Raising Day

by Zach Miller of Iowa

The morning of August 24, 2024, began cool, and heavy dew drops clung to the grass. Thunder rumbled in the southwest as we checked for the final time the measurements on the post feet and the foundation stones. Would we get rained out on this long-anticipated day? I had been up since first light with my two young sons, doing final preparations before the crew arrived. After a year of studying timber framing, and consultation with other framers, a blueprint had been put together. Another six months were spent, off-and-on as farm work allowed, cutting the 98 white oak timbers that the plan required.

Nine large granite and quartzite stones were in place for the foundation piers. These stones sit on 48 inches of compacted aggregate. Each stone had a stainless steel pin in its center that would fit into the bottom of each post. This helps to hold the post in place on the stone. Each post was scribed (i.e. marked and carved) to fit the contour of the rock it sat on. The lower half of the posts were scorched on the surface to prevent rot.

The crew excitedly arrived early. We began to lay the first timbers on the wet grass. Would all the joinery fit properly? This was my first timber frame, it was hard to imagine how it would all fit together.

The two side walls were the first to need to be assembled and raised. Usually, the side walls are raised as bents, with stub tenons fitting into the sills. But with foundation stones and stainless-steel pins, it seemed more appropriate to assemble the wall one piece at a time. Posts were placed first, braces fit, then the 30’ 6” long continuous top plate was lifted with two hoists and set down in place on the connecting tenons. After pegging with one-inch white oak pegs, one wall was complete and then was braced with ropes and stakes to hold it upright. The second wall went up likewise. Then we connected these two side walls together with three extraordinarily heavy tie beams. A 2” deep dovetail cut on the bottom of the tie beam corresponded to and fitted together in the dovetail notch cut on the top plate. Just a little carving was needed for this joint to fit together properly.

After a break at noon, the two large summer beams were ready to place. With the clouds having passed, the sun now shone with summertime intensity. The summers connect the frame lengthwise down the center and support the upstairs floor. A shouldered dovetail joined them to the tie beams. Four short braces also interlocked the interior posts to the summer beams.

Everything was fitting together, solid and square! We were now ready to move to the second story to finish the frame. We hauled up planks onto the upstair’s floor joist, and the first two rafters were handed up. Where the two rafters met at the peak, a short king post tied in. The base of the king post joined back together to the rafters with a collar tie, forming a rigid triangle. Lastly, two queen posts were fitted at the lower end of each rafter, and all the joints were pegged.

This rafter assembly, called a queen post truss, was then carefully tipped upright. One man at each rafter foot and queen post connection guided the mortise and tenon as they were fitted together. Care was taken to make sure the truss didn’t tip past vertical and come crashing to the ground! Once upright, temporary bracing held it in place. We laid out two more rafter sets on the upstair’s floor and then tipped them up into place. The rafter trusses were then tied together with two ridge beams and with four braces down to the king posts. Finally, the crew fitted the purlins, which completed the frame and helped form the finished roof surface.

From high on the roof, fitting the last purlins, I could see the children running, full of energy. Friends and family gathered underneath, each one with a dish for a celebratory meal. While some prepared the meal, others sat and watched as the men and I placed the final timbers. As the sun set and painted the sky with twilight colors, we all celebrated and ate delicious homemade ice cream.

A special thank-you to my brother Nathan, as well as Max, David, John, and Chris who all helped over the course of months to cut the frame. And many thanks to all the enthusiastic helping hands who raised our first timber frame building in one day. A very delighted thank-you to the ladies who cooked the delicious meal we all shared at the end of that amazing day. Many hands and minds worked together to make it a success.