You know, as I remember back to the actual framing that commenced after the timbers were hewn, some things stand out in my mind that really worked well
First off--laying out measurements accurately--without the use of tape measures--well we used measuring poles of varying lengths--and you know it worked exceptionally well
We used 1.25" square straight grain oak for the body of the poles, slightly chamfered on the edges and sanded just a little, the ends sloped to a sharp square point, over which the blacksmith manufactured metal ends, also that ended with a squared sharp end, so that repetitive use would not shorten the poles--remember you were using scratch awls as marking tools along the ends so some wear would definitely happen if used up against just wood ends
We had poles from 36" long, 6', 8', 10' and 12 feet
Together with a 36" wood Blind man's folding rule, you could come up with just about any measurement, and do it accurately
The 6', 8' and 10' poles were great when the need to check the square position of a post location and its braces, as you worked your way along a timber bent as it was being manufactured--for those that might not understand, each bent of any structure was laid out horizontally on the ground, and the posts and their braces fitted, and everything squared up as you worked along
As each bent was finished it was dismantled, each part marked in such a way that the whole unit could be reassembled quickly on the day of the raising
