As the binding-joists are sometimes pulley or chase mor tised, to receive the ceiling-joists, and sometimes notched to receive the bridging joists over them, they ought to be classed by themselves, at a superior price per foot cube, or at an additional price for the workmanship, above that of common joisting : this should always be allowed according to the description of workmanship, whether the ceiling-joists be put in their pulley mortises and tenons, or the bridgings notched or adzed down.
Partitions may be measured by the cubic foot, but the sills, top pieces, and door heads, should be measured by themselves, according to the solid quantity, at an additional rate, because both the uniform solidity, and the uniform quantity of work manship, are interrupted by them. In trussed partitions, the braces should be rated by the foot cube, at a superior price to that of the quartering, for the trouble of fitting the ends of the uprights upon their upper and lower sides, and for forming the abutments at the ends.
In roofing, all the timbers should be measured by the cubic foot, classed as the difficulty of execution, or as the waste occasioned, may require. Common rafters may be rated the same as joisting or quartering ; purlins at a superior price, for the trouble of fitting or notching down the common rafters ; the notching of the purlins themselves, upon these principles, should be valued at per piece or notch. The various parts of trusses should be arranged separately ; the joggles should be paid for at per piece, including the tenons at the ends of the struts ; the mortising tie-beams and prin cipals. and making the tenons of the truss-posts, should like wise go together ; and the mortising and tenoning at the ends of tie-beams and principals, in another class ; strapping should be paid for according to the number of bolts. In all these matters, regard must be had to the size and description of the work ; common or bridging rafter-feet at per piece.
Battening to walls is best measured by the square, accord ing to the dimensions and distances in the clear of the bat tening.
Ribbed ceilings should be measured according to the cubic quantity, making a proper allowance for the great waste of stuff; the price of labour will be regulated by the descrip tion of the work, and also by the cubic quantity of timber.
Trimmers should be measured separately, at such a price as to include not only the mortises and tenons of the joisting inserted into them, but the tenons at their extremities, and the mortises of the trimming-joists, which are to receive them. In this way, it would be unnecessary to take any
account of the tenons at the ends of the bridging-joists, or of the mortises in the trimming-joists to receive the ends of the trimmer.
It would be endless to enumerate the various methods of measuring each particular species of carpenter's work ; the leading articles only are here observed.
As soon as the shell of a building is finished, that is, pre vious to the floors being laid, or the ceilings lathed and plastered, all the timbers should be measured, that no doubt may exist as to the actual scantlings of the timbers, or of the description of the workmanship.
In taking the dimensions, it must be observed, that all pieces which have tenons, must be measured to the extre mities of the tenons. Principal timbers, as binding joists and girders, go at least nine inches into the wall, or one-third of its thickness, if more than 27 inches.
in taking the dimensions of bond-timbers and wall-plates, the several laps must be added to the lengths. When there is a necessity for cutting out parallel pieces from the sides of truss-posts, as in king or queen posts, if the pieces cut out exceed 2f feet in length, and 21- inches in thickness, they should be deemed pieces fit for use ; but their lengths should not be reckoned so long by six inches, as the saw can hardly be entered with less waste.
The boarding of the roof is measured by the square, according to the thickness and quantity of the boards, and the manner of jointing them. In measuring for labour and materials, the most accurate method is, first, to find the cubical contents, the price of the cubic foot, including the prime cost, carting, sawing, waste, and the master's profit ; then add the price of labour, properly measured, in the same manner as for the journeyman. Labour and materials are variable, and have no relation whatever to each other ; consequently they cannot be reduced to single tables. The value of the cubic foot may be calculated by having the prime cost of the load, or 50 cubic, feet : for example, let it be required to find the price of a cubic foot, when the price of the load is £10.