The shop is in full swing as you can see Keith in the background and Steve in the
checkered blue flannel. Richard is milling additional spline housings in the back
shop as the crew is working toward completion of the frame. We have already made
reservations in Pagosa Springs and we are working with several trucking companies
to see which one can deliver the frame on time.
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The weather has been absolutely beautiful and we have made a lot of progress. The
timbers you see in this shot have all been cut and are awaiting final finishing.
It appears that we will be loading two semi trucks for the journey north to Pagosa
Springs. Today, it is just too beautiful to work inside so we have moved a lot of
the work outdoors to enjoy a delightful Fall day in East Texas.
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Chet and Tim are laying out the final timbers in the frame. Chet has really gotten
into stride on layout and is doing an excellent job... of course, a lot of hot coffee
helps!
Teak the wonder dog, is looking for a nice spot in the morning sun as it is a bit
chilly out this morning. She has already checked on all the crew and is satisfied
that everyone is accounted for!
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Tim will be finishing most of the posts in the Great Room section of the home today.
This is the part of the job he enjoys the most and he is an incredibly productive
craftsman. In fact, there is a lot of paper work I've been trying to get him to
look at for several days, but he would much rather be outdoors working with big
wood. I can't say I blame him in the least.
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Steve is finishing up a tenon on yet another rafter timber.
Remember earlier we looked at a finished tenon and discussed why we bevel the tenon
edges. Here we can actually see the process being performed. Steve is using a hand
plane to bevel the edges of this particular tenon.
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It is necessary to have the bevel edges at a 45 degree angle to the flat surface
of the tenon. The only way you can accomplish this with any accuracy is with a hand
plane.
It's the little things like this that mark the craftsmanship in timber frame production.
No one is going to know if the tenons are beveled once the frame is up, but this
simple step ensures that the tenon will slide into the mortise smoothly and produce
a tight joint.
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Meanwhile, Richard has begun the finishing process. Here, you can see him using
a large powered hand plane to surface finish a timber.
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Finishing is a time consuming process that requires a great deal of patience. Here,
Richard is studying a timber to determine how it should be finished. He must judge
surface roughness, any imperfections in the timber face and the timber's overall
quality. If he detects any problems at this point, he may recommend that the timber
joinery be reworked or he may fail the timber altogether.
Once he approves of the timber, he will begin the planing process.
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Hand planing is not as easy as it may first appear. This particular timber had a
bit of surface roughness about 1/3 down its length. So, Richard had to adjust the
depth of the cut manually as he walked along side with the power planner. He may
vary the thickness of the cut no more than 1/32". Any more might alter the
way the timber matches its adjoining pieces.
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Here is a close-up of the planner in action. The planer is a Mafell 12" power
planner with a very precise blade depth adjustment. The operation requires a steady
hand and a measured "walk" along the length of the timber. Any slip could
result in the planner removing too much wood.
Once the timber is finished, we usually oil the timber, but in this case, we are
leaving the finishing to you. Once all of the timbers are finished, they will be
wrapped in protective black plastic and banded together for the journey north.
Keith will start inventory on our raising equipment next week and we will start
packing the trailer for the trip. Everyone is looking forward to a successful raising
in Pagosa Springs!
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