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Timber Framing

Jul 24
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Introducing Strawtron: New Timber Frame Straw Bale House Design

By Natural Building Workshops, Timber Framing, Straw Bale Building, Strawtron

Conceptual drawing of our new house (north view)

Things are definitely shaping up in our new house design process. We are super excited to be collaborating with a few folks on this project, very notably Tom Cundiff of The Edgeworks, who is assisting with the design of a slick timber frame for what we are calling “Strawtron”, our new straw bale timber frame house project.

This fall, we plan on breaking ground for Strawtron, a three room, passive solar, straw bale-insulated house with a timber frame, greenhouse for passive heat and extended living space, screened-in north porch, and 1/2 story loft with a west-facing balcony.

But there’s plenty to do before that happens…

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May 29
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Pier Foundation Designs for Straw Bale Timber Frame Homes

By Foundation, Timber Framing

This post is a call for help. I am seeking information, images, anything related to pier foundation design for straw bale timber frame homes.

I am specifically hoping for detailed accounts of how to construct a pier foundation of stone for a straw bale timber frame. Or even a wood pier foundation, if it’s actually possible.

We are planning to construct our new home on a pier foundation, and I cannot wrap my head completely around how to design the pier foundation, which we may use urbanite (broken concrete) to construct. I do not want the house to have ground contact, for fear of moisture wicking up into the structure. The house will likely have a pier foundation with insulated floor platform.

I am specifically interested in how far to dig down for the piers, if the stone foundation would better be continuous, or other recommendations. Any info./links are appreciated!

May 24
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Making Mortises with a Boring Machine

By Timber Framing, Video, Hand Tools, Wabi-sabi Kitchen

This is one incredibly sweet tool: the boring machine. A boring (or mortising) machine is a hand-operated drill press, usually equipped with a two inch auger bit, that allows the builder to bore holes through timber in order to make a mortise pocket.

This particular model (I forget the manufacturer) is one that Tom Cundiff brought along with him to our timber framing workshop weekend. We banged out a few mortises a lot more easily with this tool than any other could possibly do. (Of course, not including electric drills.) We value hand tools very highly and use them nearly exclusively on our construction. Needless to say, we’re going to have to seriously look into obtaining one of these…. and to think we passed one up at the local flea market last year! Ack!

 

May 21
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Video: Making a Timber Frame Peg

By Timber Framing, Hand Tools, Wabi-sabi Kitchen

Thomas recently had this awesome little peg-making setup made by a friend, and we had the opportunity to try it out last weekend during our timber frame workshop.

It’s super simple and results in very uniform pegs, as long as you have straight grain wood to use. In this case, we were hitting white oak splits through the bench.

It’s essentially a bench with a sharpened rod projecting through the top that cuts through the wood as it is driven through from above with a mallet. Once the wood is hit all the way through, you have a 1″ peg at your disposal!

Check it out!

 

Mar 26
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All the Work Updates Fit to Print

By Timber Framing, Design, Drainage Trench, Moisture, Wabi-sabi Kitchen

It’s spring, and the building season has officially begun. I’ve been a bit consumed with thinking about building lately — between doing some work around the house, planning for the next building season for the cooperative kitchen, thinking about a new home design, and serving on Dancing Rabbit’s new Common House design committee (we are a group of five tasked with designing a new common house intended to serve a population of 150 people), I have plenty to think about in the building arena. Sometimes it’s exhausting.

But as soon as I am able to actually do work, and not just think about it, it feels a lot better.

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Jan 17
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Timber Frame and Natural Building Work Exchange 2011

By Wabi-sabi Kitchen, Timber Framing, Work Exchange

The Wabi-sabi kitchen foundation

UPDATE (3/22/2011): This position has been filled – thank you to all applicants!

The Wabi-sabi sub-community (Ziggy, April, Thomas, and Ali) at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage are seeking individuals to help with building our cooperative kitchen and maintaining our organic vegetable gardens for the summer of 2011.

Roundwood Timber Frame and Natural Building Work Exchange Opportunity for 2011

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Aug 08
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Kitchen Timber Framing Begins

By Wabi-sabi Kitchen, Timber Framing
framing-1stpost

Admiring the first post

At long last, the kitchen timber framing has begun. The foundation was completed several weeks ago, and since then, more of the framing design has been hashed out and actually started. So far, we’ve got our first two posts up and plumbed, and the first beam awaits shaping and raising.

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