Timber Frame Construction

Our joinery is taken from styles of English, German, Japanese and early American. "If you look in some of our country's earlier frames, you will, no doubt, see some influences from craftsmen throughout the world. However, we as craftsmen are sensitive to the practice of historic preservation of the timber frame craft.

It is all about joinery --
"We put wood and wood together with wood."

Timbers are hand chiseled with great precision. in our shop in Franklin, North Carolina. Our timber framing is never subcontracted. We do all of the work ourselves, every time.

We use fully housed joints on all load-bearing surfaces. Our knee braces are also housed. This is rarely done in today's timber frame shops.

Trusses are dry fitted after being cut by us with housed joinery.

The floor joists are shown here both from above and below. Please notice in the photo from above that they are fitted with dovetail (i.e. tying) joints. This timber frame home is in Eastern White Pine.

The photo to the left shows the end being insealed. The photo above is a close up of a tying joint otherwise known as a dovetail joint.

Free Splines are used where needed to add strength and beauty. We use a wide range of woods for our splines; black walnut, oak, black cherry, maple and beech to mention a few species. Splines make a simple and truly strong connection. Trunnels (wooden pegs) -- turned are best for fine home and trusses. One-inch reveal with chamfered ends are standard. Octagonal pegs are also available if desired in some frames. Species iclude black walnut, black locust, oak and maple. Timbers are inspected and graded by our staff. We are very picky about the wood we use. Ask our timber suppliers! We can supply timbers that are rough sawn, planed on 4 sides, or hand hewn. (Hand hewn available in white pine only.) All timber frames are dry fitted or trial fitted, at our facility in Franklin, North Carolina in order to check for proper dimensions and fit before delivery. We also offer draw-pegged frames.

Timber Species for Your Timber Frame Home

Eastern White Pine (pinus strobes)for Your Timber Frame One of the largest conifers in the eastern United States, it is lightweight and reasonably strong. If handled correctly, white pine is a great choice for its cost factor. Click here for more photos

Long Leaf (Yellow) Pine (pinus palustris) for Your Timber Frame Long Leaf Pine is moderately hard, heavy and very strong. It is, however, prone to twisting and checking. Long Leaf Pine is a good choice when both strength and cost are a factor. Colors range from yellow brown to orange or reddish brown and looks great with any stain choice. Click here for more photos

Bald Cypress or Cypress (taxopium distichum) for Your Timber Frame This is Jeff's personal favorite. It is a true delight to work with, medium soft and medium light when dry or seasoned, it seems to be very stable. Care in grading must be taken to look for windshake. (Those darn hurricanes) Color can range from a dark yellow brown to medium reddish brown. Click here for more photos

Northern Red Oak (quercus rubra) for Your Timber Frame Northern Red Oak is a great choice for beauty and strength. Hard and heavy, its color is light reddish brown often with a pinkish or flesh color tinge. Costs are high, plus difficulty in joining and handling because of the sheer weight of the timbers. Click here for more photos