How is a boning rod used?

Answer 1

Boning Rods

Boning rods are used to set the pegs that mark the center of the
road, and ensure that the pegs lie in the same plane. The surface
of a road or bush path built without the help of boning rods has
many small dips and bumps, reflecting the shape of the ground
under the road. Boning rods help assure that the surface of the
road will be level.

Boning rods are made of ordinary timber one inch thick. They
always come in sets of three. All three boning rods in a set must
be identical. For this reason, if one of the rods wears down or
breaks, it must immediately be discarded and a new rod made to
replace it. A boning rod is T-shaped; the height of the upright
of the T is 48 inches, and the length of the crosspiece is 36
inches. The two arms are at right angles to each other, and must
be fastened together securely with three screwnails. To use the
boning rods, you put them on the first two pegs and then sight
along the rods to place the third rod correctly. If the crosspiece
of the third boning rod sticks up above the level of the
nearer two, then you must drive the peg on which it stands further
down. If, on the other hand, the third crosspiece cannot be
seen, the peg is too low and must be made higher. When you have
adjusted all three pegs in this manner, so that they are all in
line, the person carrying each rod moves forward so that the
next peg can be boned in (adjusted to the same level) in the same
way the others were.


The overseer of a road-building project has to decide where the
road will change levels. In flat country, it may be possible for
the road to remain at the same level for distances of about 40
yards, but in hilly country the level may need to be adjusted as
often as every five yards. Unless major obstacles like swamps and
mountains are unavoidable, you will probably want to select a
roadway that does not require adjustments in level of more than
three feet. It is also desirable that the amount of earth that
needs to be excavated (or cut) be the same as the amount of earth
that needs to be used as fill.

Answer 2

BONING RODS

Boning rods are T-shaped wooden tools, usually 120 cm high and 20 cm wide at the top. They are used in sets of three to help the Rural Builder to level between two given points.

Points a and b are marked with the water level and any point in between them can be obtained by using the third boning rod and sighting along the rods.

http://www.crystal-netbook.info/e137949/e137950/e137965/index_eng.html

Answer 3

like in sewing... you get some bias tape and sew the boning down to the material to make it stiff. i've used it when making a bodice. i'd reccomend metal boning to plastic.