Build Day 5: The language of timber framing

Written by Kelly

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Not only does timber framing have a distinct look, it has a unique language.

The bent was installed today, and I am proud to tell you I now know that word – the bent is the main supporting structure of our house and it defines our great room. (Click here for a real lesson on the bent and how it got its name). Many stunning northeastern white pine trees gave their lives to hold up our home, and John and Patrick estimate that together they weigh about 3000 pounds.

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Patrick lifts the bent while John maintains control of its swing with the tagline. The connecting gerts can be seen on both the left and right sides of this photo.

It was both thrilling and slightly heart stopping to witness the bent’s placement from my perch on a very high step ladder just outside the front wall of the great room. As the heavy bent got closer and touched the waiting gerts (horizontal timbers that tie the bent into the front wall), it occurred to me the structure so far wasn’t 100 per cent stable and with one slip of the hand or unexpected disaster, the wall could fall and squash me.

Patrick’s earlier warning to John and the crew as he got behind the controls of the telehandler likely had something to do with the dark direction of my imagination: “If something goes crazy, don’t be a hero.”

With this in mind, I returned to deck level for the rest of the photo shoot… I was having no part in “crazy.”

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The crew works on the final steps of getting the bent in place and bracing it.
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This is where I really wow you with my new vocabulary: the mahogany through tenon is used when two connecting gerts join on either side of the bent. Cool note: once the second gert in this section is installed, neither will be connected to the bent post; instead, they’ll be connected to each other via the free tenon. The mortise is the joint that receives the tenon.
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John hammers pegs to complete the final step of joining post to beam.
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After being assembled on the deck, the first of two great room trusses is on its way to be set. Tomorrow, after the second one is set, six purlins will complete the timber frame portion of the great room. The purlins are the timbers that connect the rafters of the bent to the front wall of the great room. You can see the pockets they ride on are already cut out of the tops of the trusses.
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In praise of DIY: “In the six years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never seen a homeowner drive a screw into a SIP,” Patrick said after John finished attaching this panel. (Cue fist pump between John and me). This section was necessary so the loft floor joists could be installed.
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The crew sets the loft floor joists. These will also be the ceiling joists of our main entrance.

This was all in a day’s work for these guys, and there was no “crazy” – other than the sheer amount they got accomplished. It’s almost a shame the driveway view of the timbers will be lost when the rest of the walls go up.

(Thanks to Patrick for his timber framing tutelage on this one).

3 thoughts on “Build Day 5: The language of timber framing”

    1. John is proving he can manage just about anything when it comes to this build. I admit my bias in saying this, but he’s pretty darn amazing. Thanks for following our adventures… xo

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  2. Pingback: Build Day 6: Big, beautiful views – The Perfect and The Good

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