 " right at centre with a brad awl, and apply the pattern of rail end to "Joint 1," keeping the centre line on pattern right with the centre line on end of plank, and mark it to the size ; sipiare the top of wreath plunil) with blade direct from centre and inside of rail and guagc it to thcM'idth of "Joint 1," round to "Joint 'i" from inside of rail, now from top side of rail guage it to the thickness, dress to guage marks and the half wreath of rail is squared to its proper sliai)e. 32 *l ^-i..■■ • • , ■I /h p I t AIKCHAMCAL STAIIMU'ILDKIl. Plates 6 and 7. ri-.\Tii 6 j^ivos the lylinWor and lino of .stiini;' to IMatc 8, and shows tho placoH foi- c'uttinivcs methods for constructing cylinders. Fic. 5 i.s compo.sed of staves, and is more generally used than any other. Fkj. ♦) is bent round by saAV-kcrting. Fig. 4 is a sample in detail and is done in the following manner : Take the radius of the cylinder and mark its distance from the end of the plank of which the cylinder is to be formed, draw a square line and saw the plank nearly through, so that the end will lift u]) as at o, measure the distance when the end is lifted, and the kerf closed, and space it ott" the length of stretch-ou* an' out tlie rail for stair on Phite 3. Fi(i. 1 shows the cantmg of i)hink at "Joint 1," with the bevel appHed to upper side of phmk, giving the perpendicular line from the face of the stair, with the centre line of the s(|uare pattern for end of rail placed right on the i^erpendicular line on the end of plank. Fn;. '2 shows the pitch of plank at "Joints," with bevel applied as at "Joint 1." Fk;. 3 is ground plan of rail, line C and T 1 are tangent lines for " Centre of Rail " Avith tangent spaces T 1 and T 2. ^Vpply the pitchboard to line ( ! at the terminus of T 1, for the pitch line, and continue it up to tangent Hne, draw lino 1) 2 from d on line A to intersect pitch line on T 1. Square from pitch line to angle f, and strike the curve to h, draw the line from " Conjugate Axis " to h, draw the line ill li, and these lines give the bevels for " Joints " 1 and 2 ; draw the parallel line n ll, and this gives the space on the pitch line for width of pattern at " Joints " 1 and 2. From the pitch line square off from ll on tangent line, square oft line ill from point where " Conjugate " line intersects " Seat for Trammel ;" take the lengtli of line ill ll across T 2 for widtli of " Face Mould Leaf," and draw the line T A for slide line. Apply the si)ace O froni square lines, and draw the lines marked " Spring" and T 2. Apply space X on line T 1, and from this point draw line " Conjugate Axis " througii the i)oint where tangent lines intersect, and through this point draw the line marked " Seat for Trammel." Square up the lines of rail from " Joint 1," on groimd plan to the bevel lines, and from point ll to point of intersection is half the width of " Face Mould " at corresi)onding joints. From line T2 s([uare the line " Joint 2 ;" get the long radius from the "Conjugate Axis" line to the inside of rail at n, and the line marked "Spring" is the short radius for inside and outside of rail ; strike the lines round with the " Trammel " as before to the " Spring " line ; from line 111 square the rail lines to " Joint 1 " from pitch line. Li working the rail after it is' jigged out of plank, find the centre of wood on ends of rail at "Joints" 1 and 2, and bore with small brad awl and apply the bevels and square patterns, as in l''[(!s. 1 and 2. In applying this " Face Moidd " to the plank you will see the necessity of having holes bored through the " F'ace Mould " on tangent lines in order to keep the lines on " F^ace Mould " directly over the lines on plank. 42 ite 3. ;1 applied 3e of the ced riglit the i)itcli '"m. 3 is of U'dil " line (' ' taiij>ent oil T 1. h, draw '■so linos and this 1 and ± line 111 ininiel ;" Mould O from y space :hroii<>h the line oint 1," ■section ni hue i.jngate pring " lines from ()rkin<^- )d on I'l and l)l,ving laviny- er to ^ \ ,„.>!U- -t r- /. — ^^ •Si (- ■^ ^// J /"If i. } •11 ■■s '^ISS MECHANICAL STAIR BUILDER. Plate 10. \ .■'■■■ I'l.Ai'i: 10 is anotlicr stair with the rail j^ot out (►{■ plank without caiitiu*^. This is a vi'vy couvouiont kind of stair for a liack or narrow hall. The well is six inches, and by i)laein«4- the centre of trend under " Centre line of rail " till' " lace of Rise " to " I'latfonn " in this stair will be two inches outside the sprin;^' of well or cylinder. Kic. 1 shows the well with "Face of Ri.sc to IMatforni," and " Spring;' and Stretch-out of Sti'inj;s ;" Eic. •J j^ives the line of .string; with " IMatforni." Kid.:} shows "(V'ntreline of itail" with tangents all unfolded. Fit;. 4 is the ground i)lan of lail at cylin- der, with " Face Alould Leaf." It is not uei'e.'i.su'y for us to give a detailed statement of this plate as we did in Plate 2. T -? ami T 1 air tangent lines for centre of rail, space off an. ither tangent from line T I. a]>])'y the pitchhoard to line T 1, and the jioint where the |)itch line cuts the tangent will give the " Coujiigate Axi.s ;" .sipiare otl" and draw the " l-ace Mould I^Mf,"'and hiy otfthe width of rail at " Joint 1 " on " Face ^[ould l>eaf ;" the lines ,s(piared uj) from " Joint 1 " on ground jilan give the width of face mould at " Joint '2 ;" strike the lines of rail with trammel, as before. This plate and I*hite 2 are excellent illustrations that whatever si/c of cylinders you may have the rail may be got out of the |)laiik without canting by placing the " Face of Rise to Platform "just half a tread from '"Centre line of Rail ;"' if the well be large, you cut into it, if it be small, you keep tlio lise outside of it. 47 MECHAN ICAL STAllMiU I LI )EK. Plate 11. Plate 11 is a staii- with a " (^uaitt'i- Simcc l*lattbi-ni." Fk;. 1 is tho groiuul plan of rail with face of .string, face of bracket, and ))ahi,ster in in'optM- i)Ositio]i, and shows " Face of Risers " to and from IMatforni, and the bevels for canting of plank. You will notice in this plate that the Ixjvcls are both tho same, the cant of plank being the same as the pitch of string. This is done by having a cylinder the size of tread, and by placing the " Face of Risers " at " Spring " lines. In Fk;. 2 the line A for " Face Mould Leaf" is spaced off' parallel to pitch line, with length of bevel lines applied on square lines for width of " Face Mould Leaf." The sjjaces o and X give the line T 2, the line of " Conjugate Axis," and " Spring " line. The pitch of string and cant of plank being the sanu', the width of fi\ce mould is the same at l)0th ends. The lines marked A and " Sjjring " give the radius for inside and outside of rail, and the Joints are scpiared off" from the tangent lines. Always be particular in the distance you let your Joints I'lm past the " Spring," and then you can get the length of straight rail with correctness and certainty. Fic. V> is the line of string with " Quarter Space IMatform " introduced. 48 give Fact' <'/ /'/.fv />•///// /'//f/Zh/'f/t liil i. r. --. - '--..-.fxr- ■\ /■^^^v.'. ! 4^ /•\ffl' tif'fl't.Vf'. \' 0' % ?5r -us in V/ M\. V/^r///f/ of ^^^ \o N^' #' i§ ^^Ty^/ *■ l< 4= S // H--1 I / „^^^' ^^ /v* .s" H l— \V ; / ' -\\ : ,/ A 7^^-^f^ " ■V/'a ^'^ "" ^^" of /,'7ti/'. '- x/0 \ / / •i \ mechanic: AL 8TA Ili-BUILDER. Plate 12. Platk 12 allows the line of rail and details for Plate 4. Fit:. 1 i>ives lines of mil, lace of string, and face of Ijracket, with face of baluster No. 1 l>lacetl on centre line A ; iVoni this baluster the others are spaced oft regularly and evenly each way, the same as in straight string, and the risers to an«l from "Platform" Isent round to balusters No. :i. Vic. 2 show.s " Centre line of Kail," and line of " .String," and '• Platform " having one gi"adual ascent from ftooi- to floor. In Fic. is " Centre line of Eail " Avith tangents all unfolded, showing the l)evels for "Joints " 1 and 2 ; the " Face Mould Leaf" is s})aced oft" parallel to " Centre line of Eail " on line A, .showing "Joints" to be s(|uared from tangent lines and .spaces o and X to get " Spring line " and " Conjugate Axis." 53 MECHANICAL STAl R-lilTILDF:R. Plate 13. Plate 13 is plan of staii- Avith (quarter space winders. Whilst ailniittin^' tliat winding .stairs are not very desirable, (lor as I'egards coniftjrt and secnrity tliey are not equal to platform stairs), .still it very often occurs that, through the arrangement of the upper rooms, it is necessary that winder.s should be constructed. In Fk;. 1 baluster 20 is .set on the " Face of Rise " to floor landing, 1 luster 10 is set on the first winding tread, it is placed outside of cylindei- f(jr the i)urpose of getting the easing on the straight part of rail before coming to tlio " Spring," as a nuich handsomer rail is formed in this way. In spacing oft" the treads you are not compelled to make them any i)articular size, we Avould reconnnend that they be just a trifle smaller than half a tread, as it gives the ])alusters a very nice and regular appearance. If the v/inders are more than half a tread the l)alusters have a very open and bare appearance ; and if they are nnich less than half a tread, Itad steps, Avith insecure footing near the cylindei', is the result. To get the pitch of the .string within the dimensions of the plate, Ave have set No. l-l, the last of the s<[uare treads, at the bottom of the plate, to give the pitch of straight string, and from tlie point 1* B tread 15 is .spaced four heights of rise, Avith Avidth of Avinding tread, this gives the pitch of Avinders. On line T4 a i.s half a rise above floor landing ; from point a draAv line marked " Trannnel Seat," across T 3 and T 2, touching floor line at centre line A, and this Avill give a goo$> MECHANICAL STAHMJUILDER. Plate 15. Platk 18 gives the lines of rail for stair on Plate 14. Yon will notiee on this plate that line A, the i)itch line of rail rnnning from T 2, at the top, across T '2 and T 1 to P B, at the bottom of the plate, does not strictly adhere to the line of the "winder i>itchboard, bnt is carried over on to the straight string. This is done for the pnrposo of easing and assimilating the two pitches of rail at the " Spring " line, and getting a straight part of rail and sqnarc joint at " Joint 1," as shown in Vu:. 4, and it nuist always remain a matter of choice with the workman as to Avhat extent this practice is carried ont. If dne care is exercised a most beantifnlly finished rail can be formed and will only occasion the tronble of getting a few balnstcrs longer than the i-est, and this is rather an impro\ement than otherwise, as the conunon fanlt in constrncting winding stairs is in getting the rail too near the noseings of the steps. If this method of casing were not resorted to in a rail of this kind, a cri])pled and inisightly joint wonld be the result, whereas, by placing a winding tread ontside of cylinder, the joint can l)e made sufficiently removed from the spring, Avith a straight line to square from. V\r,. -1 gives the lines for face mould, the bevel at both joints l)eing the same, the face mould is the same width at l)otli ends. It Avill appear to you that space is very large on tangent line, this is caused by the Avinding [jitch being carried over. Fic. :> gives the canting of plank Avith Ijevel and pattern applied ; and I'ki. 4 the easing and ji)int at intersection of s(piare and Avinding tread. (50 Hisf // JA_ I U%. .. ■ . V" ,> V -J / H ^^ y- •*» c^ ^ ■ . -rrt; X • " X V*- "">i-. ■•. / !!• I < s I . y Inr/i4'.\- /^ fi FtHit V :\ . .Vfrf» ^ f/Kr^rJ^I^ PLATK \{\ V ? Y' \i\Syr ■ \ 'J Srale li (o u Fool MKCHANICAL STAIIMUTTLDKR. Plate 16. Pj-Ari-: 16 iL^ives the liiu's of rail for stdir on Plato 14, with tlu' pitch of rail over wiiukM-s the same as winder pitih. You Avill observe that there is ((uite a ditiereiiee in the two faee niouMs, also in the bevels, which necessitates an easini,' crossing: tangents '1 and 1, while on Plate 18 the hne is perfectly straight. Wo have inseited the two plates, illustrating both methods of getting the rail, so as to leave it a matter of choice with the workman to use the method which he prefers, Fitis. -J. and ;> are sections of step and Avall string;. ()."» ^1 MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDKR. Pla-^e 17. Plate 17 .shows a stair with a six inch well, with lour winders in a (quar- ter space to Hoor landing. This is a stair which wo strongly condenin, and would scarcely put in a buikling luider any circumstances. The winding treads are so narrow at the cylinder that great care is rc(]uired in 2iassing up and down to avoid tripping and falling, yet, notwithstanding its inconvenience it is often met with ir Imildings. In Plate IS the line of rail over winders is carried a distance on to the straight string for the piu'pose of easing the rail over the winders, and in this i)late that method is carried out to a still greater extent. The reader will see at a glance that something of this kind must l>e resorted to in this case before Ave can get anything hkc a passal)le and at the same time useful rail, that will he of any senice to persons passing up and down the stair, the al3rui)t termina tion and inclination of tlu; lines to each other actually demand it. Fic. 1 .shoAvs the ground lines of well with winding treads sj)aced off from " Face of Rise " at .spring line, to centre line A, which in this plate is the Hoor landing. Two balusters are placed on 15, Avhich is the last square step, and one on each alternate Avinder, and round the Hoor landing, ttj shoAv that in a stair of this kind the l)alu.sters cannot be spaced ott" (m the Avinders at the same distance as on the square steps. Fic. :) is the line of string, Avith the pitch of square steps cutting " Spring line of Pail" at <', and " Spring line of String " at the first Avinding step. We may here mention that the Avords, " Spring line of Pail " have been placed too near the " Spring line of String," in mistake by the engraver. The Avinding pitch running direct from the pitch of square steps up to floor at centre Hue ^V, Avhere " Joint 2 " is made, it is then carriefl across T tl to the height of half a rise above the floor ; from the top of rise 20, Avliere Hoor and centre line A intersect, the line of string is carried across T 2 and T 1 for the purpose of easing doAvn over the Avinders to sipiare steps. It is here necessary foi- the Avorkman to exercise his .skill and judgment with the utmost care and 66 T 3. ^ I'toff ■loi.vf 'X. •I K (:' is carried over the more substantial and better looking the rail that can bo formed, [)r()vide(l it does not become nnsi^htly by its prepoudcrathij^' length of l)alusters in the angle. To ascertain the length of balusters, and gnide the workman in his decision on the pitch of i-ail over the winders, it is sipiared over from point d at " Joint •_'," where the " Pitch line of Kail " cuts the " Spring line of Itail," to s[)rhig line at c, and a line drawn from point «» parallel to pitch lino down to line of string will give the extra length of bulnsters re(|uired to iill u|) the angle by measuring jdnnib up from line of strhig to the angle line. Fic 4 is the staving and connect' g ;.)f ((uarter cvlinder with the floor string. t I («» MECHANICAL STAIK-BUILDEJi. Plate 18. Thls platen gives the tiingeiits and linos of rail transfeiTcd from Date 17 on a scale of H inches to a foot. The pitch line being straight across T '2 ' antl T 1 nial'ces hoth bevels the same ; yon will notice at " Joint '2," on the face monUl, tluit tliere is a space marked '• Over-wood," and it is the same at the Joint on the face mould at floor line. This is imavoidable on account of the abrn])t landing on tlie floor with winders. In Avorhiiig around the cylinder the utmost care and diligence is rerpiired to get this rail correct ; the pitch lines must be laid oil, and the thickness of rail .spaced off i)arallel to pitdrlines, and at the point where tlie rise and Hoor lines intersect, line nuist be sipiared off from each pitch to get the bevel and the amount of " Over-wood " reijuirod to nrake the joint, and the space given at o will ha>(' to 1)e guage(l off the ends at the imdersidc of the rail ; the plank should 1)o thick enough at the Joint to allow a .small easing on the imderside of rail, and then a vorv fine wreath can be formed. 70 knii;' !• I PLATK 20. ■^ /^» .r ' . /fi '" i /.9 .» V 1. a ) ■f \ i :t •J i 1 1 MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 20. Platk 20 is a stair with a ten inch cyhnder, a ([uarter space phitfonn, and (luaiter space winders. On the Hne of phitforni the tangents are unfolded, and the steps and platform are between the two lirics of string. From the line of platform five heights of rise are spaced off up to line of step 17, and the pitchljoard is ai)i)lied on this line at t* for the pitch of upper string. The pitchljoard is ai)plied at the line of platfonu, with steps 10 and 11 for the pitch of lower .string, and the line drawn down the face of winders intersects the upper and lower string. To get the line of rail, the pitchljoard is applied on line 17 to spring of rail, and drawn across T 1 ; and on line of platform to sj)r'"<«' of rail across T 1 from the point i dowTi the plate, and a line drawn from these points across "Z and 3 completes the line of rail round the cylinder. 77 ■ft MECHANICAL STAIR BUILDER. Plate 21. On this plate the rail line from Plate 20 in transferred. On line A, Plate 21, the height b a is taken from the line of rail on Plate 20, and the semi-circle from a to C is drawn for the purpose of getting the bevel at " Joint 1 " and the width of " Face Mould Leaf as usual, and cd is squared from line A, the line f is sfjuared from pitch line i (I, and the curve is drawn to g ; the line g h is the bevel for " Joint 2," the line g c is the bevel for " Joint 1 " and the width of " P'ace Mould Leaf ;" the distance f i gives the tangent line, f i again gives the spring, and 1 d the " Conjugate Axis." 78 ■r '« PLATE .>Z Scale 11 to a Foot Zr/ff i^'Moor ffai/ t/f' ffaor 'S'ffin^ Bo//round line of rail and the ([uarter circles f'o and d C , apply the pitch! )oard to the horizontal line, and draw the lines from I* to li and from <1 tO }f ; the line from li to i j>ives the bevel at " Joint 1," and the curve line from k to j ^ives the bevel at " Joint 2," and tlu; width of " Face Mould Leaf." Set one foot of the compass at i and strike the curve from li to iii ; keep the foot of the compass at ill and strike the curve from i to ii, draw the line from b to I and the distance from j to I ia the radius to get " Joint 1 ;" set one foot of the compass at i, and with this radius strike the curve to n and where the two curves intersect at ii is the point for the Joint line to be drawn through from m. The " Face Moidd Leaf," with spring and tangent lines, and " C'onjugate Axis," are laid oft as usual, and the Hues are complete. It would be useless for us to make any remarks or offer any suggestions on the style and form of newel post, as the design is generally furnished by the architect, and there is perhaps nothing in the building of a house in which a greater diversity of taste is displayed than in the construction of the newel post. 90 • r J * « „ -^ ■ . T^yac.-' I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ ,^\<^ LL 1.25 ■^ 1^ |2.2 Ui ■ iO il 2.0 14 IIIIII.6 fV X r<\^ :\ \ ;\ o y PLATE 23. Scale li te a Tooi ^vT- JJl.Gill. MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDEK. Plate 26. Plate 28 is a segment with five Avinder steps. Draw the centre line i ill and the horizontal line f i, apply the pitchboard and get the line T 1 through the centre of newel post the line a is squared from this line, li e is squared through the point a for width of tangent, the quarter circles from e to f and from € to «1 give the points for the winder pitchlioard to be applied to get the pitch of rail over winders and the spring line and " Conjugate Axis " at X and o ; the length from a to k is the radius to get " Joint 1 " by applying it at i and striking the curve to II, set the compass at i and strike the curve from li to in ; with in for centre, strike from i to n, for " Joint 1," as in Plate 24. 93 m MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 26. On this plate are laid clown the lines for a rail with the rise to and from platform cut into the cylinder and very near the centre of rail. The rail line is broken for the purj)ose of getting the bevel without confusion. The ground plan of rail with rise and spring lines being laid oft", " Joint 2 " is located near the rise from platform by s; JlJ.Vi ■V -/ < ■ / 7 J •• '. PluVTE Z t . Scale It H;o a Toot JJlfriU . -J ^— —Pi 1 MECHANICAL STA IK-BUILDER. Plate 27. PlvVte 27 j^ivos the face mould lines for Plato 26. Draw the line 1 S, sfiuare the lino from 1, take the len<^th of pitch lino across T 1 on Plate 26 and apply it from 1 to S on Plato 27 ; take the distiince from III to ii on Plate 26 and apply it from I to S, on Plate 27, for width of " Face Mould Loaf ;" apply the space o from^ Plate 2($ to Plato 27 for sprin<^ lino, and the space X for "Conjuj^ato Axis." You will notice that space X is placed differently in this problem, on account of two-thirds of the \vi*oath boin^' in ono piece, ami where the sprinj^ lino and " Conju(^ tlie pitch of the roof furnished by the architect, with the fraininj^ scpiare appUiMl to the pitch, and a strip of wood one inch and a half or two inches in thickness attached to the s(|uare as a fence, to be applied to the top ed«,'e of rafter ; the strip is fastened to the s(piare by runniii<; a saw-kerf down the centre for a few inches at each end, the scjuare is inserted in each end of the strip, with a screw outside each end of the shnnb cut at one end, and the foot cut at the other. When the rafter foot is marked, ])lace the end of the long blade of the s(|iiare to the wall line, as in i)late, and mark across the rafter at the outside ot the shoi-t blade, and the.se mai'ks on the rafter j)itch will correspond with two feet on tlie level plan ; .slide the ,s(piare u}) the rafter and place the end of the long blade to the mark last made, and mark outside the short lilade as l)efore ; repeat the application until nine feet are measured ott", and then the lenj^th of the rafter is correct ; remember to mark otf one-half the thickness of riy measuring the level plan and adjusting the s([uare to its pitch, or by adding five inches to every foot on the length of the conunon rafter. Ill ■«■?. >IECHANICAL STAIR-UUILDEK. Plate 32. Plate 32 is a continuation of Plate 31. Fig. 1 is a rafter pattern laid off, shoAving pluml) and foot cuts, with pattern two feet long attached and adjusted to the pitch, and inches laid off on the square line and carried .up to the pitch line of pattern. When there are different lengths of rafters to be laiil off" it is nuich better to have a pattern of this description and then inches can be measured on the pitch line with the same facility as with an ordinary rule on the level line. At the top end of rafter Fig. 1 five inches are squared off" from the i)lumb cut, and a line drawn from this point to the length of one foot down the rafter gives the plumb cut of the hip rafter. Fig. 2 shows the method of getting the bevel of cripple cuts of common rafters to fit to the hip. Draw a square line acro.ss the toj) edge of the rafter t* «l, and at inmil d draw the plumb cut down the side face of the rafter d e, and from this line draw the thickness of rafter ^ f parallel, set your bevel to the points <* Jf, and this is the bevel cut to suit the hii). It must be ajjparent to the reader at once how much more convenient it is to cut rafters in this way, with ease and comfort to himself and profit to his employer, where he can have hi.s tools and appliances beside him ; and when the rafters are all cut there is nothing to do but ju.st pass them up to the roof and space their distances on the wail jilates, the same as in plan, and they will find their own places on the hijis. There is iw conqwrison so far as saving of time and labor is concerned, between this uiethod and that of getting the roofing timbers on the building just as they come from the mill, measuring and fitting each piece to its place, as is so connmmly done at the present day. Figs. 3 and *t are braces laid ott to traming timbers. 112 rr^' J^n loy.o 04 f /^y •I J H H Pi /. h (*- I OIO! :l::^ 'rr^ =^t_-jf 031 ^±! U 1 ui It OO J IS V 13 «? II P3 G4 ■'^^ Ji^ S ?prt«>y I I jt o •Ir-W \ . TLATE a ^ . JRCJl MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. i?^' 4 Plate 34. • This Plate shows the mouldings mitred round a coniiee bracket, and a mitre box with plumb cuts in it. The author's reason for inserting these mitre cuts is the fact that in his extensive travels he has met with gi'eat numbers of men in everj' locality, accounting themselves good workmen, yet having no idea of getting these bevel cuts ; if he can imi^art this knowledge to his fellow workmen who are lacking in this particular, he is willing to run the risk of being thought tedious by those more advanced. The mitre l)ox being aheady made, draw the line C b square across the box, apply the pitch of the roof to the top edge of the box ; draw the phun cut b a down the side ; a line drawn square fi'om the plumb cut, \\itli the width of the box spaced on it, and a line drawn through the point jiarallel to b a, and squared across the box to e, gives the points for the cuts. cbn 119 IW MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 35. Fig. 1 gives a method for clraAving angle sash bars. Fig. 2 i.s a rail and newel cap drawn to half size, with bevel set to the mitre. This figure is supposed to be a two or three inch plank dressed on the face with the size of rail and newel cap drawn out in full for the piirpose of cutting the cap to fit the mitre of the rail ; a centie line is drawn down the rail anil across the cap, a saw-kerf is run through the plank outside each line of rail ; a hole is bored through the plank at the centre of the cap, fcjr the purpose of screwing the cap to the plank ; the cap being adjustetl to the plank, mark the mdth of rail on cap and turn the right hand mark to the first saw cut and saw it very near to the centre line, then turn the left hand mark to the right hand saw-cut and saw it to the centre, and the cap is ready for the rail to be inserted. This method saves a great amount of marking, and if the kerfs are cut true to the outside lines of rail the cap must be cut correct. it 120 I — TT^TE .35 if 5 E r 1. ofJi^irl. jR.tai. PLATE 36. Top ofKUrHftt JoMt ^ §> N rFi I r rtrllifr- F/oof TJl.<;^iTl U MECHANICAL STAIR BUILDER. Plate 36. The author, with a desire to roar the youii' .s .•v^ .l"-K :--i I 1 Kooni fill' Jirt/ Iff ■> i'ilFf^f • Cj y^. Plate 39 is an illustration of tangent blocks, and there isi not a move important plate in the liook. These blocks give the best demonstration of this system of hand-railing, and if a person Avill make himself thoronghlj' conversant with them he will greatly facilitate his knowl- edge of the art. Fit;. 1 is the ground plan of two tangents enclosing the centre line of rail round the cylinder. The side T 1 is first approached on going up-stivirs to platform, and the pitch of the stair must be ai)plied to it, and the pitch across the cylinder on platforni nuist ho diawn across T 2 and T ;l, and the pitch up the stair from platform must be applied on T 4 ; the line marked " Centre " is the joint of the two blocks, and is mai'ked A all through the prol)lems. When the block marked T 1 and T 2 is cut to the pitch it will have the appearance of Fk!. 4. Block T :> and T t when cut will have the appearance of Fio. ~>. The blocks being cut to the inclined l)lane of the stair v.'ith the two-sides marked centre joined together ; the out.sides T 1, T 2, T d and T 4, where they tf)ach the semi-circle, give the centre line of rail on the inclined plane, just the same as in the ground plan, and they arc the lines from which the joints must bo squared, as in Fig. 3. The lines T 2 and " Spring " in this figure jipjiear to be on the rake, still they are square linos on the inclined plane. This ruh.^ applies to any pitch of stair, be it platform or winder ; the height from spring to spring of cylinder must always give the pitch across the tangoiits when im- folded. The pitch across T 2 gives the bevel at "Joint 2" by sipiaring across the side of block marked T 2 and a})})ly!ng the srpiare on the pitch of the stair to the angle formed by lino b. J)raw the line ii", .set one foot of the compass in the angle and strike the curve from *^ to 1 ; a line drawn from i to b gives the bevel at " Joint 2 ;" a line drawn from E to h gives the bevel at "Joint 1 " and the width of " Face ISIould Leaf." In this plate the bevels arc the «ame, but it is not so in every stair, as it depends entirely on the pitch around the cylinder. Too mu'di attention cannot be given to this jilate, for these blocks arc the governing principle of getting out the v.Tcath around the cylinder. .(;^iLlL MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 40. Plate 40, coming in this part of the book needs very httlo to be said respecting it, the problem is a very simple one and should have been placed in the beginning of the book. It is a straight flight of stairs to floor landing with the " Face of Rise to Floor " very nearly in a line with the " Centre of Rail." On T 1 the spring lino 'of string is squared up to the top line of string, with the space of half a rise squared from d to c, and at the point e the line of rail is drawn parallel to line of string. On T 4 the rail line is spaced half a rise from floor ; a lino from the two points of string across T 2 and T 3 gives the line of rail round the cylinder. The lines of rail and tangents are carried up the plate to avoid mixing or confusing them in getting the bevels, width of rail, and "Face Mould Leaf." The half wreath on the floor landing is so near level that it may be drawn with a compass. Figs. 4 and 0, at the top of the plate, give methods for laying- down square lines with points of a common rule extended to 17 inches, and with six, eight and ten feet spaces. ■»!? 134 PLATE 10 r6. f C/t/t/A- Li/K' ,/ -/\ X\i) •" is S(|uared iq) the plate. From line T 2 the line is squared from a, the centre from Avhich the ground plan of rail is drawn to " Face of llise," and Avhere this line intersects the centre line of rail the line 1 is drawn parallel to j^. The pitchboard is applied on line C, and the pitch lino drawn u[) to »' ; the tangent is spaced off' to (I and the line drawn up to h, the pitchboard is applied at g, and the pitch line continued to line Ii d. The line from l) to j gives the bevel at joints and width of " Face INIould Leaf," with the distances for spring line and " Conjugate Axis," from v/hich point the tangent line is draAvn, the di.stance from t to j gives the width of rail. 140 PLATE 1.2. JJi iiiii . H 4, * PLATi: t:^ -J— r.H «iin MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDER. Plate 43. \ / / Plate 43 is a stair with a quarter space platform, constructed for a b.iild- ing wheie the walls form an acute angle. The lines T 1 and T 2 are paiallel to the walls ; the spring line is squared from T 2 at j cent.e of rlil an.l -entre line A is square.1 from O, where the spring lines intersect I^n.m the }.oint where sjuing ami raillines meet a line is drawn up to v parallel to line i, from centre of rail ; apply the pitchboard on base line (' on which tangents are unfolded, and draw the pitch line across T 1 and T 2 from d to c ; un the .lotted ba.se line d h the width of tangent is .spaced off from centre line A from h to i ; the disUmce from h to p i.s spaced from i to in ; the lines m | ,md i f are .s,p,ared up the i)late. The pitch- board is api.lied to the pointy, an.l where the pitch line intersects ml gives the cant from plumb fr..m 1 1.) h at " Joiut 1." The line "Ri.se to Plat- form" is .Irawn acr.Kss the plate an.l the width .)f " Face Mould Leaf" with the .spaces for .spring an.l ' Tonjugate Axis " are found in the usual wav The hue for " Face Moul.l L.-af." Fr.;. :}, i.s .squared from a, Fig 1 • the space from li to p, F.<;. 2, is .space.1 fr.,m a, Fiu. 1, for centre for Fi« 3 from which the spring line and " Conjugate Axis ' radiate. Fio. 1 -nves the width of face uduI.I. ^ in 145 ■t'. MECHANICAL STAIR-BUILDEK. Conclusion. Havim; now completed tlu; exi)lancitioii,s to the pi'ohloms weask the reader, Is "Thk Mkchanical STAiK-Bi:iiJ)Ku" what it profesxes to be ? does it really impart a praittieal kiunvledme of stair buildini;- by a process oi" mechanical a])plicatioiis, witliout com])ellin<4 tlie woi'knian to acquire an (elementary knowledi^'e of <;eonutry I We believe that it does, and that any workman exei'cisiny the same skill and care that is re([nired to make a <;ood sash or panel door, if he takes the problems laid down in this book for his guide, will be able to coustiuct any kind of stair without meeting obstacles t«)0 dilticnlt to be overcome. There is no job of work, however simjtle it may l»e, but r(M|uii"es care in some part oi* other, or the work can- in it 1k' depended upon, whetlier it come together right or not. It is an old .saying that want of care olten does more damage than want of knowl- edge, and if this l>e true we sluadd guard against i-areles.ssness with all the powers at our conuiiand. It has been th(; object of the .luthor, in glutting out the drawings cnntaincMl :u this book, to give the simplest and fullest infoi'ination possibK', but car( he cannot give, that must be fuinished and brought to the worlv by the uu>cii.iuic. Theie is no part of stair-building where more care is recjuircd than in drawing the lines foi- the bevels and joints correctly, for they give the posi*^'on, iucliui'tion, and direction of the rail, and if the joints nvv not s paste-board sections are turned up in j)osUion if the cylinder sj)ace is tilled in with two tangent blocks cut to tlu; pitch and cant of the rail, with .s(|uari! lines drawn across their inclined planes, as directed in the ex|)lanations to tangent block plate, the knowl- edge a<-quired in this way will ani])ly re^ai'd for the ti'onble it occasions. The author is (juite confifhiut that there is no othei- book on hind -railing published at the present time, so reliable as an in.structor and .so easy to be 147 MECJHANICAL STAIlMiUILDEU. uiHlerst(M»einut him to fill his place at the bench any longer. Notwith- standing any little defects which maybe found in the book, if the mechanic will bi' particular in marking the .spring, tangent, slide and joint lines (ni his face mould and on the })lanks, being careful to apply his bevels and pitch of rails with rail patterns correctly, there is no doubt but he will .succeed in foiining a good .substantial and ornamental rail. That ' The Mkchanicai. STAiK-liDiLDEK " may be apjueciated by the members of the trade, and that in return it may abundantly reward them for their outlay, in cniabling them to become good competent stair-builders is the ardent wish of the writer, RicuAiU) Plant. UP