Ah!, I see... so the rafters placed the spreading force on the top plate, the post extended above the tie-beam too far, and the weak link was the tie-beam connection at the post...
Did I get it right?

Hello evryone

I am not up to it tonight but I will be posting some of the highlights from the document for everyone to enjoy so just tune in for further discussion. It would be good to know just what part of the information contained would be a starting point.

NH

Hi everyone looking in, As promised--- here is a few tidbits of information from this 130 yr old construction document drew up for the direction of work to be carried out in the construction of a one room school in Williamsburg Township --Ontario Canada.
This document is dated March the 6th 1877.

item#1

The building is to be 22 by 30 feet clear inside, plus a porch 18 feet long and 5 feet wide with hip corners on the roof, 2 doors in front of the main doors, with 1 window between the doors. (I suspect a boys and girls separate entrance.)


Item #2:

The timeframe for the construction completion is for Aug 1st 1877, (I suspect in time for the fall classes to begin.)

If the work began by the end of March it only gives the constructor approx. 120 days to complete the work.

For discussion

I realize that at this point not much information has been given out but as a contractor would you be willing to put a bid in yet and if not here is a little more info:

Item #3.

there is no basement but hand dug walls are the order "20 inches wide and 1.5 feet deep on the lowest corner, walls to be of good field stone, laid with a good lime and sand mortar, and the wall is to be 36" high,"

Item #4>

Wall Drains to be as follows: "of good sound cedar, tube to be not less than 6" square, covering top and bottom to be not less than 2" thick of good hemlock"

DISCUSSION:

Could someone comment on just what they want, a square tube of cedar again covered with hemlock?

(One more item tonight)

ITEM #5

Painting outside: "Painting 2 coats of paint and good paint oil, Cornice 2 coats of white lead and best of oil, Roof to be tarred with good coal tar."

DISCUSSION

( I suspect that they want the shingles tarred, but I am not sure).
Tarring shingles is not something that I have seen but it maybe was done to prolong the life of the wood shingles, anyone got any ideas?


NH

With the right size crew, 120 should be right on schedule, but not with my crew. I would be off by my typical 2 months.

#4 sch.40 PVC and crushed rock? I understand the cedar pipe, maybe the Hemlock is a extra layer to help direct water to the pipe? Filter matt? Is it hemlock bark? I wonder what is left underground? Am I in the wrong ball park in assuming this is a drainage system.

#5 I will have to google coal tar. That doesn't sound like a fire retardant either. Tim

Hi Timbeal:

Thanks for the feed back, and comments on my first post.

Item #4:

The wood pipe is for drainage around the stone walls, I sort of believe that what they want is for the square cedar pipe to be sitting on, and covered over by 2 inch hemlock planks. These wooden pipes will last a very long time underground as long as the air is excluded from the wood.

This is typical historical construction directions, they usually leave out some important details, just taking for granted that you know or are familiar with small details.

Item #5:

Coal tar is very flammable but then again cedar shingles are also, as I mentioned above I believe that the coating was meant to prolong the roofs life, but then we will wait for further comments

NH

Hi everyone:

Here is another entry that is sort of a brain twister:

"RAFTERS TO BE RAISED 20 INCHES ABOVE THE THIRD"

This phrase is up for discussion, please jump in and let me know how you would cut these rafters using this information,--I have an idea myself but for the time being I am going to let you guys and gals give me some feed back before we proceed to another item.

Thanks in advance

NH

Hi Hewer, my guess on the roof is that the builder was instructed to increase the rise 20 inches above 1/3 pitch. So using 22 feet as building width one third is 7'4" rise plus 20" inches yields 9 feet rise, so slope is 9/11. Pitch in archaic carpenter speak is total rise over building width.

Hi Roger:

Bingo--nicely put

The only thing that I could add to your fine explanation is that your comment of the slope being 9\11.

If you were using the square to layout the cuts bottom and top of the rafter you would use 9.81 (plus a little bit more) inches in 12 to arrive at the 108 inches rise in 11 feet of run.

Thanks again for the quick response.

You would wonder how or why they asked for this particular roof slope, rather than one that would have been an even number say 10 inches rise in 1 foot of run, it would have only raised the peak approx 2 additional inches.

NH

At this point I am going to throw out a question on what you might think your work would have been worth if you were the constructor in 1877. Now mind you all the requisites of finishing would have to be done including the windows, doors, hardware, chimney, benches, blackboards, flooring, materials of all kinds including paint, planks, timber, spikes, glass, brick, plastering, table, shelving, etc.

So what do you all think, just take a stab at it don't be shy, and we will see how close we can come to he figure quoted.

NH

$857.29 Tim