A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames

A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames
Average customer rating:

Great Book!

Neophyte realities

Must have book for the beginning and advanced

A core title for any carpentry/architectural reference shelf

I actually used the methods in this book to build my barn!

A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames
Steve K. Chappell
Manufacturer: Fox Maple Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building

Building the Timber Frame House

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods

The Craft of Modular Post & Beam: Building log and timber homes affordably

The Timber-Frame Home: Design Construction Finishing

ASIN: 188926900X

Book Description

Timber Framing has been a part of our building culture and an inspiration to mankind since the Middle Ages. As we enter a new millenium, it is designed to remain as one of building's most enduring forms, not only because of its intrinsic beauty, but because it is a pure and complete structural system.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2006-05-30

Excellent book, very thorough. Lots of good info on engineering, stresses and design of joints. Also good info on timbers, where they are cut in the log, shrinkage, and more. Would not ignore any of his advice if you would like your frame to be safe and last for generations.

Neophyte realities.......2005-09-15

This particular book is an overview. Nothing wrong with that, it's merely that I do not even approach the level the overview allows. Again, a fine book for an intermediate but not for My particular position in the process of learning timber framing. A book that is far more to My liking is called "The craft of modular post and beam." Written by James Mitchell. Way better for a beginner and a lot more incisive all the way across the learning horizon. Listening to Paul Butterfield's "East west" and am being pulled away from the typewriter! That is all!

Must have book for the beginning and advanced.......2004-12-03

The book is well written and very easy to follow. Steve walks through the history, design considerations, math, and knowledge needed to get started. I've read lots of Timber framing books and this is the first book I grab for reference. If you are trying to decide which book to buy...Look at "A Timber Framer's Workshop" FIRST!

A core title for any carpentry/architectural reference shelf.......2000-09-07

In A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction Of Traditional Timber Frames is a complete instruction course under one cover in the carpentry craft and architectural art of building with timber framing technology. Included are engineering basics, builders math, tips, techniques, tools, and structural design considerations. Chapters are devoted to Bent Framing & Joinery Design, Tension Joinery, Roof Framing & Truss Design, Joinery Details, and more! A Timber Framer's Workshop is a core title for any professional, academic, or community library carpentry, architecture, and woodworking collections.

I actually used the methods in this book to build my barn!.......2000-02-08

I actually used the methods in this book to build my 40 X 30, four-bent barn. I can't say enough about this book. From the dedication to the index this timber frame manual was crafted in the same manner as author Steve Chappell's structures: solid, precise and with artful beauty. This book teaches everything from the basic tools to advanced joinery and details everything you need to build a traditional timber frame structure. The illustrations are great and the exercises are extremely useful.

"A Timber Framer's Workshop" is an essential reference tool for anyone who's serious about timber framing.

Low Cost Pole Building Construction: The Complete How-To Book
Average customer rating:

READ ME! How to build a house cheaply

Pole construction - a wonderful alternative for great value.

Low Cost Pole Building Construction: The Complete How-To Book
Evelyn Loveday , and Ralph Wolfe
Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Do-It-Yourself | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Practical Pole Building Construction: With Plans for Barns, Cabins, & Outbuildings

Monte Burch's Pole Building Projects: Over 25 Low-Cost Plans

How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings

Building a Multi-Use Barn: For Garage, Animals, Workshop, Studio

Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building

ASIN: 0882661701

Book Description

278,000 copies in print.

Customer Reviews:

READ ME! How to build a house cheaply.......2006-11-15

I thought this was a great book, I picked this up at the library and this was a wonderful read from front to back.

PROS:
1. Learn how to build at a low cost.
2. Provide shelter/housing one weekend at a time.

CONS:
N/A

I also purchased a real estate book on how to get land cheaply:

Investing Without Losing (ISBN: 0978834607 NOT on amazn, on other stores)

Pole construction - a wonderful alternative for great value........1999-12-10

I gave the book five stars because there was a total lack of books on the subject when I read it months ago. Thanks to Amazon, there is now more available. I am a developer of lots. I have seen what the family faces with home buying. The pole house will only be for the stout-hearted, brave and good humored. But for those few souls it will be a wonderful experience. This book takes you from day one - walking onto your lot - to the finished product. And it tells you everything in between like, how to get your friends to gleefully help you plant your poles to having an old "barn raising". It's good stuff. It's dated, but if you're an ol' fashion American pioneer like me, you'll love the challenge.

The Portland Cement Association's Guide to Concrete Homebuilding Systems

Average customer rating:

Bang your drum
A great synopsis of professional understanding
Just browsing CHS for myself
Ugly Duckling.
For Contractors

The Portland Cement Association's Guide to Concrete Homebuilding Systems
Pieter A. Vanderwerf , and W. Keith Munsell
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Underground Homes
Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable Underground Home
Concrete Architecture
Earth Shelter Technology
Underground Buildings: More Than Meets the Eye

ASIN: 007067020X

Book Description

Your one-source guide to Concrete-Based Homebuilding Systems. Residential contractors, architects, and developers will welcome this first total guide to the latest concrete-based homebuilding systems (CBHSs). With lumber costs still on the rise after doubling the early '90s, The Portland Cement Association Guide to Concrete Homes, by Peter VanderWerf and W. Keith Munsel, can deliver, durable, cost-efficient, esthetically pleasing alternative building materials and construction methods. It's all spelled out in an authoritative sourcebook that explains and compares the various types of CBHSs and lists special materials and tools for building them--provides case histories of concrete homes already built and in use--and contains data vital to building professionals who want to learn tomorrow's techniques today.

Customer Reviews:

Bang your drum.......2007-03-04

This is as another reviewer stated, "Advertising." Completely unpractical from either an engineer or buildler's point of view. Steer clear.

A great synopsis of professional understanding.......2004-02-14

As we may note upon reading this tome, it is written primarily for one who is articulate with the construction trade. However it is onomonopoetic in its scope. As you read you find yourself absorbing and understanding far more than seems possible. One gets it quickly and is allowed to dream of design possibilities. I love a good book. Learning at an exponential rate is exhilerating.

Just browsing CHS for myself.......2003-09-09

Remember, this book is almost TEN years old because it is based on research done in 1993 and published in '95. So there have been advances and experience that go well beyond this book. Dwell magazine has often tickled me with various new building techniques and I wanted to learn more about what might be appropriate for me and the Midwestern climate. This book will give you an overview of SOME of the styles (mortarless, poured-in-place, etc.), and also indicate what might be appropriate for your situation. I'm not a builder or an architect but I wanted to design my own house, so this book did help me to recognize and comprehend the different catagories of techniques. At the same time, this topic could really use an update that you won't find from the Portland Cement Association. My advice to people like me is to keep looking and seek out small-scale builders who will familiarize you with their technique that they know best. There are dozens, and the most difficult thing is getting a crew that doesn't have to be trained for a new technique but has already completed several homes using a proven method.

This book, even though it is somewhat old will give you a good sense of what to expect from building codes and prices, but it's just not enough, and there are no pretty pictures.

Ugly Duckling........2002-12-17

This book is an Ugly Duckling for now. Hopefully in the future they will put out a new edition with lots of colour photo's to show us what a finished project can look like. It does seem to cover most systems for building concrete structures. It is written for contractors, but with a little work it could be just as well suited for the potential home owner.

For Contractors.......2001-07-24

I bought this book because I am thinking of building my own house. This book is geared toward contractors and not homeowner-builders.

Average customer rating:

Excellent
well written, very informative
Great Book...early work on Timber Framing
Building the Timber Frame House
My favorite Timber Framing Book

Building the Timber Frame House
Tedd Benson
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building
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Timberframe: The Art and Craft of the Post-and-Beam Home

ASIN: 0684172860

Book Description

For centuries, post-and-beam construction has proved to be one of the most durable building techniques. It is being enthusiastically revived today not only for its sturdiness but because it can be easily insulated, it is attractive, and it offers the builder the unique satisfaction of working with timbers. Building the Timber Frame House is the most comprehensive manual available on the technique. In it you will find a short history, of timber framing and a fully illustrated discussion of the different kinds of joinery, assembly of timbers, and raising of the frame. There are also detailed sections on present-day design and materials, house plans, site development, foundation laying, insulation, tools, and methods.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2007-04-01

The details on this are excellent. Sketches, plans, perspectives, maths, tables, formulas, theory, you have it all. All graphics hand-drawn! Each joint has a photo, a drawing and cutting details and dimensions. Focused too: nothing outside the scope of the *classic* timber frame.

well written, very informative.......2006-03-10

I have read all the major timber frame books on the market, including both titles from Jack Sobon. Benson's book is packed with information on how to build a timber frame and has an index in the back that allows one to figure out what size timber is needed. This book is one of, if not, the best on this subject.

Great Book...early work on Timber Framing.......2005-10-12

This book is one of the classics on Timber Framing for those who want to get into this type of construction or build their own house. It is a very easy read. Though sometimes the author tends towards to much philosophy about life, construction and wood working.

This book has very useful sections on joinery, design, raising, engineering, load physics, etc. Very easy to understand even if, like me, you are not a professional carpenter, contractor or mechanical engineer. I know nothing of contracting or building and understood the whole book.

The book does not mention anything about Scribe Rule and Square Rule techniques and the differences between the two. These old techniques may not have been widely known when this book was written, although they were well known by early timber frame carpenters, before Timber Framing was replaced with cheaper, but faster Balloon Framing.

A book that does go into Square Rule in a more structured way and is equally easy to read is Buid a Classic Timber-Framed House, by Jack Sobon.

Building the Timber Frame House.......2005-08-09

This is a fantastic book. I purchased it for my husband, who is a very accomplished wood-worker. After spending a winter studying it we have spent the summer raising our timber frame addition.

My favorite Timber Framing Book.......2001-09-20

Timber framing is my hobby, and I own several books on the subject, but this has always been my favorite. The how-to section is very thorough, and includes information on tools and techniques. The author's enthusiasm for the subject is what really makes the difference, though. The sections on history and woodworking are especially good. If a friend wanted to try timber framing, and asked me which book to buy first, I would pick this one without hesitation.

The Craft of Modular Post & Beam: Building log and timber homes affordably

Average customer rating:

Post & Beam is excellent
Not for the non-builder...
Terrific
I actually did it.
The Craft of Modular Post & Beam

The Craft of Modular Post & Beam: Building log and timber homes affordably
James Mitchell
Manufacturer: Hartley and Marks Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames
Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building
Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction
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The Timber-Frame Home: Design Construction Finishing

ASIN: 0881791318

Customer Reviews:

Post & Beam is excellent.......2006-02-26

This book is by far the best I have read on the subject of post and beam construction. Lots of nice drawings and understandable instructions. Good advice for average person. Explains wood joinery very well

Not for the non-builder..........2005-10-25

If you are not building your own home, I don't recommend this book

Terrific.......2005-10-08

This book is excellent. It gave me all the information I wanted/needed plus more.

I actually did it........2005-06-22

The other reviewers of this book allude to the fact that they will someday get around to using the information. I have already done it and wanted to add my comments here.

I used this book as my "bible" to construct a 24x40 log home with a porch wrapped all the way around. It took two years, but I couldn't have done it by myself without the theories and examples in this book. My joinery isn't as pretty as the ones in the book, but I used them and wooden pegs to secure all the posts and beams in the house.

I highly recommend this book to all who have their own 'library' of log home books and need some practical advice that works.

The Craft of Modular Post & Beam.......2004-01-11

I first stumbled on this wonderful book in our local library. Read it cover to cover in two weeks and unfortunatly had to return it but, it is on my birthday wish list. This is the most informative book on the subject I have read to date. Mr Mitchell did an excellent job in the chapters covering the details of modular log home construction. Many of which I plan to use in the very near future.

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning and Design, Traditional Materials, Affordable Methods

Average customer rating:

The perfect introduction to timber framing
This is great first book on timber frame construction.
The source for learning timber framing

Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning and Design, Traditional Materials, Affordable Methods
Jack A. Sobon
Manufacturer: Storey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

House Plans | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building
Building the Timber Frame House
A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames
The Timber-Frame Home: Design Construction Finishing
Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction

ASIN: 0882668420

Customer Reviews:

The perfect introduction to timber framing.......2000-04-28

The plans, photos, patterns and details in this book can be used as a step-by-step guide to building a New England hall-and-parlor house. It's also a designer's guide, a history book and a great introduction to the craft and art of timber framing.

This is great first book on timber frame construction........1999-07-05

This was my first look at timber framing and this book was a great primer. It explains the history of timber framing, the terminology, the how to's of getting started. I wish it would have had more suggestions for finishing the house after the frame is up, but it definitely gave me a good foundation and the confidence to give it try.

The source for learning timber framing.......1999-06-05

Jack Sobon does a great job walking you step by step in building your own house. It is one of the best sources out there for learning traditional timber framing technique. A must read for anyone interested in learning how the early framers built the barns and houses we love today. Expect hands on information and thoery for the practical end of getting the house frame built. Expect a well focused instructiional manual that is light and entertaining to read.

Wood-Frame House Construction: Complete "How-To" Information on Constructing Wood-Frame Houses

Average customer rating:

A little weak on illustrations
Great Illustrations
Lots of material, but a little old

Wood-Frame House Construction: Complete "How-To" Information on Constructing Wood-Frame Houses
Leroy Oscar Anderson , and William Oberschulte
Manufacturer: Craftsman Book Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0934041741

Book Description

This book presents sound principles for wood-frame house construction and suggestions for selecting suitable materials that will greatly assist in the construction of a good house. It is also meant as a guide and handbook for those without this type of construction experience.

Many wood houses are in existence today that were built more than 200 years ago when early settlers arrived. The modern conventional wood-frame house, with wood or wood product covering materials, is economical, long lasting, and can be constructed in any location. The United States is well supplied with timber and has a diversified industry that manufactures lumber and other wood products used in the house. Few, if any, materials can compete with wood-framing in the construction of houses. However, to provide this efficient wood house, good construction details are important as well as the selection of materials for each specific use.

While designing and planning are beyond the scope of this publication, the information on materials and building practices is intended to guide builders and prospective homeowners in erecting a good house with a minimum of maintenance. This handbook can also be used as a training aid for apprentices or as a standard by which to judge the quality of house construction.

It sets forth what are considered to be acceptable practices in assembling and arranging the parts of a well-designed wood-frame house. While details of construction may vary in different localities, the fundamental principles are the same. This handbook deals essentially with established methods of construction, and does not attempt to show new ones that are used in various parts of the country.

Construction details for houses are given in a series of drawings with accompanying text, which show the methods used in assembling the various parts.

In general, the order of presentation confomrs to the normal sequence of constructing the building - from foundation to finish work. The final chapters add information on painting, protecting wood from decay and fire, and maintenance. A glossary of housing terms is also included at the back of the handbook to aid with unfamiliar or specific word usage.

Customer Reviews:

A little weak on illustrations.......2007-03-17

This book has some useful and informative discussion of the construction methods but if you intend to purchase only one book on the subject, then you are better off with GRAPHIC GUIDE TO FRAME CONSTRUCTION by Thallon.

Great Illustrations.......2007-01-11

This book has great illustration for wood framing. Recommend it: however, it would be nice to have a CD on all the drawings illustrated in the book.

Lots of material, but a little old.......2003-05-11

This book has many things to recommend it. It includes a wealth of material on wood frame house construction, from laying out a hole in the ground for foundations, to framing, to "paint and paper". And it's clear and generally easy to read. It was designed for people in apprenticeship programs and trade schools, so it's oriented toward practical details, not engineering theory, which will make it a good match for most do-it-yourselfers, too.

On the other hand, it clearly is an older book. Attempts have been made to keep it up to date with newer techniques, but a lot of obsolete material remains, and it's not always easy to tell which methods are new and which old. The obsolete material could be a plus, in some cases -- if you're renovating an old house, for example. But I wouldn't place absolute trust in this book as a bible of new house construction.

Amazon.com

Unlike conventional framing, which is destined to be hidden by other building materials, timberframe homes leave massive beams and smaller supports exposed to be seen and admired as a finished and an architectural element. Tedd Benson divides Timberframe: The Art and Craft of the Post-and-Beam Home into four sections--"In the Country," "On the Water," "In the Mountains," and "In Addition"--to reveal how the proud owners of timberframe dwellings strive to make those architectural elements fit their surroundings. This is not a how-to book--though there are plenty of sketches and even a few simplified plans sprinkled among 400 color photos--as much as an effort to foster appreciation and inspiration of this unique home style. With case-by-case overviews of 29 American homes from coast to coast, Benson explores a craftsmanship that was largely replaced by stud framing in the late 1800s with the development of the wire nail, the circular saw mill, and the need to build houses more quickly. But Benson also calls attention to a renewed interest in timberframe dwellings. Norm Abram, of This Old House fame, not only wrote the foreword to this book but also serves as a case study of someone incorporating this old framing technique into his new house. For Abram, the attraction to timberframing is its sense of durability. "I look at its sturdiness and know it will be standing for many decades, maybe a century or two," he writes. Another sign of timberframing's resurgence is seen in the recent selling off of more than 7 million board feet of old-growth timber from the defunct Long-Bell Lumber mill in Longview, Washington. As Benson tells the story, word about the auction spread quickly among a new breed of timberframers who knew that wood of that size and quantity might never be seen again. The bidding quickly rose above the meager means of the average timberframer, and it was later learned that Bill Gates purchased the timbers for his multimillion-dollar home in Seattle. --John Russell

Customer Reviews:

Beams! BEAMS!!.......2000-12-19

This book is full of stunning photographs of timber frame homes, accompanied by engaging text both technical and philosophical. The book is divided into locations, such as prairie, mountain, and coastal homes. Not a guide to building, this is more like the ultimate coffee-table book.

I don't know one thing about architecture or homebuilding, but I enjoyed this book for its striking photos of awesome homes.

Beams and More Beams.......2000-06-17

If you love beams, and more beams, lots of braces, and complex joints; then this book is for you.

If you prefer a more minimalist approach I'd suggest: "The Timber-Frame Home, Design, Construction, Finishing" by the same author. In that book this author wrote: "...frame design should simplify and reduce whenever possible, The best frames are those with the most economical use of timbers and the least-complicated joinery." I was disappointed that this book ignored that concept.

Most of the houses in this book are above 3500 sq feet with roughly a third at 5000 and up. If you want to see the extremes to which timberframing can be taken, this is the book for you.

Visually powerful architectural & design reference........2000-04-06

This colorful survey of the post and beam home examines a construction method which dates to the Middle Ages, and is the first to explore the design potentials of the form. 400 color photos, drawings and floor plans provide excellent architectural reference and design insights in this contemporary exploration of timberframe potentials. Visually powerful and highly recommended.

Very inspiring book, full of great timberframe examples!.......1999-09-16

This great book starts off with a short history of timberframes and then showcases dozens of great timberframe homes. The homes cover all styles and price ranges and the picture quality is superb. This is a must buy for all timberframe home lovers!

The Complete Guide to Log and Cedar Homes

Average customer rating:

Needs updating
The best guide you'll find on manufactured log homes

The Complete Guide to Log and Cedar Homes
Gary D. Branson
Manufacturer: Betterway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Small Homes & Cottages | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Log Homes Made Easy: Contracting and Building Your Own Log Home

ASIN: 1558702768

Customer Reviews:

Needs updating.......2001-04-28

This book needs a major overhaul. Information and photos are out-of-date. Very superficial information for anyone on the verge of buying and building. Printing quality is very poor -- some of the photos are so dark they are indistinguishable - copier quality in fact. For the first time ever -- I sent a book back for a refund.

The best guide you'll find on manufactured log homes.......2000-04-28

This book is the best overall guide to understanding and working with log and timber frame manufacturers and building with their kits. It includes a very complete directory of manufacturers, sources of building and maintenance supplies and 28 home plans.

Building with Engineered Lumber (For Pros By Pros)

Average customer rating:

Building with Engineered Lumber (For Pros By Pros)
John Spier
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Carpentry | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Windows and Doors (For Pros By Pros)
Cabinets and Countertops (For Pros By Pros)
Framing Floors, Walls and Ceilings (For Pros by Pros)
Graphic Guide to Frame Construction: Details for Builders and Designers (For Pros by Pros)
Wiring a House (For Pros by Pros)

ASIN: 1561586978
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Book Description

Framing is bread-and-butter work for builders. Builders who want to stay on top of their business and meet customer demands for quality materials and excellent workmanship need to know about engineered lumber–how it affects home design, and how different types of engineered lumber are ordered, stored, handled, cut and installed. Building with Engineered Lumber delivers this information clearly, comprehensively, and in well-organized chapters that builders can put to work right away.

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