iv TABLE OF CONTENTS TO NICHOLSON'S BUILDER'S GUIDE. Joining Materials in various Angles, Mitres, Dove-tailing, &c. Construction of Doors, Shutters, Flaps, Sash-frames, &c. .. Stairs, Staircases, Hand-rails, Face-Mould, Falling-Mould, &c. Story Rod, Pitch-board, and Cylinder, to regulate Stairs PLASTERERS' WORK. General Definition of Tools, their names, uses, &c. Lime, properties of different sorts of Various substances usually mixed with Lime, their qualities, &c. Laths, their names, sizes, mode of use, &c. Various terms explained as to different sorts of Plastering General Explanation of Terms used in Geometry ... . . . Stair-cases, Hand-rails, &c. to face the Title..618-622. Hand-rails; to find the Face-mould, Falling- *The Plate marked above with a star, (Stair cases, Hand-rails, &c.) to be The other Plates to face their respective pages. For further Directions to the Binder, see the end of the Work. vi TO THE READER. THE well-merited celebrity and eminent character of NICHOLSON'S OPERATIVE MECHANIC AND BRITISH MACHINIST, are so fully established, that no commendation need be bestowed on a production which deservedly ranks as the first of all works hitherto published on the Literature of the Useful Arts: but as many divisions of that work, however interesting they may be to the general student, or important and useful to the intelligent Operative in their particular departments, may nevertheless possess only a secondary interest to persons not immediately engaged in those peculiar pursuits, the Proprietor of that work has printed the Section on BUILDING separately from the rest of the work, in order to furnish an invaluable manual to those engaged in the various occupations of that division of practical science, at a very moderate expence. As a clear, concise and easy INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF GEOMETRY AND MENSURATION is highly desirable to all persons engaged in Building, a few pages of APPENDIX are added, with the requisite explanatory Engravings, in order to furnish an interesting source of valuable instruction to the scientific mechanic, and to explain with great ease many useful problems, which will facilitate the comprehending a great number of important calculations and operations, which a long course of practical experience, unassisted by such help, might in vain endeavour to effect. BUILDING. UNDER this general term, which implies the construction of an edifice according to the rules laid down by the different artificers employed, we purpose to treat of the respective business of the Mason, Bricklayer, Carpenter, Joiner, Plasterer, Plumber, Painter, and Glazier; previous to which it will be necessary to consider the sinking of the foundation, the due mixture of the ingredients which compose the mortar, and the art of making bricks; upon the whole of which materially depends the stability of an edifice. As firmness of foundation is indispensable, wherever it is intended to erect a building, the earth must be pierced by an iron bar, or struck with a rammer, and if found to shake, must be bored with a well-sinker's implement, in order to ascertain whether the shake be local or general. If the soil is in general good, the loose and soft parts, if not very deep, must be excavated until the labourers arrive at a solid bed capable of sustaining the pier or piers to be built. If not very loose, it may be made good by ramming into it very large stones, packed close together, and of a breadth proportionate to the intended weight of the building; but where very bad, it must be piled and planked. In places where the soil is loose to any great depth, and over which it is intended to place apertures, such as doors, windows, &c. while the parts on which the piers are to stand are firm, the best plan is to turn an inverted arch under each intended aperture, as then the piers in sinking will carry with them the inverted arch, and by compressing the ground compel it to act against the under sides of the arch, which, if closely jointed, so far from yielding, will, with the abutting piers, operate as one solid body; but, on the contrary, if this expedient of the inverted arch is not adopted, the part of the wall under the aperture, being of less height, and consequently of less weight than the piers, will give way to the resistance of the soil acting on its base, and not only injure the brick-work between the apertures, but fracture the window-heads and cills. In constructing so essential a part as the arch, great attention must be paid to its curvature, and we strongly recommend the parabolic curve to be adopted, as the most effectual for the purpose; but if, in consequence of its depth, this cannot conveniently be introduced, the arch should never be made less than a semi-circle. The bed of the piers should be as uniform as possible, for, though the bottom of the trench be very firm, it will in some degree yield to the great weight that is upon it, and if the soil be softer in one part than in another, that part which is the softest, of course will yield more to the pressure, and cause a fracture. If the solid parts of the trench happen to be under the intended apertures, and the softer parts where piers are wanted, the reverse of the above practice must be resorted to; that is, the piers must be built on the firm parts, and have an arch that is not inverted between them. In performing this, attention must be paid to ascertain whether the pier will cover the arch; for if the middle of the pier rest over the middle of the summit of the arch, the narrower the pier is, the greater should be the curvature of the arch at its apex. When suspended arches are used, the intrados ought to be kept clear of the ground, that the arch may have its due effect. When the ground is in such a state as to require the foundation merely to be rammed, the stones are hammer-dressed, so as to be as little taper as possible, then laid of a breadth proportioned to the weight that is to be rested upon them, and afterwards well rammed together. In general, the lower bed of stones may be allowed to project about a foot from the face of the wall on each side, and on this bed another course may be laid to bring the bed of stones on a level with the top of the trench. The breadth of this upper bed of stones should be four inches less than the lower one; that is, projecting about eight inches on either side of the wall. In all kinds of walling, each joint of every course must fall as nearly as possible in the centre, between two joints of the course immediately below it; for in all the various methods of laying stones or bricks, the principal aim is to procure the greatest lap on each other. MORTAR. In making mortar, particular attention must be paid to the quality of the sand, and if it contain any propor |