Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/203

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 * Australian Equiry Book of Household and General Information 1894 page 199a.png
 * Australian Equiry Book of Household and General Information 1894 page 199a.png


 * No. 1 post is faced on two sides, has the tenon at the top to fit into the wall plate, also the mortise at the bottom into which the tenon of the sleeper is to fit. The posts are faced according to their position in the building. Some require to be faced on three sides, others on only one.

Post No. 2 is also faced on two sides, but it shows the two mortises for sleepers and the wall plate as it would appear when fitted on. In slab huts of the kind I am describing it is usual to spike the four corners, that is where the wall plates join or cross as below.




 * Australian Equiry Book of Household and General Information 1894 page 199b.png
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To hold the slabs the wall plates and sleepers must be grooved, about one inch deep, the sleeper or wall plate is marked with a pencil or a chalk line, and then the groove is cut out with hammer and chisel. A better and quicker plan is to groove only the wall plate and nail (2) two battens on to the sleeper, one inch apart, by this method the sleeper will last longer, and another advantage is that it takes very much less time to do.



Sleepers need only be faced on one side. Wall plates on two, viz., top and bottom. Posts according to position.