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Matching Roman-numeral-like scribes on two timbers.
Also known as: Assembly mark, Carpenter's mark, Scribe mark, Matching numerals on beams
A carpenter cutting a timber frame marks each joint with a pair of matching scribes so the pieces can be reassembled on site in the right order. They are cut with a race knife or chisel and read like tally numerals — and they survive in standing buildings as a record of how a frame was made.
Denote matching marks cut into two timbers of a joint so that a pre-assembled frame can be taken apart and correctly rebuilt.
Contexts: History
Are cut with a race knife or chisel in a tally-like sequence resembling Roman numerals, since they must be legible in rough timber.
Contexts: History
Survive in standing timber-framed buildings and are used by historians to establish how and in what order a frame was assembled.
Contexts: History
Short straight cut lines in groups, sometimes with a diagonal or a crossing stroke, incised into the face of a timber beside a joint.
A fuller structured visual breakdown is not yet documented for this symbol.