Biddle's Young Carpenter's Assistant

by Owen Biddle

Overview

Philadelphia-based builder Owen Biddle was a major influence on later architects, thanks to this well-illustrated and much studied guide. One of the very first manuals of American architecture, this essential sourcebook offers authentic views of interior and exterior designs of buildings erected in the decades following the American Revolution.
Reproduced from a rare 1805 edition, this handsome volume features 135 drawings. Its text and illustrated details depict typical building materials, styles, architectural ornamentation, and interior designs. A fascinating look at how public structures and private homes were designed, contracted, built, and embellished during the Federal period, this work is an essential reference for students, professionals, and all aficionados of architectural history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486147673
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	02/13/2013
Series:	Dover Architecture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	9 MB

Read an Excerpt

BIDDLE'S YOUNG CARPENTER'S ASSISTANT

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By Owen Biddle

Dover Publications, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Bryan Clark Green
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-14767-3

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CHAPTER 1

THE YOUNG CARPENTER'S ASSISTANT.

As this work is intended for the student in Architecture it seems requisite to give some directions respecting the necessary instruments for drawing, &c.

Fig. A. Plate 1 is a representation of a draught-board, to which the paper used in drawing is to be fixed. This board is composed of a frame of mahogany or other hard wood (the outside edges of which should be exactly straight and square) with a pannel about half the thickness of the frame, to be let in from the back, and to lie in a rabbit in the frame, there to be secured by small wooden buttons. Fig. B is a section of the board, a and b are the buttons by which the pannel is kept in its place; eight or ten of these may be necessary. The pannel should be clamped, to remedy any disadvantage attending the shrinking of the wood. It would not be amiss before making the draught board to ascertain the size of the paper to be used, and make the pannel about 2 inches less each way than the sheet. In applying this board to use, lay the paper on a table, and moisten one side of it with a wet sponge, place the board upside down near it, take out the pannel and lay it on the paper, one inch of which will extend beyond the pannel all round, take hold by the edges of the paper and lift them both into the frame, fasten the buttons and dry the paper by the fire, when it will be smooth as a drum head.

Fig. C is the T square, the blade of which should be long enough to reach nearly across the draft board, and should not exceed three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. Similar in form to this a bevel may be made, with the blade moveable on a centre in the stock. The application of these in drawing parallel lines on the draft board is so obvious that I need not describe it.

In choosing a case of mathematical instruments, attention should be paid to its containing the scales of equal parts on the thin ivory or box rule, as in drawing the four Orders of Architecture, they are all proportioned by such a scale; which indeed is the case with almost all Architecture drawings, and with a little attention the student will generally be able to find a scale ready made with greater accuracy than he would be able to make one himself. The case should also contain a bow-pen or compass, a useful instrument for drawing very small circles. With these, a small piece of gum elastic for rubbing out black lead lines, a stick of Indian ink, two camel's hair pencils, one large, the other small, and a black lead pencil will constitute the instruments necessary in learning Architectural drawing. It may be proper to observe that no kind of ink should be used except Indian Ink; for drawing lines this should be dissolved some time before it is to be used, but for shading it is best to drop a little water on a plate or saucer, and rub the stick of ink in it till it is of a proper shade.

I shall now proceed to explain some of the most useful geometrical problems, which every Carpenter ought to be acquainted with.

To raise a perpendicular or plumb line from a given point on a straight line:—

Let a b fig. E be the line, and c the point given, from which the perpendicular is to be drawn: take any space with the compasses at random, as c b; with that space set off c a and c b; then place one foot of the compasses in a, and extend the other beyond c, and describe a small part of a circle, as at d; then with the same extent of compasses place one foot in b, and make a part of a circle to cross the other at d; through the intersection of these circles a line drawn to e will be perpendicular or plumb.

From any given point over a right line to let fall a line which will be perpendicular to that right line:—

Let c fig. F be the point given; and a b the right line, with one foot of the compasses in c extend the other foot so as to describe the arc or part of a circle a b; place one foot of the compasses at the intersection of this arc with the right line at b, and extend them so as to describe a small arc at d; with the same extent of the compasses place one foot in the intersection at a and cross the arc at d; draw a line from c through the intersection of the arc at d, and it will be perpendicular to the right line at b.

On the end of a right line to draw a line which will be perpendicular or at right angles with that right line:—

Let a b fig. G be the right line; at some point over this line, as at d, place one foot of the compasses and extend the other to the end of the line at b, and describe the circle at a b c through the intersection at a and the center at d, draw the line a d c, from c draw the line c b which will be perpendicular to the line a b.

To describe a square whose sides shall all be equal to a given right line:—

Let a b fig. H be the line given; with one foot of the compasses on a describe the arc f c b; then with one foot in b describe a c e, divide the space c b into two parts at d; with the extent c d in the compasses set off c f and c e; connect a f, f e and e b and the square will be complete.

To lay off a square with a ten foot rod:—

Let a b fig. I be the given line; with eight feet of the rod from b make a mark at a, with six feet from b describe an arc at c; and with ten feet from a cross the arc at c; draw the line from the intersection at c to b and it will be square with the line a b.

Three points (not in a right line) or a small part of a circle being given to find a center which will describe a circle to pass through the point or complete the circle:—

Let a b c fig. K be the three points or part of a circle given; to find the center of which, place the foot of the compasses in a and describe an arc at d and c, with the same extent place one foot of the compasses in b, and cross the arcs of d and c; and at the same time describe arcs at e and f, then with the same extent of the compasses and one foot in c cross the arc at e and f, draw lines through the intersections of the arcs at d and c to g; and through the intersections e and f to g; the intersection of these lines at g is the center by which a circle may be drawn to pass through the points a b c.

To describe an Ellipsis mathematically to any given length and breadth:—

Let A C fig. A Plate 2 be the transverse, and B D the conjugate diameters; take half of B D and set it in from C to o; divide what remains from o to 3 into three equal parts; set one of these parts from o to a; make the distance from 3 to b equal to the distance from 3 to a, with the extent a b in the compasses describe the arcs d b c and d a c; these four points are the center by which the Ellipsis is drawn and the dotted lines passing through them and touching the Ellipsis mark how much of it is drawn by each center.

To describe an Ellipsis with a trammel:—

A B C D fig. B represents the trammel, being two strips crossing each other at right angles and halved together. In the middle of these strips is a grove; a d is the trammel rod on which are blocks made moveable like gauge heads, with a pin to each small enough to slide along the grove; at d is a pencil; fix the block or pin c so far from d as to be equal to half the conjugate diameter, and the block or pin b so far from d as to be equal to half the transverse diameter, place the pins in the grove of the trammel and on sliding them along the pencil at d will describe an Ellipsis.

An Ellipsis is being given to find the center and two axises thereof:—

Let A B C D fig. C be the Ellipsis; draw a line at random, as a b, through another part of the Ellipsis draw d e parallel to a b; through the middle of each of these draw e f, on the middle of which is the center of the Ellipsis, on which with an extent of the compasses of less than half the transverse and more than half the conjugate diameters, describe the circle intersecting the Ellipses in g b i and k; through the middle of g b and of i k draw the line A C which is the transverse diameter; bisect or divide this at right angles and it will give the conjugate diameter.

To describe a regular Polygon of any number of sides the length of one side being given:—

Let a b fig. D be the side given; on one end as b with any convenient radius or extent of compasses describe a semicircle; divide the round of this into as many parts as the polygon is to have sides, leave out two of these parts and with the length a b in the compasses set off from b to c, then from c to d then d to e when this is done place the compasses on a set off a f, then f g, connect g and e, and the Polygon is completed.

PLATE 3

To describe an Octagon within a square, fig. 1:—

Draw the diagonal a b, and with the extent b d draw the arc c d e, then will e f be the quantity to lay off from each corner of the square, or if it is a piece of wood, to set the gauge for the quantity to be taken off from each corner.

To describe a segment of a circle of large radius with a trammel, fig. 2:—

Let a b be the chord, and d c the height of the segment; lay a strip with a straight edge from b to c, and then another from c to e parallel to a b, fasten them together and brace them with a lath, fix pins in the points a c and b, and slide the frame or trammel along these pins, and the angle of it will describe the segment required.

To draw a segment of a circle by intersecting lines, fig. 3:—

Let a b be the length or chord of the segment, and c d the height; draw the chord line d b, at right angles to which draw b e; through d and parallel to a b, draw f d e; divide f e and a b into any even number of parts, say 10, connect those divisions by the line 1 1, 2 2, 3 3, &c.; draw b b perpendicular to a b, and divide it into 5 parts; from the center d draw lines to these divisions, and where these lines cross the lines 1 1, 2 2, 3 3, &c., are the points through which to trace the segment.

To draw the arches of a groin, so that they shall intersect or mitre truly together, over a straight line, from a given arch of any form, fig. 4:—

A is the plan to be covered, B the arch of one side, which is here a semicircle, draw the chord line a b, which divide into any number of parts; from the centre draw lines through those parts, touching the arch, draw b c perpendicular to the base line, and from the crown of the arch at a, draw lines through the points of intersection of the former lines with the arch line, to the perpendicular line b c; lay off the width of one of the other arches as b c at C being the width of one end of the plan A, set up the height of the middle of the arch the same as B, draw the two chord lines a b and a c, divide them into the same number of parts as a b in B, transfer the perpendicular line b c from B to C, draw lines from the middle of the base through the divisions on the chord line, and from the top of the arch to the divisions on the perpendicular line, through the intersection of these lines the arch line required may be traced: D is the form of the groin or diagonal bracket traced in the same manner. This method may be applied to arches of any form, whether Elliptical, Circular or Gothick.

To divide a right line into any number of equal parts, fig. 5:—

Let A B be the right line given, to be divided into eight parts; from one end of it as at A, draw a line making an acute angle, as the line A a, from the other end of the line at B, draw another line parallel to A a, as B b, set off on these two lines, beginning at A and B, the number of divisions required, without regard to their turning out to the length of the line, as 1, 2, 3, 4, &c connect these by the lines 1 7, 2 6, &c. and where these lines cross the line A B is the point of division required.

PLATE 4

REPRESENTS A FEW MOULDINGS,

The centers for drawing which, being all represented, are perhaps sufficiently clear.

The Consol or Key should be in height equal to twice its width at bottom.

The Vase and Baluster are to show the manner of drawing compound circular lines, the meeting of the dotted lines showing the center. The student will observe, that when it is required to draw two or more circular lines of different radii, which are to appear smooth round, the two centers and the place of meeting of the different circles, should always be in a right line.

PLATE 5

Fig. A shows the method of enlarging a draft of a cornice; let the line a b be the height to which it is required to enlarge the cornice. Wherever this line crosses the different members of the draft mark it, and these marks will give the height of the different members of the enlarged cornice. To find the projection, enlarged in proportion: from the point c directly over the front of the wall draw the line c d at right angles or square with the line a b, on this line square over the projection of the different members of the draft, and that will give the projection required.

Fig. B is the method of contracting a draft. Let a b be equal to the height of the cornice required, from b draw the line b c, and where that crosses the different members of the draft, draw lines perpendicular to cross a b, which will be the height proportioned. To find the projection, contracted in proportion: from c draw the line c d at right angles or square with b c, then draw down the projection of the draught on this line, and from this line carry them square out to the line d e, which will be the projection contracted in proportion to a b. These two cornices with figures C and D, may serve as examples for the student to apply to frontispieces, &c. and the other three E, F and G are examples of Stucco cornice in the present fashion, of which G may serve where the story is low, and but little room over the window.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from BIDDLE'S YOUNG CARPENTER'S ASSISTANT by Owen Biddle. Copyright © 2006 Bryan Clark Green. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Page,
INTRODUCTION TO THE DOVER EDITION,
PREFACE,
THE YOUNG CARPENTER'S ASSISTANT.,
A DICTIONARY OF TERMS USED IN ARCHITECTURE.,