PART V. ARTIFICERS' WORK. The Artificers whose Works are here to be treated of, are Bricklayers, Masons, Carpenters and Joiners, Slaters and Tilers, Plasterers, Painters, Glaziers, Plumbers, and Pavers. THE contents of the works of all artificers, whether superficial or solid, must be found by the Rules given in the foregoing Problems, for the respective figures. This ought to be particularly attended to in taking the dimen sions. The following Rule, which should be got by heart, is better adapted for Cross Multiplication, than any other I have seen; and as 12 fourths make 1 third, 12 thirds 1 second, 12 seconds 1 inch, and 12 inches 1 foot, these numbers, when not too large, may be more expeditiously turned into the higher denominations by the Pence Table, than by dividing them by 12. RULE. Feet multiplied into feet give feet. Feet multiplied into inches give inches. Feet multiplied into seconds give seconds. Inches multiplied into inches give seconds. Inches multiplied into seconds give thirds. Seconds multiplied into seconds give fourths. The measures chiefly used by Artificers, are contained in the following table: 12 inches 144 square inches 9 square feet 63 square feet 100 square feet 2721 square feet, or 30 square yards H 1 lineal foot. 1 make square yard. 1 square rood. 1 square. 1 square rod, pole, or perch. Note. As the number 2724 is rather troublesome to divide by, it is customary, in practice, to divide by 272, omitting the ; but if this be not thought correct enough, convert the into decimals; or reduce the divisor to the improper frac 1089 4 tion and multiply the content in feet by 4, and divide the product by 1089; and the quotient will be the number of rods sought. Divide the remainder, if any, by 4, and the quotient will be the feet. The rod of 2724 square feet, is the square of 16 feet; but in some places the customary rod is the square of 18 feet; viz. 324 square feet. BRICKLAYERS WORK. Bricklayers generally compute their work by the rod of 2724 square feet, and at the rate of a brick and a half thick; consequently, if a wall be more or less in thickness than this standard, it must be reduced to it, in the following manner: Multiply the superficial content of the wall, in feet, by the number of half bricks which it is in thickness; and of the product will be the content sought. In some places, however, brickwork is measured by the rod of 63 square feet; that is, 21 feet in length, and 3 feet high; and then no regard is paid to the thickness of the wall, in measuring; as the price of the workmanship is regulated according to the thickness. Note 1. In taking the dimensions of a building, measure half round the outside and half round the inside; and the sum of these two will be the true compass of the building. Or, 4 times the thickness of the wall taken from the whole compass, on the outside, or added to the whole compass within, will give the true compass; which multiply by the height, and the product will be the superficial content of the walls; and if the breadth of the building be multiplied by the height of one gableend, you will obtain the content of both the gable-ends. In some places it is customary to take the whole compass, on the outside, in order to make an allowance to the workmen, for the trouble of turning the corners ; but this should not be done for both workmanship and materials, except specified in the agreement; but for workmanship only. If the workmen be allowed so much per yard, lineal measure, for the corners, which is the custom in some places, the true compass of the building ought then to be taken for both workmanship and materials. 2. When the height of a building is unequal, measure a piece round the bottom, so as to make the upper part all of one height; and in doing this, holes must be dug in the ground, to enable you to take your dimensions to the foundation. Several altitudes of the bottom part must be taken; and their sum, divided by their number, may be considered as a mean altitude. 3. In most buildings of two or more stories, the walls decrease in thickness, towards the top; and this diminution generally consists of half a brick, in each story. The thickness is set off on the inside, and commonly in a place where the floor will be laid; a contrivance by which the set-off is concealed. The stories that are of different thicknesses must be measured separately; except by agreement, one price be allowed for the whole, which is not often the case. When the walls of a building are of different thicknesses, the upper rooms are broader than the lower ones; hence a set-off may be discovered, although the walls are plastered and the floors laid. 4. Doors and windows must always be deducted for materials, if there be no stipulation to the contrary; but for workmanship, these deductions are seldom made, except the doors and windows be very numerous, as in workshops, &c.; or larger than the usual size, as in shop-fronts, &c. In these cases the Surveyor must exercise a discretionary judgment; for the windows of buildings vary so much in size and number, that no special Rule can be given. 5. If a chimney stand by itself, without any party wall being joined to it, take the girt, in the middle, for the length, and the height of the story for the breadth but if the chimney-back be a party-wall, and the wall be measured by itself, you must girt the chimney round, to the wall, on each side, for the length; and take the breadth the same as before. When a chimney is wrought upright from the mantel-tree to the ceiling, the thickness of the whole, is generally considered the same as that of the jambs; and no deduction is ever made for the vacancy between the floor and the mantel-tree, because of the gathering of the breast and wings, to make room for the hearth in the next story. Chimney shafts above the roof, are measured by girting them, in the middle, for the length, and taking the height for the breadth. Their thickness is generally accounted half a brick more than it is in reality, in consideration of the plastering and scaffolding. 6. In some places, double measure, for workmanship, is allowed for chimneys, in consequence of their being more troublesome to be made than the other parts of the building; and in others they are done at so much per yard, lineal measure, or at so much per piece. It is also customary, in most places, for bricklayers, to charge so much extra for every arch they turn; and this charge is regulated by the size of the arch. They also make a difference in the price between an inside and an outside arch, charging less for the former than the latter. EXAMPLES. 1. The length of a wall is 86 feet 9 inches, its height 12 feet 6 inches, and its thickness 3 bricks; how many standard rods of brick-work does it contain? 2. In taking the dimensions of a cottage, I find that half the compass, on the outside, is 40 feet, half the compass within 37 feet, the height from the foundation to the eaves 9 feet, the height of the gable-end 5 feet, and its breadth 18 feet; how many rods of brickwork are contained in the building, deducting for a door, which measures 6 feet by 3, and a window whose height is 5, and breadth 4 feet? Ans. 11 roods, 52 feet. 3. The circumference of a circular building at the iron foundry of Messrs. Fenton, Murray, and Wood, in Leeds, is 241 feet, and its height, from the bottom to the eaves, 49 feet 6 inches; how many rods are contained in the wall; deducting for a door whose breadth is 12, and height 14 feet; for 96 windows, each of which measures 6 feet 7 inches by 4 feet; and for 14 windows, whose heights are 9 feet 6 inches, and breadths 5 feet 4 inches? Ans. 135 rods, 19 feet. 4. The true compass of a building, two stories high, is 120 feet 6 inches; the height of the lower story is 10 feet 6 inches, and the thickness of the wall 2 bricks; the height of the upper story is 8 feet 3 inches, and the thickness of the wall 14 brick; the gable-end measures 20 feet in breadth, and 8 feet in height, and is 14 brick thick what did the brick-work cost at 147. 12s. per standard rod; deducting for 6 windows in the lower story, each of which measures 5 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 3 inches, and a door whose height is 6 feet 6 inches, and breadth 3 feet 9 inches, and four windows in the upper story, whose dimensions are 4 feet 9 inches by 4 feet 3 inches? MASONS' WORK. Ans. £136 6s. 9d. All kinds of stone-work belong to Masonry; and the measures generally used are the lineal foot, the square foot, the square yard, the square rod of 63 feet, and the cubic foot. Carved mouldings, &c. are generally measured by the lineal foot; and ornamental work, such as arches, architraves, friezes, cornices, chimney-pieces, &c. by the square foot. Also all tooled or cleansed work is measured by the square foot; viz. door-posts, window-jambs, flags, steps, &c.; but rough flagging is generally measured by the square yard. Walls are sometimes measured by the square yard, and sometimes by the rod of 63 square feet. Columns, pillars, blocks of marble or stone, &c. are measured by the solid foot; and sometimes the contents of walls are found in the same measure. Solid measure is chiefly used for materials, and superficial for workmanship; in some places, however, masons are paid so much per rod, for workmanship and materials, and the price is regulated by the thickness of the wall. Note 1. The dimensions of stone buildings are taken in the same manner as in Bricklayers' Work; and deductions must be made for doors, windows, &c., except the agreement prohibits it. These deductions, however, ought only to be made for materials; as the workmen are fully entitled to receive pay for the whole as walling, in consequence of the trouble of fixing the window-jambs, &c. In measuring tooled or cleansed fronts, the doors and windows must be deducted; as the price of the workmanship, in these cases, is too considerable for them to be included. 2. The walls of the upper stories of buildings are, in general, not so thick as those of the lower stories; but the price for the workmanship is commonly the same, in the consideration of the trouble of scaffolding, and the labour of carrying up the materials. 3. In some places it is customary to measure door-posts, window-jambs, steps, &c. by the cubic foot for the materials, and the superficial foot for the workmanship; and in others, so much per superficial foot, is charged for workmanship and materials; and in taking the breadth, or girt, the tape is made to ply close over every part of the stone that has been tooled, except it appear that the workmen have intentionally tooled more than is necessary. The length of a circular window-head, or door-head, is found by taking half the sum of the greater and less arches. 4. In making the notch in the window-jambs, for the frame of the window, some workmen are in the habit of tooling or chiseling the jambs further on the inside, than the window-frame requires, in order to make the work measure as much as possible: few architects will, however, allow more than 3 or 4 inches for both sides of the notch. 5. In measuring a flight of steps make the tape ply close over them, in the middle, from the top to the bottom, for the length; and take the length of a step for the breadth. Or, if the steps be all of one size, multiply the area of one step by the number of steps. The ends and the landings ought always to be measured by themselves. 6. All the parts of ornamental frontispieces must be measured separately: viz. plinths, dados, columns, pilasters, architraves, friezes, cornices, pediments, &c. &c. 7. It is customary, in some places, to allow double measure for all kinds of circular work, such as cylindrical or conical columns, circular pediments, arched door or window-heads, &c.; and also for cornices, feathered gables, &c.; in other places, only the area and half the area are allowed; it is much better, however, to proportion the price to the workmanship, and take the true measurement. It is also customary, in most places, to pay the workmen so much per yard lineal, for the trouble of turning the corners of buildings, and hewing the stones in a proper manner to form these corners. If the corners be formed by tooled or cleansed coins, they must be measured separately, and added to the tooled or cleansed work. In this case no other charge ought to be made for the corners. It may likewise be observed, that masons are generally allowed something extra for the trouble of turning arches. EXAMPLES. 1. The length of a wall is 86 feet 9 inches, its height 10 feet 6 inches, and its thickness 2 feet 3 inches; required its superficies and solidity. |