10' X 12' Timber Frame Shed (Raising the Frame)

[jander3]

Planned to have this shed finished last spring.  Just pegged the first bent today.    Should raise the shed in a few weeks.

 







Neighbors keep coming by an asking, "What, exactly, are you building?   Sure looks like too much work!"  My reply, "Beats sitting on the couch and drinking Tequila."  

[Brad_bb]

  It always seems that way to outsiders.  I think it's just people's lack of experience with a chisel.  If you had to use only a chisel for mortise and tenons, no saw, no auger bits etc, I think that is how people picture it - using only a chisel.
   Looks like you are a quick learner.  Did you draw/design the frame yourself or did you get some consulting.  If you have a pic or sketch of the frame, please post.  What is the end use of this shed?

[thecfarm]

Looks good. Just tell him to go back inside to watch TV.  I like to be outside doing something. Lots of people have the thought that if they don't do it,why would anyone want to do it.

[jander3]

 Brad,

I made up the design with Google Sketchup and Timber Frame Rubies.  Jim Rogers helped me figure out that the loads would be OK.   






The SketchUp file is posted on the forum at the following url:

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,49542.0.html

[craigc]

I am building a 12 x 18 shed in my back yard and get people walking by and stare.  Last night my daughter was outside and heard a couple say over and over ' that is the prettiest shed".  She came in smiling with that story.

[jander3]

I finished most of the preps, I have a few loose ends to wrap up.  Then, I can make a gin pole and get this thing raised, probably next week. I even have some help lined up to raise the shed. Actually having a few spare hands on raising day, well, that should make things somewhat easier than figuring a way for one guy to tackle this job.



Cutting the plates.




Pegging Bent Number 3.  I, do so, love the truck straps.




 
Three bents were assembled, pegged, and staged for raising. 

[ljmathias]

Looks great!  From the pictures, appears to be fine work on the joints.

Do you have a hoist and tackle for the gin pole?  How high do you plan on making it?  Jim Rogers had a thread on this a while back, made a very interesting set up for his gin pole, as I recall.  Might want to look it up.

I wanted to use a gin pole on the single bent we raised in my daughter's house but chickened out at the last minute- it was just me and her with a full two story bent that probably weighed in at a ton.  Ended up using a telescopic fork lift rated at 3 ton to gently raise it up and position it- worked great, and very efficient.

Best of luck- wish I was there when you raise it.  What day you planning for?

Lj

[Brad_bb]

I'm thinking for the size(as long as they are softwood and not so green that they weight a ton with water, you could get 6-8 guys and hand raise with pike poles and ropes to steady.  Make a little event of it.  What do you think?  A rough terrain forklift could do the job too.  Or do you WANT to make a gin pole.  A gin pole has to be green you know... ask Rooster.

[Jim_Rogers]

  A gin pole has to be green you know... ask Rooster.

I'll bite,,,, why?

[jander3]

Brad,

I will probably hand raise the bents as they are pretty dry.  The 14' 6" x 8" plates and ridge were recently cut, so I will set up a gin pole to get them installed.

ljmathias,

Purchased quite a bit of rigging (slings, shackles, rope pullers, etc.) to build the Stump Ranch.  I will use a 16' gin pole (modified a bit) to lift the plates.  Pretty straight forward.   Block and tackle, with a rope puller to control the booming of the pole, and a chainfall to do the lifting. Setup takes maybe 20 minutes (after I haul my rigging into town).

[Rooster]

Jim,

Brad was referring to my past learned experiences.  I prefer to use 35ft Red Pines for my gin poles.  A few years ago, I had cut a new tree for a barn raising, peeled it and let it sit for about a month. I raised 5 bents with help from my team of Percheron draft horses. After the raising I stored the pole inside for 4 years.  When I took it out to use it again for another barn raising it had obviously dried out.  When we started the first lift  the pole bowed alot...way more than the first time 4 years prior.  I was concerned that it would snap so we dead-lifted the bent by hand as far as we could and then let the horses take over.  I believe that when the pole was green, that it did bow but not enough to notice...once it dried out, it became somewhat brittle.  It is now my policy to cut a new tree for each raising.  If my raisings were more often and closer together than I might re-use...but this way I don't have to store it until next time.  For smaller structures like jander3's, with lighter bent frames, a shorter reusable pole would work, but for lifting a canted purlin system that has a starting pick point height of 14ft, then I like the larger gin poles.

Rooster

[losttheplot]

A small, reusablel gin pole / A frame.



Made from a couple of 14ft 2x8's and some other scraps.
Lagged to a joist through a couple of hinges.





A 1/4" cable runs from a hand crank trailer winch to the top of the A frame.
Over a small pulley then down to the timber.
As the bent is raised the A frame leans against it and the bent stabilizes the a frame.
The rope is just to stop the bent going over too far. 






Add a couple of guy lines and mount it the other way and it will raise top plates also.





8x8" doug fir did not seem to cause any problem.

[Brad_bb]

Or you could do that...

Yep Rooster, I remembered that brittle gin pole we started with...

[beenthere]

Brad_bb
Were you at the WI barn raising in 2007?  Burlkraft, Stumpy, and I were there and Rooster had to back off lifting the first bent with the pole/horses alone.
Here is a pic of the pole I'm thinking Rooster refers to (or one very similar).

 

[jander3]

I've found that if you use a lifting shear (a couple of poles), you can handle some fairly good sized timbers/logs using some smaller lifting poles.   If this setup was a gin pole (one pole) I would have had to use something larger for the pole. 





Anytime you use a gin pole, the load at which it buckles is a main concern.  In compression, it doesn't take much to lift a bunch.   However, if the pole buckles...that would be bad.   

[Brad_bb]

Beenthere, no I was talking about the Dan Busse barn raising which was in 2009 I think.  I did meet Stumpy there.

[jander3]

My brother spent the day with me.  We finished cutting girts, raised the bents, and installed the plates.  Tomorrow, we should get the ridge set and then, maybe, start on the rafters and roof.


 


A pile of rigging that I brought back from the Stump Ranch.





We set up a lifting shear using two 16' 4"x4", a chain fall, and a block and tackle set up so we could boom the shear. 




My son stopped by and we got the first plate installed. 




Three bents raised and both plates installed. 

[Rooster]

Too bad I didn't live closer...I would have offered to help.  Great job, by the way!

Rooster

[Tullivor]

Hey Jander the building looks really good.
What is the finish on the wood?  And does the wood have to be fairly dry to apply it? 
Thanks
Jeff

[thecfarm]

Hey Jim,Happy Birthday.