Getting Organized

Many things must take place before cutting the first mortise and tenon on this new shop. I have read many books including Jack Sobon's book. Peter Galbert from New York has been very helpful in planning. Check out Peter's blog. I decided to go with an 18' x 36' footprint with 4 bents and 3 bays. Using a 12/12 pitch roof. I even built a small model to work out all the details. No I am not building it like the model now.

Gathering certain tools such as a chain mortiser, 16'' beam saw, slicks, mortise chisels, mallets, commanders, and other measuring tools has been fun and expensive but so far worth it. My biggest obstacle has been time. If I only had more time. I think I am organized enough at this point to start using the tools.

Most of the wood has been cut and ready to work. We have had a lot of rain this summer and as you can see in the background I have tried to keep water off of the subfloor the best I can. Stay tuned for the next post which should show some progress.

Gravity

One of the more difficult aspects of timber framing is moving the logs. A tractor is helpful but sometimes just getting the beams on the trailor can be a challenge. Hydraulics are very cool but when not available you have to depend on ropes, pulleys, and very strong backs. Red oak will make a very strong frame but sometimes I wish I had access to white pine which weighs half as much. I respect gravity and what it can do. Logs can weigh between 800-1000 pounds when green. I have had close to 7000 pounds on my trailor , scary!

I leave next week for Indiana for another load which should be the last trip for the timber frame shop.

The Perfect Tree

After months of planning the timber frame shop we started searching for the straightest tallest trees we could find. Bill Nelson supplied all the red oak trees for this shop from his farm in southern Indiana. He is an expert at felling big trees and without his help none of this would be possible. Bill, pictured above, has played such a big role in this project and we both have had a blast cutting all the timber.

As you can see Bill has some real nice red oaks. The straighter the better. The logs are cut to rough length then sawed on the Woodmizer sawmill. 8'' x 8'' posts and 8'' x 10'' beams are cut with the pith in the center or otherwise known as boxed heart. This allows the timber to remain stable with equal amount of wood to dry around the center of the log. Doing this has proven to be worth the time because these timbers have remained straight since cutting these back in March.

The New Shop

Hi, Welcome to my blog about what's going on around the shop. I am a chair maker from Hendersonville, Tn. I am in the process of building a timber frame shop to build chairs and other period style furniture. Windsor chairs have been my specialty for many years.

I remember the first time I walked into Curtis Buchanan's shop in Jonesboro how I felt as if stepping back in time. The timber frame interior had a warmth to it that made you feel alive unlike the garage shops I was use to. The wood floors, timbers above, wood stove, and many windows surrounded you with a perfect environment to create your work. It was not a hard decision what to do when I needed a new shop.

I will be posting pictures of the progress of the shop from time to time. The "Barn Raising" will take place August 29th. The foundation is in place for the 18' x 36' space. I will post pictures of cutting the timber next.