Here is neat little rig that will give you a perfect offset every time. I know some guys use these "offset pricks" regularly. I picked up mine at Cressing during the Frame conference from "The Windy Smithy". What I really like is that it also leaves a nice round indent to show where the hole would be without the offset which I find eliminates the dreaded push-bore mistake.

Nice jig Ray.

I remember reading somewhere in one of these peg threads, I think it was Joel McCarty, who said these can be made of wood w/ a snipped off brad for a pointer.

I'd want to have some sort of indexer on the hammer end-- maybe a cross-hairs to aid in aligning which way the "draw" is going to pull...

(psst, Jim Rogers, looks like a tool you should be offering!! )

It's hard to see but the other end has a flat ground into it that you orient towards the shoulder.

Guild events would be a prime example of the "confidence" issue I mentioned earlier, Jim. Get 30-40 strangers who have never worked together before under one system and I would want to check things out thoroughly before a very public (usually) raising where we want to keep delays to minimum. So pre-fit might be standard for Guild events, but not for the industry as a whole.

Not everyone draw bores, as there are costs (time) and risks (relish blow-out) as well as rewards. The old timers did not have ratchet straps and come-alongs.

And not everyone pre-assembles everything. If you are confident in your design and your joinery, then it becomes less necessary, IMO. Of course any problem you find and correct in the shop will save you time and money in the field. That has to be weighed against the time spent test-fitting in the shop. We compromise, and test-fit the tricky stuff in the shop. For example, king trusses with struts always seem to be sensitive to even small inaccuracies in layout and cutting. CB.

Hi Clark,

One of the earliest and simplest devices that can be used to pull and hold a frame together is the Spanish windlas. This is nothing more than a loop of rope and a stick but it can pull tons. This device, in combination with a prop and scotch, was also used to right buildings that had sunk as a result of rotted sills.

Regards

Ken Hume

My limited understanding of a Spanish Windlas (lass? / less?) would not make it at all practical for raising or even pre-assembling a timber frame, much less operating one while balancing on a girt or ladder to pull in a wall or bent. Perhaps historically there would have been use...

I've seen cabled versions in PA barns used to hold the walls together, and seen versions anchored to the ground to keep ag. buildings from tipping over.

Here's an etching I found:



And what is a scotch? I prefer mine with a sliver of ice. A bit smokey with a fiery finish, and just a hint of earthy tones.

Hi Mike,

Your illustration, though interesting, is not of a Spanish windlas in action.

During frame assembly a simple loop of rope is placed around the wall plate and sill and then a stick is inserted in the middle of the loop and the stick is then wound round like a propellor and as it does so the rope tightens and gradually starts to pull the plate and sill together. The stick should be positioned eccentrically such that when left unattended it touches the ground and stops itself from unwinding. Short pieces of plank with rounded edges should be inserted at either end of the loop to protect the top face of the wall plate and underside of the sill to stop the rope from crushing the aris and also to stop the rope from being cut by the aris.

For buildings that are standing but have subsided on one side, a scotch, notch or dap (ref. Truax) can be cut cut into the face of a post on the slumped side towards the top of the post and into this a prop is placed at an angle resting on a slider plank at ground level. A peg is inserted into and through the prop part way up its length. The brick or daub panels in the wall are knocked out and then the rope loop is inserted around the prop and under the peg, passing through the wall and across to the other side of the building where it is then wrapped around the opposite post / side girt connection point. The stick is inserted through the loop and then the operator starts winding the loop till all slack is gone at which point as the rope tightens further the building will begin to right itself. This is sometimes done along the building in multiple places to ensure an even lift. Invariably when one sees scotch marks in the outside upper face of posts the first thing to do is look down and see if the sill is gone and has been underbuilt in brick or stone or alternatively if a new sill has been inserted. I have seen one cottage where the front wall is now 10" shorter than the rear because the front posts have been cut short to get back into good wood, new tenons cut and then a new sill inserted and underbuilt in brick.

I did not mention raising (in contrast with righting) in my previous post, though I see no reason why this could not be achieved provided a tandem lift was employed on either side of a frame that allowed for slackening and swaping the rope loops for shorter ones as the lift progesses. Props should be inserted under the frame to hold the frame in a fixed position whilst change out and wind up proceeds.

I might have some pictures of me using a Spanish windlas somewhere but these would have been taken during the pre digi pic era so don't hold your breath.

Regards

Ken Hume

Thanks Ken.
The image came up for a search and is from a library of historical photos. My understanding of the lass is just as you describe - a loop of rope with a board wound round and wound. Seems you'd have to be pretty smart about it for pulling bents together - you'll be slightly blocked off the deck, maybe the thickness of a 2x, and you will need to place the loop high enough so as not to pull the bottoms of the posts in - as most 'modern' frames are not raised as a unit with a sill, typically dropping into holes or location notches on a conventionally framed floor deck. No doubt that it would work - but you'd have to have a custom length of rope, no? And what type of rope would you need - I read somewhere of synthetics being horrible for this purpose as they store too much energy and will snap back at you.

While I feel this might work, and has worked (certainly seen this in use in boat building and woodworking) I still see it impractical for a timber frame - while you might not pull up a bent with this method - pulling two bents or walls together with this method would be tedious - a come along and straps gives the operator nearly precise control of the pull - allowing splines, tenons, etc. to be fit as things come together.

Fascinating for sure. But here is where I'll side with technology (mechanical advantage and control of the come along) over rope and a stick.

I'd be curious to see those pics. My Googling didn't show much of large scale work - save for that image.

Here's a few more:

Gosh darn it, has anyone seen the come alongs? Yea, on the shop floor, but we do have the bag of rope and some planks.

We have used them for minor clamps during raisings.

It could get you out of a bind. We should all try one, once in a while, it could be one more tool in the bag of tricks. Rope is easily adjustable to any length. I wouldn't be so quick to disregard old technology, otherwise, we would be building with steel posts and beams.

Tim