Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 04 October 2021, 09:16:28 AM
The bit that astounds me is that fairly large ships retained a single carpenter for repairs.
What those guys achieved (without power tools) is quit remarkable.

In the days before Trust-a-Trader I suspect that a sizeable minority of the crew could sensibly be co-opted into assisting with repairs.

The blocks for the pyramids were cut with copper chisels. Our forebears made up (with time, manpower and persistence) for their lack of power tools.

Remarkable indeed.

Quote from: Ithoriel on 04 October 2021, 01:29:37 PM
In the days before Trust-a-Trader I suspect that a sizeable minority of the crew could sensibly be co-opted into assisting with repairs.

The blocks for the pyramids were cut with copper chisels. Our forebears made up (with time, manpower and persistence) for their lack of power tools.

Remarkable indeed.

FSN has pointed out that the master carpenter had up to 10 assistants (Presumably fewer on smaller ships) and it's reasonable to expect limitless numbers of able and ordinary seamen to join in with the donkey work.


I forget which TV programme descriibed the copper chisels.
Each stonemason had a relay of chisels (Copper, or even bronze is soft), and a crew of sharpeners to enure there was always at least one good chisel ready to go.

The real secret of the ancients is "Lots of people lots of time".