Virginia Military Institute Timber Frame FTX 2016
It is springtime in Lexington, Virginia. That means chilly mornings and sunburns by evening, green grass and blooming bushes and of course the smell of fresh cut wood and the sounds of timber framing at the Mullen compound.
This April I returned to Rockbridge county for my third time instructing at this great event that brings together beginner and expert timber framers to build a structure for the community. All the while enjoying the community that has grown around this 20 year tradition.
Whetting bush on the cottage frame
This year’s edition of the Timber Framing Field Training Exercise for VMI cadets had plans to build two frames at the same time and using all hand tools.
Layout begins Saturday morning
First mortises are drilled
Timbers are spread out on horses all the way to the blacksmith tent
Foot adzes trim the joist ends in their pockets
An oak tie beam half dovetails into the cherry cruck blade.
Braces that connect from post to sill allow for easy low tech raising of all four posts on to the floor system.
An A frame and pulleys are used to raise the plates onto the waiting gunstock posts.
Plates raised. Waiting on the cruck.
A red oak live edge ridge brace in process.
Preparing a tie beam for raising with an A-frame.
Tying proper knots
Meanwhile, in the back of the compound, the 14’by14′ square pavilion gets raised.
The two walls are joined.
Ridge and rafters fit beautifully
The cruck has been assembled and is ready for raising.
The cruck raised and tied off
Cruck blade to plate connection by an interrupted tie beam. Half dovetail connection.
The ridge brace scribed and test fitted.
The forklift uses a ‘unicorn’ attachment to raise the king post and upper chords of the truss
The ridge ties the trusses and the cruck together.
Rafters get handed up in the afternoon sun
A somewhat different gable solution with short hips.
Freshly joined timbers in the afternoon light rank among the prettiest things to see in Virginia in the spring.
VMI FTX 2016 Timber Framing Cadets
Thank you cadets, volunteers, fellow instructors and gracoius hard working hosts Cindy and Grigg Mullen.
The more sublte morning light shows off the cruck blades within the frame.
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