filling pieces between frames

[AON]

Framing filler pieces

 

Construction of the English Man of War 1650-1850 by Peter Goodwin, pg 17 states:

"The filling pieces were made ..... and were bolted in place in the fore and aft direction."

 

As bolts were more like iron rivets with a ring washer how did they hold the one end in while hammering the other end to mushroom it over the ring?   Particularly when the space was 1/4" or 1- 3/4" or even 2-3/4".

 

Did they insert a temporary metal filler to hold the bolt in place?

Edited March 12, 2016 by AON

[druxey]

Presumably this was carried out as frames were erected - not after the fact.

[AON]

Okay

So the very first set are easy to do.

 

Then a third frame goes up....

Presumably the hole was bored through the second and third frame, and the bolt installed in the second frame, before it went up as the bolt could not be installed after.

 

How do they brace the bolt head to hammer the other end?

Did they use metal plates and wedge shims in the space?

 

[AON]

Hoping someone knows the answer.

 

I just seems to me treenailing (dowels) would be easier to drive home from one side only

but the contract specifies bolts and I cannot imagine how

 

Last century rivets had to be red hot to hammer the heads to a tight mushroom shape (bridge construction) so I imagine it was the same in the 1700s (for ships)

 

How could they pre-insert a red hot bolt, get the timber in place, and then hammer the end over before it was too cool and still support the inaccessible far side head of the bolt.

 

Stuff like this keeps me awake a night   

Edited March 13, 2016 by AON

[rybakov]

Well, not pretending to have the answer here are my thoughts:

 

 

To steady the end between frames perhaps could they have used a wedge?

the other end could just be bent 90 degrees instead of mushroomed?

 

I have seen large iron nails bent that way, and perhaps the iron ring was put there to provide

support for the bending and avoid the wood splitting?

 

 

If this will help you to sleep at night so much the better

 

 

Zeh

[jbshan]

It doesn't have to be hot to form a head.

It doesn't have to have heads both ends to be a bolt.

They have found wrecks with square iron 'bolts' driven through, more like a very large spike.

[AON]

spikes

now that makes sense

thank you