Timber Framers Guild Forums Tools Timber Engineering Suitability of size of salvaged timbers for projec

I am preparing to build a slight modification of the shed in the 14 Small Timber Frames book (similar to the Sobon garden shed) as my new workshop. Being on a tight budget, and on the lookout for deals, I have found 8 pine beams and one oak beam around 12 feet long and about 5.5"x6.5" in cross section cheap on Craigslist. I think these would work fine as cross beams in the bents. I bought these knowing I could find a use for them no matter what.

Yesterday, I went to see some old pine beams at a building salvage place. They seem to be well suited for reuse. The woman on the phone said they were around 9x9 and all between 12 and 20 feet long. I took the morning off work to go see them to find out they were really 5.5"x9.25" and at maximum about 12 feet long. I cannot get my plates out of these without splicing, so I think I wouldn't use them for that, but I wonder if they wouldn't be suitable as posts in my bents, with the wide face parallel to the bent. I think I can get these for as little as $10 a piece, so the pricing is very tempting.

Does anyone see any issues with building my bents with 5.5x9.25 posts and 5.5x6.5 cross beams?

Here is an image of the shop as designed with the available timbers:



The Sketchup model is available Here.

Jamey,
They should work OK, but there will be no room for pegged tenons on the opposing braces in the center posts. So just do stub through tenons and perhaps secure them with a timber screw.

Oh, good point. Hadn't thought of that. I could also offset them one above the other, maybe?

Hello,
That is, off-set the tenons right, Not the braces?
Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

I was thinking make one brace longer than the other so that the tenon of one would be below that of the other. I suppose they could be offset by their face though.