Traditional Numbering Systems In North American Timber Framed Structures (Timberbee)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

There were Two Typical systems used to mark Traditional Timber Framed Structures in North America; One was used with Scribe Rule, the other with Square Rule, and, Both used Roman Numerals.

It is a little misleading, though, to put the number at Two, for, it may be better to say that Square Rule used one system, and Scribe rule Potentialy used a Host of systems.

Square Rule

One of the Key Elements of Square Rule is that Each piece May be standard. What is meant by that is, that if you know that you must cut, 40 Braces, and that these braces are to be 45 Degrees, with 3' Legs, then, the Only other information you need, in order to cut them has to do with questions of Joinery, and the Piece itself -- The Brace -- and Nothing Whatsoever to do with the pieces the Braces will be going into.

This is a Very Dramatic difference between Square and Scribe Rule.

Theoreticaly it is possible to cut each and every piece of a Square Rule building at seperate points of the Earth, the pieces Only coming together Once, and that "Once" is the day of their joining. All of this depends upon, Reference Faces and the belief that there lies a "Theoretical" Timber within the Real, something akin to how Micheal Angelo is reputed to have answered the question of how he does what he does; that he, "simply removes the bits which are Not the sculpture".

In a nutshell, that Is Square Rule. The timber we desire is buried within the real, and we remove (or, sometimes Add) material until we arrive at it. That is also Why you find housings in certain locations of a Square Rule frame where you wouldn't find them in a Scribe Rule frame of an identical Style.

How Standardization Affects Numbering

The reason one numbers the pieces within a frame is in order to assemble them.

In a Scribe Rule Building, it isn't enough to say one needs 40 45 Degree Braces with 3' Legs, this only gives you a starting place, allowing you to create a Lumber List -- Or a "Parts" list, but from there, each Brace will be Very Unique, and Only fit in one Precise Location, in One Orientation.

Thus, in Scribe Rule, Each and Every Piece must be numbered, and that numbering must convey enough information, with No confussion whatsoever.

Those same Braces, in Square Rule, would not even need to numbered. Thus, Right there, Square Rule has just eliminated an entire Layer of Numbers.

Further. In Some Square Rule frames, None of the pieces need to be numbered, what they are, and where they go, being made obvious by the joinery within them, and where their Reference Faces are.

A stub tennon on one end of a post, identifies that as the bottom. Joints only on two sides, and, those sides being non-reference faces further Mark it as a Corner Post. The Presence of a Through Mortise, to recieve a Tie, and it's relationship to a Reference face, now means that it can only be One of Two Possible Posts.

All you would need now, Anywhere At All, on the Post, if this were a 3 Bay Barn, would be a I or a IIII. And that would clear this up, immediately, and Unquestionably, identifying that the Post is Either of Bent I or of Bent IIII.

Further. Numbering, on Square Rule Frames, was broken down into a Left, and a Right of the Ridge Beam.

The Tie for Bent I would be Marked I at both Ends, however, On one side that I would be cut with, say, a 1 1/2" Chisel, whereas, the Other side would be cut with a 2" Chisel.

and there is another difference between Square and Scribe Rule Numbering.

Tooling.

All of the numbering done in Square Rule could be cut with chisels. Eveything is a Straight line,

Not so with Scribe rule. The Numbering of Scribe Rule frames was often done with Race Knives, for it employess slashes, half and full circles, to modify the Familiar Roman Numerals in order to denote left, right, and Mid-Frame, elements.