Compass (architecture) explained

In carpentry, architecture, and shipbuilding, a compass is a curved circular form.^[1]

Examples

• A compass plane is a plane that is convex, length-ways, on the underside, for smoothing the concave faces of curved woodwork.
• A compass saw is a narrow-bladed saw that cuts a curve.
• A compass timber is a curved (or crooked) timber, sometimes used in shipbuilding.
• A compass brick is a curved brick.^[2]
• A compass wall is a curved wall.
• A compass window is a circular bay window.^[3]
• A surveyor's compass (or circumferentor) is a measuring instrument used in surveying horizontal angles.

Notes and References

1. Book: Dell Upton. Holy Things and Profane: Anglican Parish Churches in Colonial Virginia. 1997. Yale University Press. 978-0-300-06565-7. 261–.
2. Book: W.A. Radford. Radford's brick houses. Рипол Классик. 978-5-87292-530-9. 21–.
3. Sturgis, Russell. "Compass" "Sturgis' illustrated dictionary of architecture and building: an unabridged reprint of the 1901-2 edition". Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 1989. Print.