Actually, I get why the 1" is left: to "scribe to fit."
And I also understand "wind." I know he's not talking about the breeze. As I take it, the author is talking about twist in a timber (scribe rule usually was employed w/ hewn stock, which could have some twist simply b/c of being shaped by hand.)
When I built furniture, say a kitchen table, we had two "winding sticks" we'd use to stop the table from rocking when it was finished. It's how we'd level the 4 legs. Winding sticks are very straight sticks used when the table is flipped upside down on a work bench.
You place the sticks across the tips of the upturned legs and sight down the two for any perceptible twist. The sticks show if there is any "wind" in the table...they show what legs need to be sanded down a bit, etc. so the table will sit flat on the floor.
