rtises for butts, face
plates, strike plates, escutcheons, and the like, up to a depth of 5/16,
and a width of 3 inches. The principal feature in the plane is the
method of mounting the cutter, which can be instantly set to work from
either end of the plane or across it.

[Illustration: _Fig. 283. Door Trim Plane._]

The cutter, as shown in Fig. 283, is cushioned by a spring which
prevents taking a heavier chip than can be easily carried. A fence
regulates the position of the cut and insures the sides of the cut being
parallel. The depth of the cut is governed by a positive stop. By
removing the fence and locking the cutter post with the thumb screw,
instead of using the spring, a very superior router plane is obtained.

CHAPTER XIX

ROOFING TRUSSES

The chapter on Bridge Building gives some suggestions as to form of
trusses, the particular types there shown being principally for wide
spans. Such trusses were made for one purpose only, namely, to take
great weight, and they were, as a consequence, so constructed as to
provide strength.

But a roofing truss, while designed to hold the accumulated materials,
such as snow and ice, likely to be deposited there, is of such a design,
principally, so as to afford means of ornamentation. This remark has
reference to such types as dispense with the cross, or tie beam, which
is the distinguishing feature in bridge building.

The tie beam is also an important element in many types of trusses,
where ornamentation is not required, or in such structures as have the
roofed portion of the buildings enclosed by ceiling walls, or where the
space between the roofs is used for storage purposes.

In England, and on the Continent of Europe, are thousands of trusses
structured to support the roofs, which are marvels of beauty. Some of
them are bewildering in their formation. The moldings, beaded surfaces,
and the carved outlines of the soffits, of the arches, and of the
purlins, are wonderful in detail.

The wooden roof of Westminster Hall, while very simple in structure, as
compared with many others, looks like an intricate maze of beams, struts
and braces, but it is, nevertheless, so harmonized that the effect is
most pleasing to the eye, and its very appearance gives the impression
of grandeur and strength.

Nearly all of the forms shown herein have come down to us from mediaeval
times, when more stress was laid on wooden structures than at the
present time, but most o