Roger and N. Hewer,
Thank you for your posts. I have been planning a 16th century timber frame for a print shop of that period. I hope to build the frame during a renaissance faire in SE. Wisconsin as part of a historical demonstration. Your description of the story pole and how it is used helps greatly in visualizing the description in Joeseph Moxon's Mechanics Exercises. I am making templates, as you describe, as well as other tools that are nolonger in use. The additional tools mentioned by N.Hewer will round out my tool box nicely. Don't hesitate to post additional historical info.