Mortise and tenon joints connecting joists to the timbers had to fit exactly. Apprentices performed the labor-intensive joinery, under the direction of a master carpenter. Joists are parallel timber beams used to support the floor and ceiling loads, supported, in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls. As a result, carpenters had to custom-fit each joist to the taper of the timbers. To provide maximum support, the timbers were reversed that is, the base of one is at the basement's west end and the stump end of its mate lies at the east. These girders and most of the building's other timber framing were of Eastern White Pine, which is hardly available today. No sawmill was large enough to handle them. Supporting the first floor are two girders, each 45 feet long and roughly squared off with an adze.
#CARPENTERS ADZE PLUS#
Picks and shovels plus workmen's back-breaking labor built the basement. The foundation is equally sturdy, consisting of random-sized pieces of stone mortared together in what is known as a "rubble foundation." The black-colored bricks, called "headers," are turned on end and tie together several courses of bricks which otherwise might separate at the mortar joints. The weight of Carpenters' Hall is principally borne by the exterior brick walls, which are 13 inches thick. Interior steel supports modern structures. The square-ness and accuracy of its construction is equal to that of contemporary structures. The result is a gem of Georgian-style architecture, which is both a fitting memorial to Smith and a tribute to the builders. Smith's plan was simplicity itself: a two-story, 50-foot square building with 10-foot cutouts at each corner. In the winter of 1777, he died while helping construct fortifications, which prevented the British fleet from capturing the city. Unfortunately Carpenters' Hall was among his last achievements. It is a tribute to Smith that his colleagues in the Company charged him with the design. Smith, then 48, had a well-established reputation not only in Philadelphia but throughout the colonies. Robert Smith, a Scottish-trained architect and builder, headed a 12-man construction committee. This fact alone assured Carpenters' Hall a key role in the events of the War for Independence. For many years the Hall was the largest rental space in the city. More than a meeting place, the Hall would showcase their considerable technical skills and also be available for rent. On New Year's Day, 1770, Carpenters' Company members voted to proceed with their Hall.
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