A Beam Strengthened by Binding Cords
Two pivoted beams lashed tight around a roller with a windlass so the beam cannot break
The folio presents what the note calls a 'wondrous force': a beam is kept from breaking because it is bound all over with cords that tighten around it on every side. The drawing shows two beams joined by a pivot and held about a cylindrical body by a long cord passed many times over pegs projecting from their sides. A windlass beside the lower beam draws the whole binding tight.
On this page
A wondrous force that keeps a beam from breaking
The note describes a wondrous force that holds a beam so that it cannot break: the beam is bound all over with cords that tighten around it on every side, so the strain is spread through the lashing rather than concentrated in the wood.
Two pivoted beams lashed around a roller
Two beams joined by a pivot are held about a cylindrical body by a long cord wound many times over pegs projecting from their sides. A windlass set to one side of the lower beam tightens the whole binding.