Existing comment:
Small Clues Yield Big Answers
An architect can discover parts of the building's past in objects as small as the nails holding up the lath and plaster overhead. The appearance of nails changed during the 19th century due to new technology.
1. Hand-wrought nails (before 1800) were produced by blacksmiths.
2. Machine-cut nails between 1790 and 1820 had heads forged with hammers.
3. Machine-headed nails were made between 1815 and 1880. They were produced entirely by machine which saved time, labor, and money.
4. Wire nails have been made from 1880 to the present.
Different saw marks are seen in large wood members of this building. They indicate different time periods and advancing technology.
Straight vertical cut marks indicate a sash saw, a type used between 1790 and 1890. Even spacing between cut marks results from a ratchet system that advanced wood through the saw at equal intervals.
Circular saw patterns are easy to see. They indicate wood probably cut after 1860. Circular saws became popular because they increased speed, efficiency, and production. |