Trussing with Guy Wires.
The next move is to "tie" the frame together rigidly by the aid of
guy wires. This is where the No. 12 piano wire comes in. Each rectangle
formed by the struts and stanchions with the exception of the small
center one, is to be wired separately as shown in the illustration. At
each of the eight corners forming the rectangle the
ring of one of the eye-bolts will be found. There are two ways of doing
this "tieing," or trussing. One is to run the wires diagonally from
eye-bolt to eye-bolt, depending upon main strength to pull them taut
enough, and then twist the ends so as to hold. The other is to first
make a loop of wire at each eye-bolt, and connect
these loops to the main wires with turn-buckles. This latter method is
the best, as it admits of the tension being regulated by simply turning
the buckle so as to draw the ends of the wire closer together. A glance
at the illustration will make this plain, and also show how the wires
are to be placed. The proper degree of tension may be determined in the
following manner:
After the frame is wired place each end on a saw-horse so as to
lift the entire frame clear of the work-shop
floor. Get under it, in the center rectangle and, grasping the center
struts, one in each hand, put your entire weight on the structure. If it
is properly put together it will remain rigid and unyielding. Should it
sag ever so slightly the tension of the wires must be increased until
any tendency to sag, no matter how slight it may be, is overcome.