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Plate 214:  Constructing "E.L.L.Y." columns in the structural model, Part 10
(This plate added NOV 2003)

Our remedy for the problem revealed in Plate 213 is not to add a 1/48-inch strip of wood to the west face of the structural model (although this would work). Instead, we will adjust our west-face measurements by uniformly subtracting a quarter-inch from each measurement. This will provide correct dimensions when we "scale down" those measurements by a factor of 12 in the structural model. The quarter-inch adjustments in the E.L.L.Y. (see sketch) are shown in red. As you can see, a quarter of an inch has been subtracted from each west-face measurement.

We see a note (in red) at the top of the sketch that refers to an X-axis and a Y-axis. These are "Cartesian" names (see Plate 210): "X-axis" means the east-west direction, and "Y-axis" means the north-south direction. The note says to subtract a quarter-inch from all east-west measurements with an origin of X,Y. This is how the builder refers to the corner where the west face joins the north face (lower-right corner of sketch).

The sketch shows a second origin at the left of origin X,Y, near column 10. The other origin is called X,Y' (X,Y-prime). This "origin" notation serves to remind the builder that one set of east-west measurements was made from the west face, and another set from column 10.