A Photo Gallery of Some Past Projects
Timber Frame Projects
20′ x 36′ Kingpost Trussed Timber Frame Pavilion, Cherry Timbers, Vienna, Ohio.
My 4th kingpost timber frame truss project. While the KP joinery is similar to my previous KP trusses and is patterned after the truss found in the Christ Episcopal Church in Shrewsbury, NJ built between 1769-74, this one more resembles that truss in basic design in the fact that this truss also employs a raised bottom chord (tie beam). The focal point of all these KP trusses is the decorative and highly functional kingpost, with its flared head and base, into which the huge principal rafters are pegged. Common to this frame as well as the other KP trusses are beefy 1½” white oak pegs coupled with the twin opposing white oak wedges which assist in securing the 3″ x 13″ x 15” L thru-tenons on the KP to tie beam joinery, decorative stop-chamfers on all timbers, and a hand-planed timber finish.
Once again, Gary Clower of Vienna, Ohio did a fantastic job with the design and engineering of this framework. And I cannot be more grateful to the owner of this beautiful pavilion, Ryan Murphy, who was so extremely helpful in every phase of this project, and so very patient & understanding during some delays when 8 x12 x 36′ cherry timbers were hard to come by.
16′ x 24′ Cabin, Full Loft, 2 Side Porches @ 12′ x 24′ –
Round Hill, Virginia
Eastern white pine timbers were used in the framing of this cabin, which is an enlarged version of the “Sobon Garden Shed” that was showcased in Jack Sobon’s first book, and features a full loft (16’x24′), doorways on both gable and eave sides framed in timbers, and 2 timber frame side porches, each @ 12′ x 24′.
As you can see, all the many fine finishing details fit in extremely well with the relatively small size of this cabin. The owner, while busy with his own career, still found the time and energy to do all the foundation stonework, assemble and raise this frame basically by himself, hang the barn doors, install the siding & windows, and stain the timbers. He truly had a deep appreciation for traditional mortise / tenon / pegged timber joinery and the handcrafting / hand-tooling that went into this cabin, as well as our mutual love for dogs!
24’ x 34’- Kingpost-Trussed Great-room Addition, Gustavus, Ohio.
White oak was the species chosen by the clients for their great- room addition and combined with the aesthetic additions of a hand-planed surface-finish to all timbers, and the decorative embellishment of a “chamfer” (about 1-1/2″ wide) applied to the corners on all major timbers, this hand-crafted timber frame is both rustic and elegant!
The pattern for this historically inspired kingpost truss (mentioned in the Pavilion write-up) once again defines this design, with the key feature being the ornate kingpost which begins with an 8×14 timber, and after many hours of hand tool work and shaping, the end result becomes the structural centerpiece of this and the other kingpost trusses that I have completed. The base of the kingposts terminate in a massive 3″ thick x 13″ wide x 15″ long thru-tenon penetrating the tie beams. As this is a critical tension joint within the framework, additional support for the 1½” pegs is supplied by two opposing hardwood wedges under the tie beams. These wedges are left a bit long and protrude beyond the 8″ width of the tie beams, providing a bit of “travel-room” to be pounded tighter as the tie beams shrink in the ensuing years.
The eight 8″ x 12″ wall-posts exhibit English Tying Joints, with the historically proven variant of this joint (a “cog” instead of a lap dovetail; see photo’s below) locking the top of the wall plates with the underside of the tie beams.
I’ve been blessed to have come in contact with various professionals during the course of my projects where these individuals have made immeasurable contributions of time and talents in seeing these endeavors through to the end. Jim Wakefield (Wakefield Construction) wore many different hats during the design, fabrication, pre-assembly, and raising of this framework. Along with the client Ben Miller, who was so accommodating and was an immense help in many ways during the entire process, Jim (while functioning as GC on this project and also on the elaborate offices at the Miller farm), simply proved himself invaluable during the frame pre-assembly and then again on raising day.
24’ x 32’ Kingpost-Trussed Great Room Addition with 10’ x 12’ Entry in Cherry timbers, Hartford, Ohio
This 24′ x 32′ timber frame is a “great room” addition to an existing house. It is framed entirely in eastern white pine and features an impressive principal rafter & purlin roof system, along with the focal point of the framework, the three eye-catching kingpost trusses that were inspired by structural elements of the king post trusses found in St. Johns Church (1807), Portsmouth, NH, and also Christ Episcopal Church (1769-74), Shrewsbury, New Jersey. In keeping with historically based joinery, the joint chosen for the post/plate/tie beam interface is a slight variation of the traditional English Tying Joint, which employed a lapped dovetail joint where the tie beam engages with the top plate. Gary Clower (frame designer) & I both felt that a slight modification of the standard ETJ, where the dovetail is replaced with a “cogged” joint and of which an example was found on a 1770’s barn in Adams, Mass was an effective, historically proven alternative. There are eight such joints in the main frame.
Leading into the great room addition is a 10′ x 12′ covered entryway that is open on the sides and framed with decay-resistant, beautiful black cherry timbers. This entryway also features a roof system of decorative kingpost trusses, and the four posts are once again joined with the top plates and tie beams with traditional English Tying Joints. The clients wanted to maintain a rustic look throughout the framework and opted to leave all timbers with their original rough-sawn appearance.
A very special mention goes to Gary Clower, of Vienna, Ohio, who was the principal designer of the framework and then gave so freely of his time during those hot days of frame pre-assembly and then the raising. Also, a big thanks to John & Sarah Woodall for their generous contribution and tremendous help on raising day.
24′ x 32′ Gambrel House Frame, Columbiana County, Ohio
The photos below are of a scale model that I built for this frame. And other than the few joinery pictures shown, these are, unfortunately, the only photos I have of this project. Hope to get more of the finished home soon!
This 24’w x 32’l gambrel-roofed house frame required close to 750 mortise & tenon joints, including 8 scarf joints, and was crafted in a variety of hardwood species, including yellow poplar, white oak, red oak, and hickory. The gambrel-style roof was chosen to give maximum headroom in the loft while standing a minimal distance from the sidewall. Other design elements include a 16′ x 24′ upstairs sleeping loft, an open floor plan downstairs, and an 8′ x 32′ timber framed porch that features the same pegged, mortise & tenon wooden joinery as the main framework. This porch was framed in rot-resistant white oak and spans the front of the house.
Since the clients had this frame built over a full basement, they chose to have their floor system framed with large timbers as opposed to conventional stick-framing. The timber framed floor system was comprised of timber sill beams, and a massive posted-&-braced 10″ x 10″ x 32′ red oak sill girder, from which 4″ x 7″ hickory floor joists joined the sills. The clients took a very active role in their house project and did a great job in designing the exposed timber framed stair-box that leads to the upstairs loft.
12’ x 16’ Backyard Cabin, Hartford, Ohio
This 12′ x 16′ cabin was my first timber frame project, started back in 2003. A very traditional design with a background rooted in 19th century Shaker history, it was the defining influence in shaping my building philosophy. Many other timber framers began their careers using this frame as a starter project, and I am no different. The first timber frame book I picked up, authored by renowned timber frame traditionalist Jack Sobon, featured working drawings of this frame, and Sobon’s historical perspective on remaining faithful to the hand-tools, joinery and designs of our timber framing past immediately appealed to me.
This stout frame was crafted entirely in hardwood, with hickory, beech, hard maple & white oak being the primary species. Its footprint is small enough to fit in most backyards without being too obtrusive, and this frame would function nicely as a wood-working shop, an art studio, a garden shed, or even a rock-solid playhouse/clubhouse for the kids!
Dovetail Log Cabin Projects
18’ x 24’ Dovetail Log Cabin – Jonesboro, Texas
Another in a long line of absolutely great “long-distance” clients to work with, Mark Murray did most of the assembly work on this beautiful little cabin basically by himself. Log walls sporting huge 8×14 eastern white pine logs, a timber frame loft system displaying joists dovetailed into the gable wall log and the tie beam, which itself required some tricky joinery as it sits sandwiched in between log courses, tying the structure together. A timber frame roof consisting of a posted and braced ridge beam, along with 30’ plate logs that create a 3’ overhang carrying “fly rafters” that give needed protection to both gable walls. A cozy timber frame porch graces the front of the cabin. This cabin is still a work in progress, and I will have more photos as Mark passes them along to me.
30′ Hexagon, Dovetail Log Horse Barn – Jenks, Oklahoma
Known as part of the Five Oaks Event Center Complex, this one-of-a-kind, 6-sided horse barn with an apartment above was crafted with logs showcasing the “Traditional/Authentic” log profile and handcrafted dovetail corner notches. This project proved to be extremely challenging in regard to the layout and cutting of the dovetail corner joinery, which deviated from their conventional 90-degree corners and now skewed to120 degree (inside) and 60-degree (outside) angles, and resulted in many hours of layout and fitting gymnastics to get the desired results of mating surfaces and tight-fitting dovetail corner joints. But after much head-scratching, fiddling and trial-fitting with these new angles, the dovetail joinery progressed very smoothly in the shop. Special mention must go out to my two
mentors for their assistance in this complex endeavor as well their advice and guidance on virtually every one of my other dovetail log builds: Dan Somerfield, former owner of Wildwood Handcrafted Log Homes, Sevierville, TN, and the late, great genius of Higgs Murphy-Alberta, Canada. The build-system and all the critical details that encompass it that I now have in place are a direct result of me picking their brains over the years, and their unlimited generosity in sharing their vast bank of 50+ combined years of dovetail log building knowledge. As Higgs once said to me: “There is no single, right way to do this stuff, but many wrong ways”.
8’ x 8’ Western Red Cedar Dovetail Log Sauna – Peru, Illinois
This little 8′ x 8′ log sauna house was crafted with high insulation in mind, so 8″ thick red cedar wall logs were used. Due to the high interior temps that will be generated, synthetic chinking on the interior would not have worked. So, each interior chink space was custom fitted with “chink-boards” that covered the chink gap and each gap will be fitted with rockwool insulation, moisture resistant and able to withstand the high interior temps. The door was also constructed of western red cedar and is 5″ thick and filled with 4″ of rockwool insulation. As always in my frames, traditional timber joinery was employed, here in the roof timbers with step-lap rafter seats & pegged ‘tongue/fork” at the peak. Pictured is the pre-assembly I did in my yard to ensure all joinery fit properly, as well as the finished
product.
20′ x 26′ Dovetail Log Cabin, Borth Lake – Antigo, Wisconsin
This 20′ x 26′ lakeside cabin is highlighted by wall logs sawn on all four faces to yield rectangular 8 x 12 wall logs with a 2” chink space, exemplifying the “Rustic/Contemporary” log profile. It will sport a partial wrap-around porch (owner-built), and a 13′ x 20′ timber framed loft. The client chose to forego a heavy timbered roof system and instead will have a conventionally framed roof. This project also featured a combination of eastern white pine and hemlock wall logs, with handcrafted dovetail joinery locking the walls together. Other elements that are always standard in all log cabins produced by SPTJ, and always critical are Emseal gaskets placed in a hidden vertical groove on the inside of the dovetail notches, preventing any air infiltration. Octagonal wall-alignment pins, cut from air-dried (10 yrs) oak planks, 1-1/4″ in diameter and 20″ long and placed at approximately 4′ intervals along the log walls. These stout pins provide lateral stability to short wall sections and aid in keeping long courses in line.
The client, Tim Ebert, erected the structure himself, did all the chinking, and also the vast majority of all finish work. Following the pattern of all my long-distance projects, the relationship between Tim and I began with emails and phone calls, and while I’m always hoping to meet the clients that I build for, I realize that sometimes that simply doesn’t work out when distance is a factor. But in mid-August, Tim and his wife Kim made the 12-hour drive from Wisconsin to N.E. Ohio! It was great to finally meet them, and I am so grateful that they took the time to do that!
18’ x 24’ Dovetail Log Cabin – Zirconia, North Carolina
The 18’x24’ cabin was a fairly common size in the mountains of 19th century Appalachia, and the owner of this cabin, Wade Blackwell, wanted a comparable style of cabin that would look at home on his family’s mountain property. The chink spaces in 200-year-old cabins was often a bit on the large size, so in keeping with mountain tradition, a 2” chink space was selected, and when combined with the roundedness at the top and bottom of each log, the visible chink area will be 3”-4”, matching that of the style native to that region.
This cabin is a modified example of the “Traditional/Authentic” log profile and shares many similarities with the cabin in Jonesboro TX, although with some different features. Wade wanted a full timbered loft covering the entire 2nd floor, and in addition to a timber frame front porch, a timbered back porch was added that he wanted to enclose. The roof framing consists of large principal rafters and joined horizontally with purlins locked in dovetail mortises on the rafters. Wade also did the beautiful foundation stonework, as well as the pyramid-style stone piers that support the porch posts, and he is doing all of the finish work himself.
18′ x 20′ Dovetail Log Cabin – A historic re-build of a circa 1800 log structure, Williamsfield, Ohio.
This structure was originally located in Carroll County, Ohio, as a V-notched 26′ x 36′ 2-story log house, purchased and dis-assembled some years ago, and has long been the dream of the owner, Lynn Peskoran to have it re-erected on her lot in Williamsfield, Ohio. Lynn has put an enormous amount of work, both physical and mental, into this re-build, and it has been tremendously rewarding for me to play a part in helping her to see her dream realized.
Much handwork was involved using both the axe and drawknife in the removal of rotted sapwood from the logs (along with dodging and/or removing the many nails that had accumulated in a 220-yr old structure). New dovetail notches were cut on fresh log ends to replace the original steeple, or “v”- notches on the white oak wall logs. Due to various levels of decay in some of the logs that had to be cut out, the rebuild will yield a smaller 2-story, 18′ x 20′ cabin with a full 2nd floor, from what was once a 26′ x 36′ two-story log structure. I did a partial trial assembly in my yard, simply to reaffirm that actual notch heights matched up with the drawings and to test-fit a few notches.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this project is still in storage and has hit a few snags regarding structure installation. Hopefully the client can see her dream come to fruition soon.
20’ x 24’ Dovetail Log Cabin – Livingston Manor, New York
This project proved to be very unusual in the sense that the client, Wes Gillingham, wanted a sod roof in the structure. This necessitated a very low-pitch roof, which in turn required some very critical engineer involvement regarding the roof framing due to the immense weight of the sod materials in combination with the shallow roof pitch, which, if not properly addressed, would result in severe outward pressure on the log walls. With great assistance from P.E. Kia Brothers, the engineered roof system consists of double 8×14 beams bolted together to create a monstrous 8×28 ridge beam, with the bottom portion of this ridge beam notched into the top gable wall logs and the top beam left a bit longer to allow gable overhangs, while the entire assembly carries 6×8 rafters. Also working hard to prevent rafter thrust imparted onto the side walls are a series of 8×8 tie beams that span the structure width and are dovetailed into the top plate logs.
This structure will be used as an agricultural education facility, teaching homesteading and other traditional craft skills as well as serving as a community center.
Timber Frame Mailbox Posts
Timber Frame mailbox post handcrafted using black cherry timbers, with decorative “stop-chamfers” at timber corners, summer of 2017. Featuring a signature structural element found in Dutch barns, the double-pegged & double-wedged Anchorbeam tenon. This was a collaboration between myself and the client, Jayson Taylor of Aurora, Ohio, as we traded ideas back-&-forth, with this gem being the finished product.
Winter of 2021, another timber frame mailbox post! Cherry timbers, decorative “stop-chamfers”, white oak pegs, wedged anchorbeam & curved brace. This one went to Scott Avery, who made the long drive here from New Jersey to pick up this heavy beast.
