Saturday, October 24, 2009

Fret

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AKA: Frette, Fretwork, Key Pattern, Greek Key, Labyrinthine Fret

Location: Roxana, Delaware

Additional Information: Frets are interlaced patterns within a band or border. They come in a variety of designs and are very widespread. Examples span the ages and can be found in architecture, textiles, metalwork, pottery and more from all around the world.

Relative Link: Greek Key Pattern: Inspirations

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Friday, October 23, 2009

Herringbone Brick Pattern

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AKA: 45 Degree Herringbone, Herringbone diagonal

Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Additional Information: The herringbone pattern is recommended for heavy vehicle applications because it gives maximum interlock minimizing the potential for brick shift.

Relative Link: Structural Design of Interlocking Concrete Pavement for Roads and Parking Lots

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Rubber Electrical Insulating Blanket

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AKA: Slotted Insulating Blanket, Lineman's Blanket, Diaper

Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Additional Information: The insulated Rubber blanket provides versatile protection from accidental contact with high voltage line hardware. 

Relative Link: Properly Maintain Rubber Products

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Butterfly Hinge

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AKA: ~

Additional Information: Two identical wings connect to a central barrel resembling a butterfly or bow tie.

Relative Link: Old American Houses

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Shingle Style

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AKA: Contemporary Shingle Style

Location: Dewey Beach, Delaware

Additional Information: On September 18th 1873 the headline “Financial Crash: Money World Shaken From Center To Circumference” heralded the onset of America's worst financial crisis to date. In the coming weeks thousands of banks and businesses would close and by the end of that year a quarter of New York City’s population would be out of work.

7 years later on December 6th 1880 President Rutherford B. Hayes began his state of the union address like this: “I congratulate you” he said “on the continued and increasing prosperity of our country. By the favor of Divine Providence we have been blessed during the past year with health, with abundant harvests, with profitable employment for all our people, and with contentment at home, and with peace and friendship with other nations.”

America was back on her feet.

It was about this time that the Shingle style of building emerged in the Boston area. Over the next twenty years it would absorb elements of several major American architectural styles and would, in my opinion, break so completely with convention of the day that it would need to be reined back in around the turn of the century. I see in the shingle style a real devil may care attitude which befits a nation coming back from the brink. What an incredible thing it must have been to build them; to see those organically inspired lines taking form in a wave of shingles washing over an eyebrow dormer. The Shingle Style was also famous for wide porches, towers, Pallidin windows, Romanesque arches, rusticated stone foundations, flared eaves and of course shingles for as far as the eye could see.

The example we have is of a contemporary building in the shingle style. I was lucky enough to venture down its street in Dewey Beach, Delaware with my camera. I knew it was something special and was not surprised that an internet search returned our relative link.

Relative Link: Shingle Style

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Pregnant Baluster

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AKA: Potbelly Baluster

Location: Milton, Delaware

Additional Information: Potbelly is a term I found to reference this shape more often in metal but I did find instances where it was attributed to wood. 

Relative Link: Porch Balusters

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

Wing Dividers

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AKA: Scriber

Additional Information: The wing is the flat curved piece which passes through both legs. On the fixed end it terminates in a threaded shaft upon which the thumb nut is secured. A simple spring holds the wing in place and allows for fine adjustments via the thumb nut. The thumb screw is used to lock the legs in place. Dividers can be used to lay out circles and arcs or to step off or transfer equal distances. They can also scribe a line parallel to an uneven edge or surface.

Relative Link: What are layout tools and how to use them

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