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XXVI. He beareth Sable, a Cording Augre, (or Auger) and Pin, Or. These are Instruments of Wood, whose use is only for the Cording of Beds, to strain the Ropes streight, for Matts and Beds to ly upon. The Carpenter useth such a like Pin to this of Iron, or sometime of Wood, which is called an Hook-pin, whose office it is to pin the frame of a Floor, or frame of a Roof or Wall-plate together while they are fitting each piece to its place; it is taper in the shank, therefore easily taken out of the hole, with a Hammer striking either under the hook, or at the bottom of it.

XXVII. He beareth Argent, an Hold-Fast, and a Gimblet, Sable. This is another fashioned Gimblet in the head, than that formerly mentioned numb. 1. that having the handle round and cut off at each end, but this hath the handle direct oval or like an Egg; the Bitt being in the end like the Bitt of an Augre or Oger.

The Joyners Hold-Fast, is an Instrument of Iron, which being put into a loose hole of a Joyners Bench, and the Beak set upon any piece of Timber, with the Knock of an Hammer or Mallet upon the head of it, will cause the Work to ly fast upon the Bench till the Work-man either Saw, Tennant, Mortess, or Plain it; in the Hold-Fast there are these several terms.

The Shank, which is round, and goes through the hole of the Bench. The Head is the square, on which the Mallet striketh. The Beake, the flat end which is crooked downwards, the very point being either round or square, is made flattish, which is called the Beak end.

XXVIII. He beareth Sable, a Stock of a Tree in Bend, couped at both ends, Or; cut half through with a Whip or Framing Saw, Fess wise, Argent, Handles of the second. This is a Dutch Coat born by the name of Van Saugesbergh. This is also Blazoned thus, a Whip Saw slitting or cutting in two a Stock of a Tree couped in the ends; but the first is much better termed.

The Whip Saw, of some termed a Framing Saw, is a long Saw used between two persons to Saw such great pieces of Timber or other Stuff that the Hand Saw will not easily reach through; when they use it, the Timber is laid upon a Trussel, and the Men stand on either side of it, and so Saw it through; he to whom the Teeth of the Saw points, draws to him, the other thrusts from him.

The remainder of the Joyners Tools for working, you will see chap. 8. numb. 132. to 143. to which place I must now refer you and fall to another employ.

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

XXII. He beareth Argent, a Mortess Chissel, Azure, the Helve, Or. By the name of Chizell.

This is a Chissel broad in the sides and thick in the face part, so consequently stronger than other Chissels, that it may abide heavyer Blows with the Mallet; it hath a deep Basil, and is used to cut deep square holes called Mortesses in a piece of Wood: They are of several bignesses answerable to the breadth of the Mortesses they are to make.

XXIII. He beareth Or, a Sprig Bitt, Sable; Handle, Argent. Three such is born by the name of Hile. This is a thing like an Awle, having a four square Blade, with which holes are made in thin and narrow Stuff, to drive in small and slender Nails called Sprigs; Nails without heads.

XXIV. He beareth Azure, a Brace and Bit, Or. This hath several denominations as I find amongst Workmen; for of some it is termed a Brace, others a Wimble, others a Wimble-Brace, and a Vambrace; in London it is generally termed a Piercer. It is used in Boring of Holes to drive Wooden Pins through Mortesses and Tennants in Joyners work.

Two such Braces erected and endorsed, or conjoined with a Girdle Gules, is the Crest of Bracegirdle, of Bracegirdle Green in Cheshire.

The parts of the Brace and Bitt.

The Head, is the round top, flat Button, which turneth in a hole in the Stock.
The Socket of the Brace head, the place where it turns.
The Handle.
The Bush or Pad Hole, a four square hole in which the Bit is placed, so as it cannot turn.
The Stock, is all the turning part of the Brace.
The Bush or Pad, is the square piece of Wood in which the Bit is fixed, which is taken out and put into the Brace as often as it is used.
The Bit, is the Iron as bores the hole, which that you may see the parts more exactly view the next Figure.

XXV. He beareth a Bit, fixed in its Bush or Pad. The Bushes being made fit for the square hole of thes Brace may serve for several sorts of Bits, both to make small and large holes, also ebb or deep according to the length of the shank of the Bit. The Bush hath its hold, which is the square; the Shoulder for the Brace to rest upon; and the round or bottom, where the Bit is put in.

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

XX. In this quarter is first the round Smoothing Plain, whose Sole is not streight but convex.

The second is the Rabbet Plain, which hath the sides of the Iron not inclosed in the Stock as the foregoing Plains, but the Iron is full as broad as the Stock is thick, that the very Angles of the Iron edge may not be born of the Stuff it is to cut; nor doth it deliver the Shavings at a Mouth on the top of the Stock, as the other Plains do; but it hath its mouth on the sides of the Plain, and delivers them there; the Iron is about an Inch broad in the flat, but is much thinner because of its wedging in the Stock; its office is to cut a Square down into a Board or other Timber, for another like piece to fall into it; also to strike a Facia in a piece of Molding.

XXI. He beareth Gules, a Taper Bit in traverse, Argent; the Head and a Smoothing Plain, Or. Born by the name Plainhale. Of these Instruments more particularly.

The Taper Bit, is for the making of a small hole wider and larger, being in the mouth half round whose edges are sharp, and by reason of its being taper as it goeth into a hole with the small end and is turned about therein, the edges cut it wide by taking shavings or pairings from the hole side.

S. 3 such is born by the name of Tapper or Tapley.

The Smoothing Plain, is a little short Plain, which hath its Iron set very fine, and to take off very thin shavings, because its use and office is only to smooth the work from those Irregularities which the Fore-Plain and the Joynter have left behind them. There is another way of making them with a streight flat Sole, as in other Plains.

A. a Cheveron S. between 3 such proper, born by Smoother.

The several sorts of Plains.

The Strike Block, is a Plain shorter than the Joynter, having the Sole made exactly flat and streight, and is used for the shooting of a short Joint; because it is more ready for the hand than the long Joynter: It is also used for the fitting and framing of Miter and Bevil Joynts.
The Miter Plain.
The Revaile Plain.
The Scurging Plain.
The Moulding Plains, are for the working off of several sorts of Moulding works which Plains have names according to their several Operations; as
The Hallow Plain.
The Round, or Half Round Plain.
The Belection Plain.
The O-gee Plain.
The Back O-gee Plain.
The Cornish Plain.
The Phalister Plain.

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

XIX. He beareth in this quarter two sorts of Joyners Plains; that in the chief is termed a Joynter, it is the largest sort of Plains by them used, it is perfectly streight from end to end; its office is to follow the Fore-Plain; and to shoot those things perfectly streight, and to take off those irregularities which remain in the first taking off the Saws roughness in Boards or any other sorts of Timber: It is also used to try all sorts of Tables great or small, by Plaining them Traverse, Angularly, Cornerwise, as well as with the grain, that the Workman may be well assured of the flatness and streightness of the work. Carpenters term this their Long Plain.

V. such a Joynter in Fess between 3 Flowers de lis O. is born by the name of Joyner.

The parts of a Joynter Plain.

The Stock.
The Sole, is the bottom of the Stock which shoots upon the work.
The Handle, by which it is held and thrust forwards. The Tote.
The Bitt, is the Iron as cuts.
The Wedge, it keeps the Bitt fast in its place.
The Mouth of the Stock, is the hole where the Bitt is wedged.
The Breech of the Stock, is the end from the hole or mouth.
The Head of the Stock, from the handle to that end it is at.
The Tote, or Dote, is the handle abovesaid.
A Plain, when all its parts and Members are together.

The second sort of Plain is called the Fore-Plain, and of some the Former, or the course Plain; because it is used to take off the roughness of the Timber before it be worked with the Joynter, or smooth Plain; and for that end the edge of the Iron or Bit, is not ground upon a streight as other Plains are, but rises with a Convex Arch in the middle of it; and is set also more Ranker and further out of the mouth in the Sole of the Stock, than any other Bits or Irons are. The Jack Plain, called so by the Carpenter, is the same that Joyners call the Fore-Plain.

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

XIII. He beareth Gules, a Joyners Rule, or a two Foot Rule, Or; and a Carpenters Square, Argent. The Rule is equally divided into two foot, which is againe subdivided into 24 Inches, these also brought into halfe and quarters of Inches; And are for the best use, generally made of Box or Peare tree, or some other hard wood. This may also be termed a Geomatricall Staffe, or a Yard, when it is thus divided.

The Carpenters Square, is made generally of Iron. the shorter part being a foot, and the longer part two foot, both ends being divided into Inches, half and quarter inches. Its use, besides Measuring, is to strike or draw streight Lines, and to try the squareness of the work, whether it be true or not.

An Hand and Arm holding such a square O. Sleeve G. turned up A. is the Crest of the Carpenters Company of the City of Chester.

A. a Cheveron between 3 such S. born by Atlow.

XIV. He beareth Azure, two Carpenters Squares endorsed and issuant, Or. By the name of Getzell.

XV. He beareth Vert, a Joyners Square, Or; it is made of two pieces of Wood, the one Mortessed into the other, and so shot exactly streight as to make a square within, and by the help of the side lying Parallel to another streight piece, either a streight Line or a square Angle may be drawn.
The Handle, is the Mortessed piece.
The Tongue, is the piece put into the Mortess.
The outward Square.
The inward Square.

There is another way of making the Joyners Square, whose Figure you may see chap. 8. numb. 134.

B. 3 Squares, 2 endorsed, the 3 to the Sinister A. born by Vetzer of the Rhine.

XVI. He beareth Gules, a Bevil moving square, Or; or else a moving Bevil square: This Square upon the moveableness of the Tongue upon a Center, may be set to strike Angles of any greater or lesser number of degrees; according to the opening it, too or from the Handle; when as all other fixed Bevil squares take the Angles at 45 degrees only, as in the Miter square following.

S. 3 such O. a Border A. is born by Movere.

XVII. He beareth Sable, a Miter square, Or. This Square hath also an Handle and a Tongue, as that mentioned numb. 15. whose use is to strike either Square or Miter Lines according as you apply the ends of it to the out-sides of the Quarter or Batten you are to work upon: By the help of this, Miter or Bevil Lines are Cut or Sawed so exact, that two being joined together, it will make an Angle; thus square Frames for Pictures, Looking Glasses, and such like are commonly made.

S. the like points reversed O. in Chief a Lion passant A. born by Parly.

XVIII. He beareth Argent, a Gage, or Oval Gage, or Joyners Gage (of some termed a Swage) Gules. It is made of either a square, or six square piece of Wood, fitted by a square hole through the middle very stiff upon a Staff, that it may be set nearer or farther off the Tooth at the side end of the said Staff. Its office or use is to strike a Line Parallel to any streight side; it is used for the Gaging of Tenants, or any Stuff to be Cut or Plained to an equal thickness.

Some Gages have a Screw through the Square, that if it slip too easie on the Staff, the Screw by turning it to the Staff doth keep it from moving.

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