BUILDING. 



iimesit may be practised with the utmost 

 success ; but in the common run of build- 

 ing's it would be too expensive. 



Stone Columns. Stone columns should 

 be executed with as few joints as possi- 

 ble ; if thev can be procured in one 

 piece, they will have a strong and grand 

 effect. There should be no such thing as 

 vertical joints ; for they not only destroy 

 the beauty of the column, but are incon- 

 sistent with the laws of strength. Before 

 the number of pieces can be fixed, two 

 important circumstances must be taken 

 into consideration : first, to find out those 

 quarries which will produce durable 

 stones, of the size and colour wanted, and 

 the nearer to the place of erection the 

 better; next to inquire concerning* the 

 price of the carriage; if these come with- 

 in the maximum limit of what the proprie- 

 tor would chuse to fix, then the number 

 of pieces is determined ; but, if not, this 

 number must be increased, in order to 

 make it equal to, or less than, the pro- 

 posed sum, observing to choose the near- 

 est odd number. The circumstances be- 

 ing thus accommodated to each other, 

 and the stones laid down at the place in- 

 tended for building, draw a section of the 

 column through its axis, to the full size ; 

 divide the height of this section, by lines 

 parallel to the base, into heights equal in 

 number to that of the stones; by these 

 means, the diameters of each end of eve- 

 ry stone in the altitude will be deter- 

 mined. The upper and lower bodies of 

 each stone are first to be wrought exact- 

 ly to parallel planes ; and as one great 

 beauty of columns is to make them ap- 

 pear, at a small distance, as if they were 

 in one entire piece, they should be rub- 

 bed ?t first with a large coarse stone, in 

 order to prevent the surface from being 

 excavated, and then with a fine stone of 

 the same size as the coarse one ; with 

 the utmost care observing to try the 

 straight edge, or rule, as the rubbing* 

 goes on ; in this the edge of the rule 

 should always coincide with the surface, 

 otherwise the two superficies which are 

 to form the joint can never coincide. 

 The two beds of a stone being thus form- 

 ed, find the centre, and describe the cir- 

 cle at one end ; divide the circumference 

 into a convenient number of equal parts ; 

 (it is usual to divide it into six or eight ;) 

 draw lines from each point to the centre; 

 find the centre of the circle on the other 

 bed, so that the two centres may be in 

 the straight line forming the axis of the 

 column ; that is, when the straight line 

 joining their centres is perpendicular to 

 each bed, through the centre of this last 



circle draw a straight line, parallel to any 

 one of the lines drawn through the cen- 

 tre and circumference of the former; also 

 from the point in the circumference of 

 the last drawn circle, where the line 

 drawn through the centre cuts this cir- 

 cle, divide the circumference into the 

 same number of equal parts as that of the 

 circle formerly drawn ; then draw lines 

 from the centre to each of the points so 

 divided, and these lines will be respec- 

 tively parallel to those of the former cir- 

 cle; the extremities of each pair of pa- 

 rallel lines, in each circumference, will 

 regulate the chissel draught, which is to 

 be wrought along the surface of the co- 

 lumn. The corresponding draught be- 

 ing made from each pair of parallels, the 

 spaces between will be more easily- 

 wrought down ; then, if the number of 

 pieces which compose the column ex- 

 ceed seven or nine, a straight edge may 

 be applied, the side of which always be- 

 ing- in a plane passing through the axis ; 

 but if fewer pieces are used, make a di- 

 minishing rule, that is, to the line of the 

 column : on the side of the diminishing 1 

 rule draw a straight line parallel to the 

 axis ; this rule will serve to plumb the 

 stones in setting them, and to work the 

 convex surface of each stone : prepare 

 another rule, equal in length to that of a 

 stone having its edge straight the same 

 as the diminishing rule. 



The cement used in setting eachco-" 

 lumn stone is either oil-putty, or white 

 lead, or white lead mixed with chalk- 

 putty, or fine mortar, or milled lead rolled 

 very thin. If the column be large, and 

 rolled lead be used, it needs only to form 

 a ring half an inch distant from the edge 

 of the joint, and let the joint at the edge 

 be filled with oil-putty. 



Stone Stairs. When stairs are support- 

 ed by a wall at both ends, nothing diffi- 

 cult can occur in the construction ; in 

 this the inner ends of the steps may ei- 

 ther terminate into a solid newal, or be 

 tailed into a wall surrounding an open 

 newal. Where elegance is not required, 

 and where the newal does not exceed 

 two feet six inches, the ends of the steps 

 may be conveniently supported by a solid 

 pillar ; but when the newal is thicker, a 

 thin wall surrounding the newal would be 

 cheaper. In the stairs of a sunk story, 

 where there is a geometrical stair above, 

 the steps next to the newal are generally 

 supported upon a dwarf wall. Geome- 

 trical stairs have the outer end fixed in 

 the wall, and one of the edges of every 

 step supported by the edge of the step 

 below, and constructed with sally-formed 



