Oak shingles as a roof covering have a good appearance after they have become somewhat weathered. They are made from the ordinary rended oak pales, and must be riven out of as straight-grained oak as can be obtained; in no case must they be sawn. Shingles that are of fairly equal thickness, and have little or no sap, should be chosen. Pales 4 ft. 6 in. or 6 ft. in length may be most economically cut up into shingles 18 in. long, which is the usual length, their width being from 3in. to 5 in. It is not advisable to give them a greater width than 5 in., or they will be likely to curl excessively. They are usually about 1 in. in thickness at one end, and taper off towards the other. The roof in preparation for the shingling must first be close-boarded. The shingling is then started with an eaves course of shingles from 10in. to 12 in. long, and from this the work proceeds in the same manner as that of ordinary roof slating, with a 6-in. lap. Each shingle has two nails driven through it at, say 11 in. from the foot of the shingle, so that each shingle is eventually held by four nails, the nails being machine wrought, about 1' in. long, and with rose heads.

Boring is not required, for if the shingles are wetted a little they will be easily pierced by the nails and there will be no danger of their splitting. At the hips, the shingles are mitred with a shingling axe over a secret gutter lined with lead. The cost of shingling is more than that of slating, but it is greatly superior in stability; and if the work is properly executed, repairs are almost wholly unnecessary. Winter felled shingles will last fifty years or more.