The Cement Worker’s Hand-Book by W. H. Baker is a compact practical treatment of cement and its use in construction. The title page says it was compiled for the lay workman, and the copyright page dates it to April 1906. It was published in Atlanta, Georgia, by Southern Architect and Building News.
A handbook written from the workman’s viewpoint
In the preface Baker describes the gap between the expanding use of cement and the practical knowledge available to people handling it. He draws on his experience as a mason and argues that a workman should understand causes and effects rather than merely follow instructions without understanding the material.
That purpose shapes the book’s arrangement. It begins with commercial hydraulic cements, then moves to mortars and concretes before presenting cast masonry and practical notes. The sequence gives a reader background before introducing the variety of things that can be made.
The volume is useful as evidence of how trade knowledge was explained to a working audience in the early twentieth century. Its language and organization differ from an engineering design manual, while still emphasizing that the quality of workmanship matters as much as the name of a material.
Cements, mortars and concrete mixtures
The first part covers history, composition, properties and classification. Mortars follow, with composition, mixing and handling, nature and kinds. Neat cement mortar, Portland cement mortar, natural cement mortar and cement-lime mortar are distinguished.
The concrete section repeats the attention to composition and handling, then discusses ordinary, reinforced or armored, liquid, mortar and pulp concrete. These categories preserve the terminology of the period and are best understood in the context of the author’s explanations.
Readers studying older specifications can use these sections to see how a trade writer separated products and processes that are sometimes grouped too loosely under concrete. They also show how preparation and placement were treated as active parts of the craft.
Stationary and portable cast masonry
The cast-masonry part covers foundations and footings, walls, floors supported on the ground and floors supported on joists. Ceilings and partitions are included before walks, drives and curbing. The range connects concrete with the organization of a building and its surrounding surfaces.
Other subjects include posts, cisterns, reservoirs, culverts and steps. Portable cast masonry then introduces building blocks, fence posts, troughs, tanks, chimney tops, sewers, statuary and ornaments. This grouping makes clear the distinction between work cast in place and objects made for later use or installation.
For a household or farm-history library, these applications provide a broad view of the material’s proposed uses. The book is not devoted to one object; it attempts to supply a general working vocabulary and then carry that knowledge into different forms of construction.
Defects, weather, forms and finishing
The final part gathers practical notes. Hair cracks, settling or shrinkage cracks and pock marks appear alongside freezing and hot weather. Dry surfaces and adhesion are treated as workmanship issues rather than merely cosmetic concerns.
Seasoning, measuring ingredients, reworking mortar and concrete, and forms for cast masonry extend the discussion into the timing and organization of work. Filling and polishing cast surfaces and coloring cement work bring attention to the finished appearance.
Cement testing, cost, methods of house construction and silos complete the range. Historical costs and construction details should be read as period evidence. They do not establish the suitability, durability or economy of a present-day mixture or structural arrangement.
Who will find it useful?
This free ebook suits trade-history readers, building researchers and people interested in practical materials instruction. It is especially helpful for comparing the language of the workman’s handbook with more specialized engineering texts. Present-day structural, water-storage and construction work requires current designs and standards.
The scan contains 99 PDF pages, including the title and preliminary matter. An opening index lists the five parts and their subjects. Searchable text is present, but recognition errors affect words and numbers. The scanned page should be consulted whenever a proportion, dimension or technical term is important.
Book details
- Author: W. H. Baker
- Publisher: Southern Architect and Building News, Atlanta, Georgia
- Year: 1906
- Edition: Copyright April 1906; no numbered edition stated
- Digital length: 99 PDF pages
- Language: English
- File size: 10.23 MB
