Burlington tri-weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1852-1855, 1855-02-03

Robinson read an interesting and instructive
paper on building cheap houses, in which he
showed how any man of ordinary skill in the
use of saw aad hammer could build himself
a house at one half the expense usually at
tcndant on such work.
How TO BUILD BALLOON FRAMEs.-Mr.
Robinson said: At our last meeting | made
Somc remarks which were followed by others
upon the subject Of tsballoon trames'' OF
dwellings, and other public buildings. find
that did not appreciate the Importance Of
the subject for have received a score of let
tiers, and personal inquiries from various
many farmers would like to know how to
build farm house for half the present cx-
pense. therefore ask the indulgence of the
Club, while start balloon from the foun-
da.ion, and finish it to the roof / would
saw all my timber for frame house. or or.
binary frame out building of the following
dimensions: two inches by eigat: two by four:
two by one. have, however, built them.
when lived on the Grand Prairie of Indiana
many miles from saw mills nearly I'll of
split and hcwed stuff, making use Of rails or
round poles reduced to straight lines and
even thickness on two sides for stud. and
raft.fs. But sawed stuff is much the easiest,
though in timber country the other is for
the cheapest. First, level your foundation,
and lay down two Of the two Y eight peices,
fatwise for sidewalks. Upon these set the
floor sl"epers, on edge, 80 inches apart. Fas-
ten one at each end perhaps ole or two in the
middle, if the the building IL large with
wooden pin. These end slecpcrs are the end
sills. Now Law the foor, unless you design
20 have one likely to be injured by the wealth.
rr before you get the roof on. 1t is great
saving though Of labor to begin at the bot
tom of house and build up. In laying the
door first YOU have no studs to cut and fit
arc md and can let your boards run out over
the EMS, just as i. happens, and afterwards
saw them off smooth by the sill. Now set
up corner pc &C which is nothing but one Of
the two by four studds, fastening the bottom
by four nails; make it plumb and stay it
| ca II WHY. St another at the 9th corner,
and than mark off your door and window
places, and set up the sid, stu Is, and put in
The frames. Fill up with studs between, six
teen inches apart, supporting the top by a
line or strip of board from corner to corner
or stayed studs between. Now cover that
eide with ruff shooting boards, unless you in
tend to side up with clapboard, on the studs,
which never would do except for small
comm IN building. Make no calculations
about the top Of your studs; wait till you
get up that high. You may use them Of any
length, with broken or stab ends, no matter,
| when you have got this side boarded as high
as YOU can reach proceed to set up another.
In the meantime, other workmen can be
lath:ng the first side. When you have got
the sides all up, fix upon the height Of your
upper floor, and strike a line upon the stu is
| for the under side of the ioist. Cut out a
jo,t four inches wide, half-inch deep, and
nail on frml, on Of the inch strips. Upon
these strips rest the chamber floor joist.---
Cut out ioist one inch deep, in the lower
edge, and lock it on the strip, aud nail each
jo;st to each stud. Now lay this floor, and
60 on to build the upper story, Us you did
the lower one; spl.c NJ on and lensthenng
out studs wherever needed, until you get
high enough for the plate. Spice studs or
joist by Simply butting the ends together, ami
mailing strips on each sids. Strike a line
and saw off the top Of the studs even upon
each side-nOt the cnds-and nail on one Of
the inch strips. That is TIE plate. Cut the
ends of the upper just the beve Of the pitch
Of the roof, and nail them fast to the plate,
placing the end ones inside the studs which
you will let run up promiscuously, to be cut
off BY the rafter. Now lay the garnet floor,
| by all means, before you put on the roof, and
| YOU will fnd that you have saved fifty per
cent. of hard labor. the fters, If sup
| ported so as not to be over ten feet long, will
be strong enough of the two by four stuff
Bevel the ends and nail fast to the jost.-
Then there is no strain upon the sides hy the
weight of the roof, which may be covered
with shingles or other ma erials--the cheap
est being composition or cement roofs. To
make one of this kind, take soft, spongy,
thick paper, and tack it upon the DO, ards in
courses like shingles. Commence at the top
with hot tar and saturate the paper, upon
which sift evenly fine gravel, pressing it in
while hot. c. while tar and gravel are both
hot. One coat will make II tight roof; two coats
will make it more durable. Put up your par
titions of stuff one 10y four, unless where
you want to support the upper joist, then use
stuff two by four, with strips nailed on the
top, for the joist to rest upon, fastening al
together by nails, wherever timbers touch
Thus you will have a frame without a tenor
or mortice, or brsc', md yet it is far cheap
er and intellectually stronger when snishtd,
than though it vas composed Of timbers ten
inches square. with q thousand augur holes
| and a hundred days work with the chisel and
adze, making holes and pins to fill them.
To lay out and frame building so that
all its parts will CONF together, requires the
skill of a master mechanic, and host Of
! men and deal of hard work to lift the great
sticks of timber into position. To erect a
balloon-building requires about as much
mechanical skill as it docs to build board
fence. Any farm who is handy with the
saw, iron square and hammer, with one Of
his boys or Il common laborer to assist him,
can 90 to work and nut IN a frame for an