Bents 2 and 3 assembled

It's been hot here -- mid to upper 90s with plenty of humidity. Still, there is work to be done. So, I've been doing a lot of sweating. The 90 degree temps are forecast to continue for a while yet.

Mark and I have worked on the frame in between harvesting and preserving the produce from the garden. This week, because of the heat, we've begun work around 8:00am after chores and breakfast. We generally return to the house for lunch and to appreciate the air conditioning, as limited as it is with small window units, around 1:00pm. The prospect of returning to work and sweating some more in the heat after lunch is not one we gladly welcome. So, we are happy to find things to do inside during the afternoon.

We were able to finish assembling the second bent last week. Actually, it's Bent 3, but we started with Bent 4. It's the second one we've assembled. We worked this week and were able to get Bent 2 put together, too. So, that's three bents assembled. One more to go -- Bent 1. God willing, we'll complete that one next week.

I didn't take any pictures of our third bent assembly as we worked on it this week or after finishing it today. I do have some photos of Bent 3 we completed last week (the second one to be assembled). I'll share several now.

The first photo details an error I made in laying out the intersection of the rafters for Bent 3. There are two pitches on the roof: 8:12 on the front and 3:12 on the back. I tried to be as careful as possible in the laying out, but I get the angle wrong where the two come together. You can see the gap that exists in the photo. I'm not going to cut a new rafter, mainly because I don't have another 16' 6x8 lying around. I also don't believe it is necessary, and I don't want to go to all the trouble to cut the joints. I will cut some wedges to fill in the gaps so that my error will not be so readily visible. I will also drive a wedge in on top of the tenon to fill in the gap that exists on that side. I wasn't pleased upon discovering this error, but it will be alright.

The ends of the collar tie where it joins the rafter were cut correctly, though. The photo on the left shows the collar tie on the 3:12 pitch rafter. This intersection is a long one, but it came together nicely. The other side also fit tightly. You can ignore the unsightly gap at the peak!

The process of assembling the bents involves first fitting together the rafters. Then, we put the rafters away and begin putting together the posts and beams. The rafter sets will be assembled at the second floor level and raised there on the day of the raising. The photo to the left shows the beginning of the assembly of the main portion of Bent 3. We set the posts into position and have the scarfed tied beams laid out at the top near where they will fit. At this point, we check to make sure all of the braces will fit and that the mortises and tenons for the beams are correct. I also drill the holes for the pegs through the mortises. When we fit the tenons in their corresponding mortises, I mark them with the point of the auger bit (running the drill in reverse). After pulling the tenon out of the mortise, I drill the hole in the tenon closer to the shoulder of the joint than marked. This is so that when the peg is driven through the tenon in the mortise, it will draw it tight. This technique is known as draw boring. For some joints that fit tightly and are pulled together well, I don't draw bore, mainly because I don't want to have to pull the pieces back apart.

The photo to the right shows the bent after we've fit the first floor level beams into their mortises on the posts. We fit these and peg them. Then, we put the braces in the posts and pull the tie beam into place on its tenons. There is a 2x6 tenon that goes through the scarf joint on the top of the center post. This tenon goes all the way through both sides of the scarf joint.

The three photos below show each of the joints where the first floor beams connect to the posts.

Next, here are three pictures showing the connection of the tie beam to the posts.



In the photo of the scarf joint above, you can see another error at the top of the brace on the right side. Somehow when I cut the joints on this beam 2.5 years ago, I measure wrong and put the brace mortise 1.75" too far out. I had to extend the mortise towards the post so that the brace would fit. I'll plug the hole with a 2"x1.75" block of oak later.

Here's a photo of the first two bents we assembled, or at least parts of them. After we were finished, I snapped a photo of Mark the Intern resting on the timber pile. We have the girts, rafter sets, braces, and unassembled posts organized at one end of the work area. Of course, after assembling three bents (only two were assembled at the time of this photo), the pile is diminishing, at least parts of it.

And, finally, a picture of the first two bents after assembly. If I had a picture of all three, I would post it. Hopefully, I'll be able to post a photo of all four assembled bents next week.

Building the first bent

On Thursday of last week (7/26), Mark and I laid out the rafter set for the fourth bent and fit it together. We took our time, making sure that the mortises and tenons were properly sized and drilling holes for the pegs. We also needed to chisel the mortises on the tie beam for the rafter posts and the brace. I also needed to cut the birds mouth for the rafter foot on the front of the tie beam (I forgot to cut these when I completed the tie beams nearly 2.5 years ago). I didn't take any pictures, unfortunately.

Since my previous post in which I shared my raising ideas, I've changed my mind. We will not be raising the bents completely assembled to the rafters. I thought it would be simpler and safer to raise each bent completed to the tie beam. Then, after they are raised and attached together with connecting girts and braces, we can assemble and raise the rafter sets on top. I'll still use a gin pole, just not a 30' one. The raising may take longer, but safer and simpler is better.

On Friday morning (7/27), we began assembling the first bent. We laid out the three posts with their feet on the piers and the other ends supported on blocks (scraps from cutting the timbers to size). Things went pretty well. We made sure the mortises and tenons were properly sized. I've been amazed at how the mortises have shrunk over time. I expected they would enlarge.

I've been intending to draw bore all of the joints, but not all are to be done that way. We used a come-along to pull together the posts and some of the beams and then pegged. I decided to do it that way because of how tightly some of the joints fit together, and I didn't relish pulling it apart to drill the tenon. This photo is of the first pegs I've ever driven into a timber frame.

After the bottom beams were pegged, the front post had a pretty good twist visible at the top. It straightened out when we pulled the tie beam onto the tenon at the top of the post. It was pretty neat to watch it straighten out. The other end of the scarfed tie beam over the back post was twisted. It wouldn't straighten out. So, there's a bit of a gap between it and the post on one side. I don't think it'll matter any though.

Here are some photos of the assembled bent.

It was neat to see this piece of the house come together. We'll tackle the next bent tomorrow morning.