• l2JgEl£]EJElEigEJZ]ElE]DEJBElElEJaElE]EfE]ElEia THROVGH THE AGES • EJE Bia Eia Bia Eja • BiE] Era EiEi Era Bia Era NOVEMBER. 1923 Thou, O Marble! centuries old, Everlasting, we behold. Sands of time can not efface Thy enduring strength and grace. M. A. B. ^•EjgEigErac^izraEigDEraGigizraEi£]EJBETaCT i E13 EJZ] El£] EIE ElE EJZl • Eia M GlE] Era E13 [Z^ VOL.1 NOVEMBER. 1923 NO. 7 CONTENTS PAGE CRYPT OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL .... Frontispiece M.A,RBLE WORKING IN GREAT BRITAIN 3 A LIST OF THE WORLD'S MARBLES 6 TUNNELING FOR MARBLE 11 MEMORIAL CONTINENTAL HALL 15 FIREPLACES AND MANTELPIECES iq PANTHEON SERVES AS BANK MODEL 25 FRENCH ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE IQ A GOTHIC OFFICE BUILDING 35 H\NDBOOK OF MARBLE 37 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY 4^ Published Monthly by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARBLE DEALERS GAY AND WATER STREETS. BALTIMORE. MD. Executive Offices: 242 KIRBY BUILDING. CLEVELAND, OHIO Application for Second-Class Mailing Privilege has been filed at I3altimore. Md. Subscription Price $3.00 per year Single Copies 3 5 cents Copyright. 1923. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MARBLE DEALERS Photo from E. H. Gliddcn. Architect. Balto., Md. The Crypt, Canterbury Cathedral A Monthly Magazine devoted to the uses of Marble - its universal adaptability, beauty, permanency and economy VOL. 1 NOVEMBER. 1923 NO. 7 MARBLE WORKING IN GREAT BRITAIN art of working marble in Great for working marble and by far the larger I Britain dates back at least to the number of these are of British manufacture. twelfth century. We find Fosterley Marble when received by the manufac• marbles used in the pavement of York Min• turer is in block and has to be cut first into ster, the columns of Durham Cathedral and slabs. This is accomplished by means of a in parts of the Tomb of Archbishop Scrope. gang-saw consisting of a number of blades Marble from Purbeck, in Dorsetshire, was of mild steel set in a frame at distances that used in the cathedrals of Winchester, Wor• correspond to the desired thickness of the cester, Salisbury and Lincoln, as well as in slabs, and kept under tension by wedges at the Tomb of Richard Beauchamp. Earl of the ends. This frame is oscillated by means Warwick, in St. Mary's Church, Warwick. of a rod connecting with a shafting, or with The marbles of Devonshire were used ex• a motor, and sand and water applied. The tensively through the medieval period for frames are automaticalK' lowered by a worm church buildings in Devonshire and Corn• and screw attachment connected with the wall; but outside of these areas, they were shafts carrying the suspending rods. Fine practically unkno\vTi till the beginning of sharp sand is the cutting medium most ex• the nineteenth century. Petworth marble tensively used, but at times other abrasi\'es was used in Westminster Abbey and Canter• are preferred, such as crushed steel shot, bury Cathedral, and Fumess marble was corundum, diamond grit, and other ma• employed in Holker Hall, one of the seats of terials. the Duke of Devonshire. Many other in• The frame saws are constructed to carry stances could be cited showing the early uses any number up to eighty blades and are of British marbles both for decorative and capable of a cutting speed of from one-half constructional purposes. to one inch an hour. Of course, this rate is The establishment of the Kilkenny Mar• determined by the nature of the marble and ble Mills on the River Nore in 1730, worked the cutting power of the medium. Too fast a by water power, was the first known in• cut will frequently result in a ragged surface, stance of the application of other than hand and the quick wearing down of the blades. labor for sawing marble in the British Isles. The slabs obtained from the gang-saw are Today many types of machines are in use placed under a rip-saw, fixed by plaster of ^^^M\ THROVGH THE AGES Paris, and cut down to the sizes required. For large flat surfaces, there is used a com• The rip-saw. thougin somewhat similar to bination rotary sanding and polishing ma• the frame-saw. is lighter in construction and chine consisting of an octagonal frame faced faster working, containing from one to six on the under side with iron knobs for sand• blades, according to the work to be done. ing, or covered with rope or felt for polish• Another method of cutting the slabs to ing. A shaft is connected by a pulley with the sizes needed is by means of the diamond another shaft geared to a main drive-shaft. saw. a circular blade containing a number of The whole is so arranged that an eccentric diamonds set along its edge. The slabs are rotary motion is imparted to the frame. The clamped on a travelling table and carried slabs of marble, having been previously at• under the saw. The cutting action is much tached on the back by plaster to three-inch quicker, but the cut is not as clean as that boards, are set under the frame and a attained by the older method. There are sm(X)th surface soon results. several types of these diamond-saws. In one For large slabs, a "blocking" machine is the saw blade is carried on a travelling sad• sometimes employed. This is a heavy block dle moving along a gantry. In another the covered with felt, connected by a shaft to an saw blade is carried on a saw spindle sup• iron frame, and given a rocking motion by ported at each end on columns or frame crank action. sides. The blades of all of these must be of The "spinner" is another machine used high-grade steel so geared that the periphery for facing work, mostly on large surfaces. speed is the correct one for the most ad• This is a flat-iron perforated disc: there is a vantageous using of the diamonds. The dia• universal joint by which it is connected to monds are selected and fitted in by a special the shafting. The disc, when revolving rap• method. A cutting speed of six inches a idly over the surface of the marble, is show• minute is usual in large blocks of stone, and ered with sand and water, which, passing higher speeds have been maintained in thin through the holes, give the polishing power slabs of marble. No grit or sand is employed needed. Sometimes smaller discs are used but it is essential that an adequate supply of for soffits of arched work and occasionally water be constantly fed on to the periphery discs faced with felt are employed for polish• of the saw. ing purposes. Some unicolored marbles, when the struc• The "Jenny Lind" is a contrivance for ture is of such a homogeneous nature as to surfacing large slabs and is a useful ma• permit it, are coped to size by blows with a chine for general purposes. It allows the hammer and chisel along a previously marked rubbing disc to be operated on a horizontal line. The broken edges are usually quite plane in any direction desired. The rotary clean. motion is gotten by means of belting run• For working the marble, many kinds of ning over two sets of pulleys. machines are used. The edges for plain faced Mouldings are run almost entirely by ma• work are squared on a rubbing bed. which is chinery, which is usually of two types. One a horizontal circular plate of cast iron re• type uses abrasives; the other uses a scrap• volving at a high rate of speed. The marble ing action. This latter, introduced in 1887, is held in position while sand and water are is of heavy construction and depends upon thrown on the bed, and the friction soon the cutting edges of tools fixed in a massive produces a true edge. box running the width of the machine. The [4 introduction of high-speed cutting abrasives the resulting surfaces are smoother and re• for marble dates from 1Q03 and is gradually quire less polishing afterwards; there is far superseding the scraping methods. The cut• more flexibility of manipulation: and the ting medium in general use is carborundum, wear upon the discs is slight and the upkeep and wheels of this substance are attached to cost is comparatively low. a spindle capable of revolving from 1000 to Pneumatic tools are used to some extent 2500 revolutions per minute. for moulded and carved work. Another type Carborundum is used for the working of of machine required is the lathe, and it oc• mouldings, sawing marble to size and oc• cupies an important position in the marble casionally for surfacing slabs and scantlings. worker's equipment. For large columns of It has displaced the diamond-saw in some instances. Various machines for using these seven or eight tons or over, a lathe capable carborundum cutting discs have been intro• of supporting them on centers must be of duced. One. the Universal Stone-working heavy build. The work of turning is done by machine, has been largely employed. In this free-revolving cutters of hardened steel made device, the working shaft can be adjusted to with beveled edges. Sometimes carborun• operate at any angle. There is a wide range dum wheels connected by flexible shafting of work possible, and special attachments are used instead of steel tools. for tuming balusters and small ornaments British machinery for marble working is are provided. The advantages secured by found in many parts of the world and in the the use of abrasive wheels are obvious.