RLH Wrote:
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> > I remember a
> > while back I read about someone who had this
> idea
> > that the notches in the GG ramps were used to
> keep
> > the blocks from sliding down but I can’t
> remember
> > when or who said it. This data would seem to
> > render that idea null.
Hello RLH,
As far as I can establish so far, Ludwig Borchardt (1864-1938) had the idea first.
No doubt there have been a few variations on the theme since then.
Anthony Wrote:
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> No, what "render(s) that idea null" is the fact
> that the spaces between these holes in the benches
> are the wrong distance apart to accomodate the
> blocks that we actually have in the passage.
>
> I'm really puzzled by the fact that it ever got
> any serious air time. It's a quick comparison,
> and they just don't fit. ‘
There is no need to be puzzled, Anthony.
From the north wall of the Grand Gallery to the Great Step there is a total 27 holes in the ramps.
They are spaced along the tops of the ramps from roughly 42” to 48” apart (see Smyth).
The three granite blocks are an average 60” long.
All that is needed is for the wooden beams to be located at every other hole. 
If blocks were stored on the floor of the Gallery, then something was needed to keep them in place, and what better than a thick beam of wood fixed across the width of the Gallery from wall to wall and resting on the top of the ramps?
MJ