THE Commercial and Agricultural Magazine.

No. XXXIV.]

MAY, 1802.[VOL Val,

The Editor is particularly obliged to Mr. SMART for the following Commu- nication, which will doubtleſs be very acceptable to the Public. The in-

vention will, doubtleſs, prove of great national ſervice, by contributing to the Durability oí Buildings, preventing the Déſtruétion of Oak Timber, and bringing into uſe other Timber which could not be heretofore em-

ployed for the ſame ules.

MR. SMART’S METMOD FOR PREVENTING A WASTE OF TIMBER, AND FOR RENDERING IT MORE DURABLE IN BUILDINGS,&c,

WITH A PLATE, To the Editor of the Commercial and Agricultural Magazine. SIR,

EREWITH I ſend you a Drawing, deſcribing a ſimple method of converting all Timber that is ſtraight, and in- tended for ſquare beams, to great advantage in general uſe,

Vig. I—A> The le&ion. of à tree at the butt end, whoſe contents are two feet each ſide, when ſawn or chopped nearly ſquare. Fig. 2. B. The ſeâion of the top of the tree, one foot on the fide when ſquared, cut it exally down the centre, one cuteach way, as in Fig, 1. and 2. It will produce four pieces, one foot at the butt and ſix inches at the top, turn the centers up- wards, reverſe the butts and tops two each way, and dowel or balt them together as in Fig. 3. C. you will then form a beam eighteen inches on the ſide regular from one end to the other, with the advantage of having the heart of the tree in the place where bardneſs and ſtrength are moſt wanted, namely, in the corners which form the abutments; whereas the fame tree ſquared into a parallel beam would have been only twelve inches on the fide, and the ſoft or ſappy part of the wood expoſed to the action of the air and moiſture.

In fluſh framing it is obſervable, that the failure of all tim- bers of old buildings has commenced much ſooner than they otherwiſe would have done, owing to the ſappy wood being ot the corners of the principal timbers, which ſoon decays, as its ſpongy quality attraQs the moiſture; whereby the heart, eſpeci- ally of oak, will be as ſound as the fr day it was uſed.

As a!l beams that take their weight horizoutally, or on 2ny tranſverſe bearing, have their principal rain on the upper and lower ſurface, every workman ought to guard againſt ha Ving ſapin beams, becauſe if they do not immediately decay, they ſhrink ſo as to let looſe all the framing, and(oon cripple the building oc machine; but on my plan the ſappy part of the wood is excluded

Com. and Ag. Mag. Vel. VI,“E: