[Greenbuilding] Sustainable post and beam construction

[Ken Beiser]

Clarke and Chris may concur on this.  I find that traditional mortise and
tenon joinery is easier to assemble since I can assemble loose at first and
pull or pound it together prior to marking the tenon for drilling the tenon
for pegs.  I usually do a drawbore procedure so the joint is pulled tight,
possibly even after the timber has had some time to dry and shrink.  Kerfs
for knife plates (hidden steel joinery) tend to be less precise so assembly
is more difficult to get looking good but the strength of a steel knife
plate allows me to do even more of a drawbore to achieve tight joinery.  It
is just more difficult, more expensive, and not as much "fun".   

 

The additional timber required for a tenon is indisputable but it is usually
only 6 inches.. and I have even used free tenons as a "timber stretcher",
even when a free tenon was not necessary for engineering and joinery
challenges.

 

My shop is also set up for traditional joinery with some special machinery
and jigs.  When I have hidden steel, I am primarily relying on some somewhat
scary chainsaw techniques.  I have adapted an old Makita tenon cutter to
hold an electric chainsaw and I can plunge into end grain of timbers for a
hidden steel knife plate.  I primarily use it for post attachment to the
foundation, piers, or subfloor assemblies.  It takes away the "pucker
factor" of plunging a chainsaw.

 

The use of a light frame or SIPS outside a nice timber frame makes a tight
insulation with few thermal breaks which will help contribute to the
sustainability of heavy timber construction.  As far as SIPS go, I really
like the end product, hate the installation process (plasteeek!), and
consider the joints in the panels and use of OSB as skins to be the weak
points.  A light frame outside the timber frame sprayed with
polyisocyanurate is a good option but I am still dealing with foam.  I would
like to try cellulose in either a double wall or Larsen trusses or dense
pack in another light frame.  Anyone tried that?  Got any details?  I have
actually done some at my own home but with mixed results.

 

Thanks,

 

Ken in Whitefish

 

 

Ken Beiser

Western Woodwrights

Whitefish, Montana

406-212-1811  mobile

406-756-0889 office, shop, home, and fax

 

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