Timber Framing Glory

Hey all, another super productive week is coming to a close, and again I couldn't be happier or prouder of what we've accomplished.  Since all the plywood sheeting has been finished (walls and roofs) and the sheer inspector came by to check everything out (we passed the inspection, just fyi), the focus has shifted to working on the porches/patios that will wrap pretty much around the entire building.  Somehow I was lucky enough to be assigned the most coveted and glorious task of cutting and preparing the old reclaimed barn beams so they could become our porch posts.  No joke, it was glorious, and Dylan and Isaac were totally jealous even though they were the ones who set me up doing it (we share the guts and the glory around here).  But anyways, it was a lot of fun assessing the beams' different shapes and twists, and then cutting super precise notches to make sure that they sit on their bases correctly and that the horizontal beams plane across them juuuust right.  Here's a photo of some of the posts' final resting places (there are more in the back).

The process of actually installing the posts and beams was a pretty fun one too.  After all the posts got cut, notched, and set in place, Oscar and I teamed up to drill and bolt the beams onto the posts, another precise job.  Here is Oscar using a cutting wheel to remove the excess threads after a successful bolting. 

And here is a close up of what a few of the posts look like post beam-bolting (pun intended).  Look at how well that beam planes across those notches! (actually 'saddles' is the correct term to use as opposed to 'notches', I was told.  Makes sense, giddy up!)

Doing all this external stuff is really transforming the job site and the feel of the building itself.  Sometime next week the excavator is coming out to level all the ground around the perimeter of the building, and then the following week the concrete guys will be out to pour the slab.  It'll be crazy not walking around on uneven gravel anymore, something I'm definitely looking forward to.  I'm also looking forward to a restful weekend, as I'm sure you are too.  So enjoy!

Til' next time,
Louis