THE QUAINT AND DURABLE THATCHED ROOF 



tarred twine should be provided for the thatch to 

 be applied directly to the rafters. A needle re- 

 quired for the rafter thatching or what is known 

 as the " needle method of thatching " may also be 

 home-made if one has the facilities for sharpening 

 an iron fencing rod at one end and drilling a smooth 

 eye in the other end, large enough to thread the 

 tarred twine. An iron worker can prepare the 

 needle at small expense, if there are no facilities for 

 its home manufacture. The half -inch iron rod should 

 be about two feet or thirty inches long, for easy 

 handling through a thick thatch ; and it will be well to 

 have two or three of these needles prepared, as the 

 cost for the extra ones will be very slight, and they 

 will be ready for an emergency should one become 

 misplaced, or when two sets of workmen are engaged 

 in the thatching on opposite sides of the roof. 



Two workmen will be required for operating each 

 needle ; one above the roof to lay the straw and push 

 the needle through at proper intervals to hold it in 

 place, and one below to receive the twine-threaded 

 needle, form the tie stitch or slip knot that is to hold 

 it firmly to the wooden support of the roof frame, 

 and pass it up to the worker above. 



The best roof frame for thatching consists of nar- 

 row strips, or lathing battens, fastened to the 

 rafters, from eight to ten inches apart. The straw 



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