timber frame home

[logman]

Just got back from raising a nice frame in Charlottesville,Va.
It took 2 weeks to assemble and raise the frame and install
the panels.  It had 2 king post bents and 5 queen post bents
plus a 40+' tower with king post bents.  I will try and post
some pictures soon.  It was a machine cut frame from a
company in BC.  

[Squirrell_Boy]

 That sounds like a huge house. How many square feet? 7 bents and a 40' foot tower that is impressive. Must have a big family and a lot of $. Too bad it was machine cut. That takes all the fun out of timber framing. What kind of wood was the frame made of? Did you volunteer to help with the raising or
were you hired to raise it? Just curious. I have volunteered to help raise a couple of frames here in Illinois. I see you are a TF Guild member. I just joined a couple of months ago.

[logman]

Squirrell Boy,
  The timber frame part was only about 2500 sq ft not counting the attic space (yeah, an attic).  It is a long tall
skinny house.  It is 16'8" wide by 60' long.  The frame is
doug fir from BC.  I was hired to help, I saw the ad on TFG's
web site.  

[Greg]

Squirrell Boy,
  The timber frame part was only about 2500 sq ft not counting the attic space (yeah, an attic).  It is a long tall
skinny house.  It is 16'8" wide by 60' long.  The frame is
doug fir from BC.  I was hired to help, I saw the ad on TFG's
web site.  

IF you don't mind my asking what is the going market rate for itinerant (sp?) timber framers. Did you just erect the structure, or actually cut the frame?

greg

[Squirrell_Boy]

 This house sounds really unique. Hope you can post the pictures soon. I would love to see them. Was the Doug Fir recycled old growth stuff? I'm sure it is beautiful recycled or not. Sometimes it just seems a shame to me that people don't use local woods. That is one of the great things about timber framing. I'll bet there is some awesome trees for timber
framing where you live. I like the different regional character that comes about from local woods and local architectual influences.

[logman]

The douglas fir was standing dead from British Columbia.  I
will get some pictures on a disc and try and post them.

[Jim_Rogers]

logman forwarded the pictures to me so that I could post them for him.
here are the shots of this frame:











logman, I cut the size of the last picture down a little to remove side stuff that made the picture way to big.

Nice looking frame.
Jim

[Squirrell_Boy]

 Thanks Jim and Logman: That is a great frame and it looks like a really nice setting. You can do a lot of different styles with timber framing. You can use a variety of woods and joinery which can really add to the beauty of it all. I think that is why i like Jack Sobon's way of timber framing. A house like a fine piece of furniture. You don't get that with stick framing.
I think use of local woods is good thing if you can. Local labor
and resources, other regional influences that make a place special.

[UNCLEBUCK]

hey how long does it take all of you to do a frame like the size of sobons toolshed like a 12 foot frame ,just one! how long about and do you all use a chain mortiser or a 16 inch skil saw or a prazzi or just the chisel and auger way, I sure would like a millers falls boring machine but the milwaukee does the same thing , thanks ! I am a rookie at timber framing, I mean a rookie ! that is a tall house in the pics but a beautiful one too !

[Jim_Rogers]

Uncle Buck:
Well how long it takes depends on how much time you can put into it.
If you can work on it full time, not that long, or less time than if you only work on it weekends.
Here at my sawmill yard, I have or hold workshops where I teach people of all ages how to layout and cut joints.
Recently I had a student come for his second workshop, with me, and he laid out all the joints for one simple post and cut them in one day. So that's a bottom tenon from the post to the sill, a top tenon from the post to the plate, and a threw mortise for the tie beam. Basically I'd consider that three joints on that timber.
Now this barn/shed/cabin we're cutting out has a lot of posts and their dimensions are 6x6.
Being his second time, his work was faster than the first week.
As you do the same tasks over and over gaining experience you get faster at them. So as it might seem slow to say take two hours to layout and cut one joint now, after a few more workshops his rate might be down to one hour per joint.
One hour per joint seems to be about a standard rate as far as I have seen, but of course that depends on the complexity of the joint and/or whether or not you're using hand tools only or some power tools.
Hopefully others will comment on how long it takes them to do their joints.
Here I try to teach the students how to do the work with the tools they'll have at their place when they do their own frame.
I don't personally own a chain mortiser, yet. So, we use my boring machine. But I've also showed them how to do the same work using a power drill and a large drill bit. Then allowed them to make the choice about how they want to do the work.
I do have a large skil saw that will cut a 6x6 in one pass and some times they choose to use it, but most of the time they choose to use a regular 7 1/2" skil saw and finish with a hand saw.
So, my point is that you have to learn how to use the tools you have, and with experience you'll get faster as it goes along.
Good luck with your project.
Jim

[logman]

Uncle Buck,
It took me about 4 months to cut all my joints for my 24x36
frame.  I work 40 hours a week at a university so that was
cutting in my off time.  I bought a chain mortiser to speed
things up and I got a 16" Makita but I didn't get the 16"
saw until later when I was cutting all my joists and purlins.
I used it to cut an angle on my joists and purlins which did
a better job than my 8 1/4" saw did.  
Jim,
Thanks again for posting those pictures.

[UNCLEBUCK]

well that sounds good to me , I can handle that then, I tell ya I have never felt anything so heavy as a green white oak squared up, maybe I have to just get over the shock of white oak , I will prevail but I just shut down the sawmill till spring now and am afraid I gotta go make some money all winter but I am not giving up , this spring I will have lots of pictures and threads to post, still am glad I read the books and decided to go the timber framed way just for a new challenge, thanks