Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
be found necessary to turn it round in its bed about once a day when in use, for if
the stone is un-level the bricks will assuredly be the same, making very bad work.
The bedding-block is square and of a perfectly smooth surface. It is used for the
purpose of scribing and fitting the bricks to the moulds, and is usually made to
the size of one course of the arch, if double-faced; if not, about 14 by 18 inches.
The importance of keeping the rubbing bricks dry is correctly emphasised,
as they will neither rub-up on the stone nor cut with ease if they are damp.
Also Hammond's overall description ties in well with Waudby's depiction of
a cutting-shed. The bench (banker) and chopping-blocks, which Hammond
describes, are shown, as are the rubbing stone and bedding-block (slate)
on the banker. The cautionary note to check that the rubbing stone does
not rub hollow illustrates the huge volume of work being undertaken at that
time. The favoured source for rubbing stones during this period being the 'Park
Spring' quarry in Yorkshire, near Leeds (Richards, 1901, 45). The 'bedding-block'
is yet another craft term for the 'bedding stone', or 'bedding slate', which is a
straight piece of marble of sufficient size for checking the flatness of the bed
of the 'squared' rubber and permit it to be scribed accurately to the templet
that is placed against it.
'Squaring', as briefly discussed earlier in Chapter 3, is the craft term for
bringing the bed, stretcher face and sometimes a header face of a rubbing
brick square to one another in that order on the large rubbing stone. Initially
the bed face with a slight hollow is placed down on the stone, as this is easier to
rub flat. The brick, held at either end, is rubbed in a circular motion finishing
by rubbing away from the craftsman as the brick is lifted to periodically check
the bed with the blade of the try-square until it is flat along and across its entire
surface. A stretcher face is then selected and rubbed on the stone with the bed
facing away from the craftsman. The two faces are then checked for square to
one another with the try-square, placing the stock against the prepared bed;
similar to the preparation of timber by a joiner. Any inaccuracy is determined
by light under the blade of the try-square as it is drawn along the stretcher face
towards the craftsman, identified and it is then re-rubbed and checked until
the try-square is in perfect contact with both faces. If a header face has to be
squared, the same process is repeated until the try-square rests perfectly from
both the bed and stretcher faces to the header. The brick is now 'squared' and
ready to be scribed and cut to shape.
Regrettably, Hammond does not describe the tools employed for cutting the
gauged work. He does, however, provide a valuable clue as to how the bricks
were being prepared for gauged mouldings (1875, 42-43):
In many places this is done by simply making a template the form of the brick
required, and marking the brick, first on one side and then on the other, and
