Tie Beams are the defining component of a timber frame. They tie a barn together better than The Dude’s rug ever could. A tie beam crosses the gable at or below the plate (eave) level, and prevents the eave walls from spreading under the outward pressure of the rafters. Tie beams, more than any other…
I think most people on the crew have come across a frame that made them stop, and think, “Man, that’s the frame I’d build for myself.” I think I’ve found mine. It’s one of what will be three barns on a piece of property in Poland, ME – a horse barn, dairy barn and carpenter’s…
Maine Preservation held their annual honor awards ceremony last Thursday, to “recognize owners, developers, professionals and leaders responsible for transformative historic preservation efforts throughout the state.” We were proud to be part of the team honored for the restoration of The Mill at Freedom Falls. Read the full list of honorees, here. This project was…
Nov. 15, 2013 – When I tell people what I do, I sometimes run into the misconception that preservationists are single-minded, inflexible, and uninterested in innovation and design. It’s true that at Preservation Timber Framing we think that if a frame stands strong for 200 years, it probably has good design to thank, and that…
Last week, Arron and I saw a neat roof framing detail at a Greek Revival home in Brunswick. The rafter was joined to the tie beam with a birdsmouth and pinned with a trunnel, the tie overlapped the plate and supported a flying purlin, and the plate ran past the gable end post to create…
PTF began work on the undercarriage of the True-Randall barn in November 2012, and recently completed a comprehensive timber frame repair of the house, barn and ell. George and Karin Look, owners and custodians of the True-Randall Farmstead, researched the history of their property extensively and are deeply committed to ensuring its preservation. The following…
Reading Dave Ewing’s paper on the history of moving buildings, I started thinking about the part lifting buildings plays in our work (it’s a starring role), and the part that screws and other simple machines play in that lifting (co-starring the skid steer). This year, we repaired a barn on Randall’s Hill in Montville. It…
If forced to choose, I think most of the PTF crew would choose hand-tools over machines, our chisels and mallet. Fortunately, we don’t have to choose, and one of the pleasures of our job is that we have a broad range of woodworking tools with which to solve the problems we face in the shop and in…
PTF’s own David Ewing will present his paper, “Moving Historic Properties: A Valid Method of Preservation” at the National Trust for Preservation’s 2013 Conference in Indianapolis, IN. Inspired by his experience dismantling the Demeritt-O’Kane house, the paper reviews the history of moving buildings and includes the example of a Boston apartment building which was moved at…
Since 2009, the iFarm in Boxford, Massachusetts has been keeping crews from PTF busy. Christine Barensfeld, the owner of the farm, has collaborated with PTF to restore the farm which consistently operated from 1750 – 1932. Chris purchased the farm in 2009 a midst the threat of developers who would have purchased the property and…