Timber Framing Introduction

Timber framing is a big focus at the North Bennet Street School so I will be dedicating several entries to the trade along with details of the work we will be doing as a class.

Timber frame construction is a historic building technique that uses heavy timbers rather than dimensional lumber such as 2x4's. Timber framed buildings use fewer, but far larger pieces of lumber, to support the weight of a building. Unlike modern stick framing which relies on nails, timbers are joined together using mortise and tenon joinery (think square peg in a square hole) and then pinned in place using long hardwood pins.

Last year, our class replaced damaged timbers on this 19th century frame in Shirley, MA

Checking the fit of mortise and tenon for a repair in Shirley, MA

Prior to the industrial revolution and the modern sawmill, timber framing was common throughout Europe and Asia. Even with timbers crudely hand hewn to square dimensions, a relatively precise building can be constructed. With timber framing, several techniques exist to account for and overcome the varying dimensions of the individual timbers due to lack of precise machinery.

That's me scoring a log which is part of the process of converting a log into a timber

Timber framing exists today as a viable albeit more costly alternative to stick framing. The allure of timber framing is that exposed framing members provide intrinsic beauty. This is especially true when any number of complex joints are incorporated into the frame. Some exquisite examples of contemporary timber framed buildings are seen below.