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Quoting Graham "I suppose iron rods could be used just as well as timber beams." On Dartmoor from my understanding wooden rods were used more often than iron rods up to the turn of the 20th century. The only drawback that I can see with the wooden rods was that they broke quite often. There's plenty of local newspaper reports of mines with their equipment broken due to severe weather i.e. ice had built up on launders, water-wheels and in some cases the rods were reported broken by the shear weight of the ice. Today makes me laugh regarding "Global Warming" If any local mine historian has researched a particular area like I have, you'll come across absolute decades of very severe weather reports, especially on Dartmoor. Some mines couldn't be worked due to breakages, no water to work machinery due to it being frozen, and in some cases for months at a time. Regards Chris Kelland.