The Landry Barn Frame: A Traditional Timber Frame Part One

The Apprentices enjoy the complete
frame on a hot August day in 2011

The completed frame

In the summer of 2011, we raised the Landry Barn Timberframe.   Ben and I, along with the other apprentices, had cut this frame all through the winter and spring, and it came together right before the summer.

It was the largest frame we had cut and raised to date.   It was 26 feet wide by 36 feet long, with two floors.   It was 16 feet high at the plate, giving 12 feet of room on the lower/first floor, so that a tractor or vehicles would have plenty of room to move through the building.   We used queen posts and purlin plates to support the rafters, which took considerable time to lift and then install, and the rafters were long, heavy and raised one at a time using scaffolding and lots of sweat and human power to lift and slide into place.

A close up of the
Queen Post assembly

The rafters, as the Barn Owls see them!

It was hundreds of pegs, hand carved from maple, white ash and red oak.   We used logs from our firewood pile, and also some trees from the woods, finding the ones that were the straightest, knot free and easiest to carve. We split them with an old froe, and then used a drawknife to shape them first into squares, then into eight sided pegs.   The Landrys brought their children out on an early spring day while it was still cold, and they got to work on some pegs for their frame, too.

The first day of raising, with
our crew!

The big pile of rafters, waiting to be
raised into place

Enjoying a well deserved and needed
break, in the shade!

The Raising was a huge party of helpers, spectators, kids running around helping and organizing the food and drinks, and lots of cameras taking pictures and short videos during the exciting 'lifting' times.  The Landry Family really knew how to throw a Raising Party!   There were straw hats to keep the sun off our faces, and plenty of water and lemonade too, to stay hydrated and cool.   We had our apprentices, Lucas and Abigail, as well as many of our older camp staff and caretakers on the three or four days that we were raising.   I remember that it was very, very hot on some of the days we were raising, too.   However, hot weather is always better than rain!

The Landry Barn Frame

The completed frame, just off
Fish Road in Cooperstown, NY

Abigail enjoys the rafters!

A raising is not relaxing for the Master Framer and the Apprentices.  (I am not calling myself a Master Framer, or anything like that!)  I am just saying, that as the head of the Timber framing operation at Hawk Circle, I am responsible for making sure that all of the materials we need are there, all of the tools are ready to go, all of our group knows what to do and that the frame is ready to go.    Things go as smoothly and on time based on my efforts, and after each beam is placed and pegged in place, and raised, most people want to relax for a few minutes, enjoy the sight of the new building, and take pictures.   However, as soon as it is up, we usually are already moving the next beams into position, finding the pegs and braces that are needed next, or setting up ladders or staging to make the next lifting job happen as quickly as possible.   It is hard to get 10 or 15 people together for a full day to help with a community lifting, let alone getting them for two or three days!   So we try to get as much done as possible in almost every minute of the frame raising.   By the end of the day, we are usually exhausted and completely worn out.  It is a good feeling!   It is only on the follow up days that we really stop and enjoy the frame, or look at it from different angles and admire the wave of the grain, the carved beams and sheer size of the structure...

The second floor, with queen posts

It is customary to place
a pine bough nailed to the
peak of the frame, to
honor the spirit of the trees.

Raising a frame is intense and focused.  The Hawk Circle Apprentices really get a workout at a raising, and it is like a crash course in both production work and communication as we learn to anticipate what we will need both in the main moment and in the immediate following movements.   Tools, pegs, straps, blocks, ladders or chisels all come into play.

It's a proud feeling to be part of the
raising team and see it done!

The Landry Frame was no exception.   It was massive in scale and scope, and it was really fun to work on.  Their family is fun, enthusiastic and appreciate quality and the details that make a house a home!   They were involved in every decision as the frame came together, and their vision made this frame on a hill something that everyone in the neighborhood could enjoy.

The Builders did a good job
putting up the siding and
doors and windows to
enclose the frame.

The larger the frame, the more people you need to raise the heavy combination of tie beams, braces, door posts, girts and main posts.   Together, each bent can weigh as much as 2,000 lbs.   If the beams are freshly cut and not dried out too much, then they can be even heavier.   So having a lot of friends is an important part of the raising event!

The barn interior and stairs.

Surprisingly, raising is not too dangerous.   You just have to be careful and communicate with everyone about what we are doing, and not try to move too fast, and to take risks.   We try to use scaffolding everywhere we can, and everyone watches out for each other, so it goes pretty smoothly.   I tend to get some splinters along the way, or scrapes, or dings, but so far, our track record is strong.   This raising went very well, each hot hour by hour.  It helped to have long days in the summer too.

Javi and me on the second floor, at
the Barn Party, December, 2011.   It
was very cold but it was fun to see
it all finished and ready for use.

As the frame came together, we took pictures and the structure looked very dramatic up on the hill, as seen from the road and the neighborhood.   Our crew got the four bents up and the floor joists in on the first day, as well as the floor boards installed too.  We put the plate beams up on the second raising day, which were in two different pieces, and 'scarfed' together, rather than trying to find one very long, 36 foot beam.   Once those were in place, and their braces pegged, too, we were ready to put in the queen post assemblies for each bent.   This took a while, as each beam had to be fit into the frame carefully, by angling it together with all of the different braces, ties, posts and short ties.   We worked on the edge of the second story on the first one, and it was a little touchy up there, so high!   We just took our time, and got it put together, piece by piece.

Once the queen posts were up, we raised the purlin plates, which are horizontal beams that run the length of the frame, and they support the rafters, keeping them up, sharing and transferring the roof load down through the frame, as well as keeping the rafters spaced properly, too.   These were also in two pieces each, and took a little while to peg and secure to the rest of the frame.

Our Party Placards!

The Raising Crew!

Next came the rafters, and thankfully, they were easy to get into place, although very heavy to lift from the ground up to the second floor and then up onto the plates.   Once they were up, we pegged them together at the top and then at the bottom, to anchor them to the plate beam with a square peg pounded in deep.   The rafters each are carved at the eave, as our trademark for our frames.   We believe every building should have a strong, wide eave to provide protection for the wall below, as well as keep weather off of the house, and let snow slide off away from the house and foundation.   Of course, some people like the traditional Dutch or English style without eaves, but we haven't built one of those yet...

We couldn't have done this anywhere near as easily without the essential help of Rich Degner, an amazing local builder who helped with the raising, lots of equipment and helpful know-how.   We highly recommend him if you need help in any construction project.  Thanks, Rich!

The Landry Family had a party in December, a Barn Warming, so to speak, with a huge potluck, and singing, and kids running upstairs and out by the bonfire and lots of good community and warmth and good feelings.   We were amazed to see the barn finished, and ready for animals, to come in the spring. I am sure that the space is already put to good use by everyone in the family, and it makes me happy to see it so strong and tall on the hill, when I drive by on my way to Cooperstown.   It was a wonderful project that taught me a great deal, and allowed many apprentices and students to become powerfully inspired.  It is a good feeling to see so many good things come from this community and the vision of this family.