Post-Top Detail
This example illustrates a very common assembly in timber framing. That is when a post connects to a tie beam (a horizontal beam, perpendicular to the ridge, that resists the spreading force of the roof onto the walls) or a plate.
Mortise
Tools of the Trade
The tools of the trade that have evolved for working wood all derive from the simplest forms: axe, adze, chisel. Within those forms, much variation exists. In terms of function, they may be divided into carving tools and joinery tools. Function is determined by form.
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Best Mortise and Tenon Videos
We know that sometimes seeing it in action is better than a picture AND a thousand words – so we have scoured the web to find what we feel like are the best videos to illustrate cutting traditional mortise and tenon joinery.
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Tidbits – Capacity of Pegged Connections
If you are utilizing wooden pegs in your timber frame structure, we recommend close reading of Capacity of Pegged Connections, by Joe Miller, Ph.D. and P.E. Dr. Miller has devoted substantial study to the capacity of wood pegs as they … Tidbits – Capacity of Pegged Connections Read More »
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Mortise and Tenon Corner Joint
Used primarily on plates and floor systems, this corner joint uses a mortise and tenon on one plate (red) and a tusk tenon on the opposing plate (purple). The opposing plate (purple) gets housed onto the plate for bearing. It
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Double Mortise and Tenon Joint
There are times that tenons will get in the way of each other, weakening the entire joinery area. This issue can be particularly common on a queen post truss where the tie beam, rafter, and post collide. A double mortise
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Makita Chain Mortiser Review
Features & SpecsPractical DetailsVideos Used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world, the mortise and tenon joint is both simple and strong, and a critical link in building a timber frame. You could do it the old fashioned
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Spotlight: Mike and Kim Shenton and M & K Timber Works
M & K Timber Works is located in the town of Fleetwood, in the mountains of North Carolina. The company is owned and managed by the husband and wife team of Mike and Kim Shenton. They began their timber frame
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Collar Tie to Rafter Connection
More likely than not, the joinery in the roof system of a timber frame is often loaded with tension and so special consideration is needed to make sure everything is held together. In this detail we show a collar tie to rafter connection in two
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Rafter to Post with Tenon Connection
This rafter to post with tenon connection is a popular way to join a timber frame rafter to a post and is easy to cut and assemble. The rafter has a tenon which is fully housed by at least an inch into
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Rafter to Rafter Mortise and Tenon Connection
There are a few ways to join two rafters together at the peak, one way that we have illustrated before is the tongue and fork connection. In this detail a simple rafter to rafter mortise and tenon connection is used
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Timber Framing Tools – The Basic Hand Tools
“What tools do you use as a timber framer?” So I’ve kind of broken them up into four different sections. The first one is chisels. The second one is going to be planes. Then we’re going to talk about measuring
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