scapple

Etymology

Compare Old French eskaper, eschapler (“to cut, hew”), Late Latin scapello. Compare scabble.

verb

1. (transitive) To work roughly, or shape without finishing, as stone before leaving the quarry.
   Where the forms of the stones are irregular, a duplicate set of templets is sent to the quarries in order that they may be roughly scappled into shape by the quarryman, which saves expense of carriage, and also much of the subsequent labour of the mason. 1849, Edward Dobson, A rudimentary treatise on Masonry and Stonecutting, page 33
   Bluestone ashlar work, with rustic chamfered joints, the faces of the stones being left rough, as scappled from the quarry, at per cubic foot. 1857, Victoria. Parliament. Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Papers, page 34
   A large quantity of stone was quarried, and scappled into blocks, for H.M. Dockyard at Portsmouth, and for other purposes, on the spot. 1876, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Reports from Commissioners - Volume 37, page 355
2. (transitive) To dress (e.g. stone) in any way short of fine tooling or rubbing.
   The door scuncheons and lintels of the cart-house and loose cattle sheds are to be neatly draughted and scappled (stones are said to scappled or scabbled, when they are dressed with the pick end of the hammer; they are called draughted and scappled when worked round the edges or joints with a chisel and hammer-dressed in the centre), and the corners canted with droved work. 1835, John Claudius Loudon, An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture, page 469
   Paving is to be properly scappled, squared, and jointed, and bedded in mortar upon hard and dry rubble which has been well rammed. 1836, John Claudius Loudon, The Architectural Magazine - Volume 3, page 20
   Supposing that it is to be built of marble facing averaging two feet in depth and of stones of not less than one-half cubic yard, with a backing of large blocks of gneiss, well scappled, and laid in hydraulic mortar, with an iron stairway 5 feet wide, divided into sixty straight flights of 10 feet rise each, and an equal number of horizontal platforms, each 5 feet wide and 25 feet long; the apex or roof to be of wroght-iron beams, rafters and tie-rods, and cast-iron plates, all perflectly plain and substantial work, the approximate cost will be 1878, Second Session of the Forty-Fifth Congress, 1877-'78, United States Congressional Serial Set, page 16
   And if the Stone be scappled to a mould for Cornices, Columns, Capitalls or the like, and not square Block (and to be readyly provided) then a farther allowance is to be made not exceeding per Tunn - Twelve pence 1930, Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Vanbrugh, Arthur Thomas Bolton, The Royal Palaces of Winchester, Whitehall, Kensington, and St. James's Christopher Wren, Architect for Their Majesties King Charles II., page 33