Accession No
0453
Brief Description
rolling parallel rule by W & S Jones, c.1800
Origin
30 Holborn; London; England
Maker
W & S Jones
Class
drawing
Earliest Date
1800
Latest Date
1800
Inscription Date
Material
metal (brass); wood (ebony); ivory
Dimensions
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from T.H. Court in 03/1929.
Inscription
‘W & S JONES* 30
HOLBORN LONDON’
Description Notes
Ebony rule; bevelled edges with engraved ivory scales graduated on one side 1 - 9 inches by 1/8 inch and 1 - 0 - 16 in 1/4 inches (to middle of scale) and from other end1 - 0 - 5 in 3/4 inches; graduated on other side 0 - 18 in 1/2 inches and 1 - 0 - 34 in 1/8 inches (to middle of scale) and 1 - 0 - 8 in 1/2 inches. Fluted brass bar with knurled rollers and ivory scale (broken in halft at one end) graduated 0 - 24 by 1.
fair condition, some cracking
half an ivory scale is missing
References
Events
Description
Parallel rule
Used by architects, engineers, cartographers and on nautical charts, the parallel rule is used for drawing parallel lines accurately. It is also used in conjunction with a scale rule for producing orthogonal drawings (with lines in non-parallel direction as well). The pivoting links can be extended to the required distance, but this makes the instrument liable to error for larger drawings because the extension is changed by hand, and can be varied accidentally.
18/10/2002
Created by: Saffron Clackson on 18/10/2002
FM:39859
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