Hi Derek,
Its curious that people read and interpret what has been said by another in different ways.
When I read the Northern Hewers post I new it and felt comfortable with in an instant but on reflection and with the benefit of your question I can see that it would be easy not to have a clue about what was being said depending on your journey along the path of discovery in the world of timber framing. They don't call qualified apprentices "journeymen" for no good reason.
A good start point might be to review "The Framed Houses of Massachussetts Bay" by Abbot Lowell Cummins. This book contains many good illustrations of early Colonial houses and the techniques employed to infill framing and create wall systems. This is a scholarly work.
For a more hands on approach I would suggest reading C. Keith Wilbur's book on "Home Building and Woodworking in Colonial America" which is a very good "how to" type of book.
Most of the early Colonial work practices would have been based on what the folks new and understood from back home in Europe where this type of wall infill systems can still be seen today.
I hope that this helps.
Regards
Ken Hume
