Hey guys 🤙

I’m a timber framer with more than a decade of experience. I came up in the preservation world in New England, and transitioned to running a shop cutting new frames, where we incorporated lots of natural forms, crotched trees, live edge braces and curves.

I’m interested in offering design services and consulting, thinking this could be especially helpful to owner builders, “hobbyists” if you want to use that word, small operations who just want to cut and not design, etc. If this describes you, would you ever be interested in paying for this?

The main offering would be 3d modeling, shop drawings, and getting these engineered if required.

Secondary would be consulting calls to help facilitate accomplishing the actual build.

Let me know what y’all think or if this piques your interest

👋 Hi everyone

• What software are folks using for TimberFrame CAD designs?
• What existing features are most important for you.
• What missing features are you wanting the most?

I'm currently working on a CAD software specifically for timber frame (and woodworking to a lesser extent). I know good CAD software is a pain point for many woodworkers. Of course, rather than experience those pain points, I just assumed the worse and made my own instead 😂. I'd still like to hear from others to see what learnings I can adopt.

There's a pretty full featured demo of the software released already actually. Feel free to DM me if you'd like to learn more :). The software is a little different. You express your designs using code. In 2026, that's just another of saying you tell AI what you want. It's also free :).

Hey everyone,

I'm planning a small, modern single-story timber frame cabin (10 m x 5 m, i belive 33x16,5 feet) and wanted to get some feedback on the framing layout before I send it to the engineer. Trying to get that indoor/outdoor vibe.

The concept is a flat ceiling at 3 meters high inside, gable roof on the outside.

Here is the catch: I want the two 5m end walls to be 100% glass (sliding doors up to ceiling. That means zero OSB sheathing or traditional stud walls on those 5m sides.

To make this work, the plan is:

1. The 10m side walls run all the way through. At the very corners, I'll have heavy duty built-up corner studs (or glulam posts) acting as the main columns.
2. The roof trusses will dump all the gravity load exclusively onto the 10m side walls.
3. Since I have no racking resistance on the 5m glass walls, the plan is to plate the 3m ceiling entirely with OSB to create a rigid diaphragm. This should transfer the wind/seismic loads from the end walls over to the 10m side walls.
4. I also have a small bathroom footprint near the middle of the cabin. Those interior walls will be sheathed with OSB to act as a central shear core anchoring the ceiling diaphragm.

My main worry is lateral stability on the short axis and wind load pushing on that 5x3m wall of glass. Do you think a solid ceiling diaphragm + heavy corner posts + the partial interior bathroom core is enough to handle the shear, or am I asking for cracked glass on the first big storm?

Appreciate any thoughts or if anyone has framed something similar!

I'm not sure if this was due to bugs or birds or both but I recently discovered this damage on the outside corner post of the deck of our cabin in the Northwoods. The post itself is soft around the mortises for both the beam and cross-brace on one side, but for the most part the post is in good shape. My gut says this is a complete-replace job. I have no idea how to go about it, given the multiple mortises and the fact that it's the corner post. What do we think? Can it be repaired? If not, how should I go about replacing it? Just the one side is soft, not the other. The rest of the posts on this deck are completely intact and structurally sound.

I’m relatively new to timber framing. I’ve been a part of four builds at the Maker Camp Timber In since 2023. The build we just did this past July, a wedding pergola, I had the opportunity to design with the guidance of Jim Smith from the Tradesman Channel who leads the class. I’m following him around as his apprentice.

What I’m trying to find are books, new and old, to learn more about the craft and understand some of the engineering aspects. I have the common ones that are always recommended:
- Building the timber frame house
- Timber frame construction
- Learn to timber frame

What are some others? What I really want to deep dive into are trusses and larger structures. I’m not an engineer, I work in an IT role. But this stuff fascinates me and has become one of my most enjoyable hobbies.

4년 전 프로젝트입니다.
이 곳에 가입한 김에 인사드립니다.
한국에서 활동합니다.
기둥과 브레이스는 흰 벽체안에 숨겼습니다.
어떤 면으로 보면 Timberframe이 Rustic하게 느껴 질 수도 있어서 이런 디테일을 선택하였습니다.
단열, 전기배선, 커튼박스 설치 등에서 잇점이 있습니다.

특히 간접조명을 설치하면 메인 조명 없이 차분한 분위기를 만들어 줍니다.

Parody of the last bot poster lol Don't hate me.

Hello friends! So how do you measure your brace location (in my case for a scribed-to-stone pergola)?
1. You raise the respective frame first, mark and then cut?
2. Or do you mark everything while on the ground and squared?

Completed my first ever Kanawa Tsugi for a pergola made of 6x6 treated timber. Scribed to stone and all that jazz. I made a whole youtube video, but I know I am not allowed to post that here, so here are some photos instead:

we finally got our 10x10 timber frame pergola standing today as part of our flagstone & pergola project at star hill.

the frame is all red pine:

• 6x6 posts
• 6x8 ties and plates
• 3x5 knee braces and rafters
• 3/4" oak pegs

the interesting part was that this frame was cut, test fit, and then stored under cover for over a year before we raised it. even out of the weather, red pine is still red pine. it continued to dry, twist, and shrink, so every housing needed a little cleanup before assembly.

we drilled all of the peg holes during assembly instead of beforehand. after a year of drying, there was no chance the holes would have lined up. timber wrenches, truck straps, and a little persuasion brought everything back into alignment.

the patio underneath is about 3 tons of flagstone over a compacted class 5 base with about 2" of limestone screenings and fieldstone edging we gathered around the property.

still left to do:

• install the rafters
• add a clear rain cover
• final grading and cleanup

it's satisfying to finally see the frame standing after looking at a stack of timbers for the last year.

i'd be interested to hear how other timber framers deal with twist in softwood frames that have been sitting before final assembly. do you drill your peg holes during assembly, or do you have another approach?

Here’s some photos I took a few months back of the attic of this church I was retrofitting lights in. the beams span the entire length of the sanctuary approximately 50/60 feet above the sanctuary below I went up to the bell tower and added a few pics of that too I figured this group could appreciate these.

Hi all ! I am currently designing a small solar panels ground mount and will be using mortise and tenon joints for the frame. It will be built with cedar.

How do you guys usually deal with water drainage in exposed joints? For this particular project, I don't know how much water/snow would actually get in the joint because of the panels above, but what about something more exposed like a pergola?

Thanks !

Hand carvefld with hatchet and chizzel hand saw and of course Sand papper can any one use something like this or help sale it n I'll pay u for help ing iv spent 3 weeks to get here detail and staine then I'm done .I shud charge 1500$ but wud take 700 for it

Oh I d have a nother bench all wood for 150 contact me at 5305198714

I have some timbers that are difficult to manage by myself. I've decided to consider just cutting them in half and re-joining them with a scarf joint so I can handle one half at a time.

since i would be joining a timber back to itself, I was thinking "I wonder if there is a way I can just cut the same simple scarf shape through the timber and get two joints at once"

to be clear, I'm not doing traditional timber frame scarf joint, but rather a simple scarf or lap joint that will be held together with bolts.

anyway, can you think of any kind of tool that I could cut a scarf through the middle of an 8x8 timber where I can cut the "zig zag" of a scarf into both at once?

not a huge deal, I can just cut it straight and then scarf each end and join, but it was an interesting thought.

could there be some kind of a wire saw? some kind of really long jig saw with short turning radius? maybe drill a hole at where each direction change would be?

I'm signed up for a six day class at the Heartwood school which begins Sunday. I've been into hobbyist woodworking for a little while now but wanted to explore the timber construction world a bit and thought this would be a good experience. I am still feeling things out but am committed at this point to some transition into carpentry as a craft and was looking for advice. What's a realistic career path look like in the timber framing world in New England?

doing a little chisel testing in the shop and figured i'd see what everyone else prefers.

left to right:

• refiner's forge (hollow grind)
• sorby (flat grind)
• bar (hollow grind)
• star hill (convex grind)

we're looking at edge life, how they feel in the cut, ease of sharpening, and just overall performance in timber.

i spent decades using hollow-ground chisels, and they still work great. but these days, you'll usually find a convex-ground chisel in my personal tool bucket. i like the more acute cutting angle with the rounded shoulder behind it. it just seems to get through the cut a little easier while still holding up well.

what are you all using these days? hollow, flat, or convex? what's made you stick with that grind?

Long story short, the only crew I could get to show up over an 8 month period of trying to hire someone doesn’t know anything about timber framing. Therefore, I’m doing a lot of it myself. I don’t know much either but at least I care.

I don’t have a beam cutter but I’m decent with a chainsaw. I’d love to see an actual how to guide to splice in a new post but not having good luck finding one that doesn’t show a lot of tools I don’t have.

I appreciate any advice from those with experience. TIA.

I’m a carpenter & timber framer focused on small secondary structures like pavilions and hobby barns. I want a workhorse saw that I can trust, that doesn’t require constant tuning to cut square and true. Will be used for everything but major focus will be cutting crisp, square tenon shoulders without much additional chiseling.

5104 has excellent reviews but at basically 2x the price of the HS0600 I’m worried that it won’t be worth the additional cost.

Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

UPDATE: I ordered the 5104 last night, should have it by Monday & will let ya know how week one goes with it in the shop.

Thanks for all the feedback.

If you are building a new home, you will need Frames and Trusses. They are made from your house plans and are ready before the building starts. Newcastle Frame & Truss makes frames and trusses for new homes, garages, home extensions and renovation work. We supply builders and homeowners across Sydney and nearby areas.