The timing of our most recent Timber Frame Workshop worked out perfectly. We were able to spend the entire final day raising the small outdoor kitchen timber frame. Despite the intense heat of the day, we pulled it off without incident.
What a thrill to go from raw timber to a finished structure in a week — there’s really nothing better than standing back and seeing all of your hard work pay off. Especially with the help of a bunch of great people…
Small Timber Frame Raising
This was a fairly straightforward raising that didn’t require any pulleys or other equipment. Our crew of participants provided plenty of human power to pick up the three assemblies manually. First and foremost, we carried over each piece individually and pegged the posts and tie beams together in their respective positions.
Again, these are small bents so they were quite easy to physically pick up. I was thrilled to see the scribed post bottoms hit their marks on each stone. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but you never know… it was new for me to raise a bent assembly in this fashion.
Human Power
All three assemblies were plumbed and temporarily braced down to the ground. And then came the fun part — lifting up the 20’+ long oak tie beams. These pieces were about 350 pounds each, and we opted to manually lift and slide those into position along the top of the bents.
Luckily, it was pretty manageable with all of the helping hands. The part that makes me a bit nervous is physically lifting the plate onto the post tenons, ensuring the braces also engage the plate at the same time.
A little bit of tugging was necessary on one of the two plates, mostly because the plate had somewhat of an outward bow. Once it was engaged, we were in good shape and the plate fell home.
Building Connections
A frame raising and timber framing in a more general way are great ways to bring people together to work towards a shared goal. Not only are we building a structure together, we’re building relationships with one another. That’s less visible than the finished product, but you could say it’s represented by the work itself. This little frame is embedded with good memories and community spirit. I just love that.
Thanks to this amazing group of people for a fabulous week! Come back for pizza when all is said and done!