# a cartabón



## Boadicea

The context is talking about a new design of roof tile constructed in such a way that "Esta morfología permite el solape de las piezas a cartabón sin dejar al descubierto ni juntas ni orificio alguno entre las piezas y en dirección a la pendiente por donde pueda calar el agua de lluvia."  My attempt thus far:
"This structure enables the tiles to overlap in the direction of the incline along which the rain water might penetrate, without leaving any open joints or gaps between the tiles."
"a cartabón" appears to be a way of overlapping tiles but as the only menaing I know for "cartabón" is "set square" I am afraid I cannot figure this one out.  Any clues would be welcome.  Many thanks.


----------



## frida-nc

Hi Boadicea,
I looked for images of "a cartabón" and though there were only a few and of interiors, they seemed to show an oblique or diagonal setting of titles (for instance, a diamond rather than a square where the rest of the pieces were square.  
Since the "Cartabón" (set square) is a "scalene triangle" shape, perhaps the term in roofing tiles would suggest a pattern of diamonds with the sides of the tile oblique to the roof line.

I hope that someone else can be more specific.


----------



## Mafe Dongo

_cartabón _is a scalene triangle.

_cartabón_
 m. Plantilla de madera, plástico u otro material en forma de triángulo rectángulo escaleno que se utiliza en delineación. 

_escuadra_
 f. Plantilla de madera, plástico u otro material, en forma de triángulo rectángulo isósceles, que se utiliza en delineación.


----------



## Mafe Dongo

"Esta morfología permite el solape de las piezas *a cartabón* sin dejar al descubierto ni juntas ni orificio alguno entre las piezas y en dirección a la pendiente por donde pueda calar el agua de lluvia." 

"This structure enables the pieces to overlap *in a right angle* without leaving any open joints or gaps between them, and  in  direction to the pitch where it could let in the rain water."


----------



## Boadicea

Many thanks frida-fc and MafeDongo, I think I can visualise it now!
k.r.
Boadicea.


----------



## juandiego

I can not figure out what *a cartabón* means in the original text (on a roof) but I have the impression that the first explanation and translation is right; a system by overlapping a piece with the next one in a right angle instead of in the same alingment.

But to put or place a graze tile "a cartabón" is when the joints(gaps) between pieces are not vertical and horizontal lines but 45º sexagesimal degrees inclined.


----------



## troy73

cartabon = square


----------



## cabazorro

Hi, I agree with Mafe dongo, about that the cartabón is an scalene triangle, is very common this mistake in the word use, a lot of people use just “escuadra”, when they refer to escuadra or cartabón.


----------



## zebedee

Just to confirm that _a cartabón_ when referring to tiling is when the tiles are set to look like diamonds with their corners touching rather than squares with their sides touching.

Here's an example image. In this picture although both sets of tiles are exactly the same size and shape, the brown tiles on the wall are set _a cartabón_ (at an angle) and the white ones are set normally.


----------



## Boadicea

many thanks for your help everybody, it is now quite clear.


----------

