Category: The Academy of Armory

CXLVII. In this quarter on the dexter side, is an upright Pole of strong Timber set an end, having many Pins put through it, made of sound Wood, or else of Iron. This is an appurtenance belonging to the Crab, mentioned numb. 148. and is to hang a Pulley or Snatch Block thereon, by which heavy Timber is drawn to a considerable height. Such an Engine as this with Pins all along it, was in former times used for to scale or clime up an Enemies Wall, and thereby to surprise a Town or Fort.

A. 3 such in Bend Pale-wise S. is born by Commander.

The second is a Snatch Block, or a double Snatch Block. With this Engine, with the appurtenances belonging to it, as Ropes and Tackles, great Trees of Timber are drawn up to a considerable height.

CXLVIII. He beareth Argent, a Crab Engine, Or. This is born by the name of Crabbe. This is an Engine used in Carpentery for the management of their heavy Timber, and to ease an hard Labour: It is only a square Frame of strong Timber, with a thick Plank 4 or 5 inches thick, fastned on the top of the frame, and the like on the bottom, through which goeth a strong Rowler, which is turned in the holes of the Planks, by the help of Hand-spikes or Levers.

CXLIX. In the Dexter side is an Hand issuant, holding of a Plumb line, with a Line rowle, at the end of it. This is the coat of Arms of Plumbley, being in an Azure field. This is a way that Carpenters use to try the upright standing of Posts, or other works that are to stand perpendicular to the ground plot; by holding the end of the line between the finger and the thumb, a little distance from the corner of the post, or work, and if the line and corner of the post be parallel to each other, the work is upright, else not.

The Second figure is a paire of Great Screws, of some called House Screws, for by the help of them, an house whose sides stand crooked, or have the Wall Plates sunk, are raised up and set streight by screwing up every peece into the place from whence it is fallen. se numb. 142. are the like for form, but in these the screw goeth through but one Plank, the other plank the Screw ends, only turn in a round hole made Concave.

In the Sinister side, is an other maner of Engine, and I suppose made for the same use as that mentioned in numb. 145. though it be of an other fashion on the top. Such a Jack Engine, with a Bended Head, I find to be an ancient Badg belonging to the Earle of Oxford.

— From Randle Holme’s “The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon” Book III, Chapter VIII, Plate 2. Why am I reading this?

CXLVI. He beareth in this quarter several sorts of Engines used by Carpenters. The first are two Levers in the chief; these are square or round Poles, some call them Wayes, by which the Rowler of the Crab Engine is turned about, to draw up heavy Timber to a considerable height: They are termed also Pudlaies or Hand-spikes.

The Ten Foot Rod or Rule, is an Instrument of Wood like one of these, being no other than the Rib of a slit Deal plained streight, by which Ground Plots are measured, for the laying of Foundations of Houses; it is divided into ten parts, each containing a Foot.

The second Tool, which is set on the dexter side is termed a Ripping Chissel; it is a Socket Chissel, about an inch broad with a blunt Edge, not having a Basil, as almost all other Chissels have, and therefore would more properly be termed a Wedge than a Chissel; but most commonly Carpenters use an old cast off Chissel for a Ripping Chissel. Its Office is not to cut Wood, but to rip or tear 2 pieces of Wood fastned together from one another, by entring the blunt edge of it between the two pieces, and so forcing them asunder, by Blows with the Mallet.

The third, which is in the Fess point, and standeth Bendways, is termed a Drug; it is an Engine set upon two Wheels, made somewhat like a low narrow Cart Bottom. It is used for the Carriage of Timber, and then it is drawn by the handle by two or more Men, according as the weight of the Timber may require. Gules, the like to this in Bend Or, between two Pheons Argent, is born by Don Lazallo a Spanish Family.

The fourth in the Sinister chief, is a Pulley hung by the Hook in the Noose of a Rope out of the chief. This being single is termed only a Pully, but if it have more than one turn or little Wheel in it, for the Rope to run in, it is termed by most a Snatch Block, or double Snatch Block; but of the several parts and terms belonging to these Drawing Blocks, see chap. 15. numb. 45.

— From Randle Holme’s “The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon” Book III, Chapter VIII, Plate 2. Why am I reading this?

CXLV. The first is the Hammer, whose chief use is for the driving Nails into work, and drawing Nails out of work. Of the several parts of the Hammer, see chap. 7. numb. 128.

The second is a Carpenters Chissel, or a socket Chissel, as most Chissels used by Carpenters are, because of strength; this is to have a Wooden Head put into it, which some call the part as goes into the socket the Sprig; of these Socket Chissels they use several sorts, yet not severally distinguished by names more than to call them an half inch, three quarter inch Chissels; inch, and inch and half, two inch, to three inch Chissels.

The third is termed a Jack; it is an Engine used for the removing, and commodious placing of great Timber: By the help of this, the side of a Timber House shrunk from its Mortesses are raised up again to their places. It is a Wooden Case with a large Mortess in it, wherein is placed a Rack, which mounteth up any thing placed upon it, by the help of a Nut Wheel on a Spindle, and turned about with a Windlasse.

— From Randle Holme’s “The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon” Book III, Chapter VIII, Plate 2. Why am I reading this?

11. THE Rules and Tools which Joyners and Carpenters work by, are so near the same, that I need not here again to describe them; only there is this difference, the Carpenters Tools are made somewhat stronger for their use than they need to be for the Joyners: Yet there are many Tools requisite and proper for a Carpenter (especially a Master Carpenter) that a Joyner need to take little notice of. Therefore I shall here describe such Tools belonging to that Trade, which are not expressed among the Joyners.

CXLIV. In this quarter are three Instruments used by the Carpenter, two whereof are never mentioned to be any ways belonging to Joyners: The first is the Level, of these there are used several bignesses, even from two to ten foot long, that it may reach over a considerable length of the Work; its use is to try whether a Floor be exactly streight and even, and that one part be not higher than another; for if the Plumb-line hang just upon the Perpendicular line, being set flat upon the Work, then the Work is level, else not.

In the Level there are these parts. The Level. The Plummet. The Plumb-Line, and the perpendicular Line, which is marked from the top to the bottom of the Board; all which things are so common, that there needs no further explaining of their parts.

The second that lies in the Base, is called a Crow, or an Iron Crow. Some are made of this form, others directly round in the shank, only with a pike end, or a flat end: That is used by them as a Lever, to lift up the ends of great Trees and heavy Timber, when either a Bauk or a Rowler is to be laid under it. The parts, as Workmen term them in this form of Crow, are the Claws, the shank, and the Spike end.

The third in the Sinister chief is used by both Joyners and Carpenters, and is termed a Joyners Saddle It is an end of a Spar or Joyce cut into the side with an Indent or Beviled on each side, so that any square piece will lye steady in it with one of its edges up.

— From Randle Holme’s “The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon” Book III, Chapter VIII, Plate 2. Why am I reading this?

CXLIII. In the chief of this quarter is an Engine called a Whetting Block, or a Block to Whet, or File a Saws Teeth in: It is an end of a Spar, or such piece of Wood, with a Bevil or taper Groove, or Mortess cut from side to side, and in depth half through the Wood; to which is fitted a Wedge answerable to the Groove or Mortess; Into this Groove the Blade of the Saw is put, which is wedged hard in, that it cannot play or quaver under the File, when the Teeth are Filing sharp with a three square File.

The Figure in the Base of this quarter is termed the Waving Engine; it is a thing wherewith Waved Work is generally made upon small Frames for Pictures and Looking Glasses, and such like work; and is in the bottom a long Plank of about seven Inches broad, and an Inch and half thick: On the middle of the Plank runs a Rabbet, and upon the Rabbet rides a Block with an Handle through it, of about an inch in the diameter; and at the further end of the Block is fastned a Vice, or a Great Hand Vice. At the other end of the Plank is erected a square strong piece of Wood about six inches high, having a square Mortess in it on the top, and bound about with an Iron Collar somewhat loosely fitted on, having two Male Screws fitted in two Female Screws, to screw against that part of the Wood unmortessed, thereby to hold the Iron that worketh the Moulding, whose lower end is cut into the form of the said Moulding you intend the work shall have. On the other side the square wooden piece is fitted another Iron Screw having a round Plate fastned at the end of it; and at the farther side is placed a Wooden Screw called a Knob, with a flat piece of Iron coming through the farther and higher side of the square piece standing edgewise with the higher edge rounded off or Filed round.

The several parts of the Waving Engin.

a the Plank of bottom of the Engine.
b the Block with a Groove on the bottom.
c the Rabbet on which the Block runs.
d the handle to draw the Block by.
e the hand screw, with its Key to wind the screw.
f the two Screws Male and Female.
g the square upright piece of Wood, with the Mortess on the top having a square flat Iron Collar on the higher part.
h the Iron which cuts the Waves, whose bottom is cut into the form of the Moulding the work is intended.
j the Wooden Screw or Knob, on the farther side of the square piece of Wood, with a flat piece of Iron about 3 quarters of an inch broad, and a quarter of an inch thick, standing an edge, coming through the sides.
k the Iron screw, with its Nut, having a round Iron Plate made fast at the end of its shank.
l the Rack, is a thin flat piece of hard Wood about an nch and quarter broad and as long as the Rabbet.
m the Mouth, is a square hole in the foreside, and through the square piece of Wood, under the Iron wich hath its end cut according to the moulding, through which the board to be mounted is drawn.

The Riglet, is the Board either Moulded, or prepared to be Moulded.

— From Randle Holme’s “The Academy of Armory, or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon” Book III, Chapter VIII, Plate 2. Why am I reading this?