Timber Framers Guild Forums Tools Timberframe Design Interesting Corner Braces, Mt. Toby Sugar House

While hiking on a trail on Mt. Toby in Mass. a couple of weeks ago, I came across this abandoned sugar house. I'm still pretty new to studying historic timber frame forms, but I thought that the horizontal corner braces were interesting. I also like the look of the round log rafters. Because of the whole building starting to tip, some of the brace pegs were shorn out. There was a postcard tacked up inside the building indicating that the building was still in regular use through the 80s at least. Interesting how quickly an unused structure can fall apart. Here are a couple of pictures, I was too busy looking around to think to take better ones.

Bensonwood have used horizontal corner braces in some of their buildings (or at least one). Take a look at the cover image of "The Timberframe Home". The only circumstances that I can imagine them being useful for, would be a structure with no sills, where the posts could (in theory) slide around parallel to one another. In a building which is anchored to the ground, the ground should (to my mind) resist those racking forces quite well!

Hi Simon;

Welcome to the wild world of historic carpentry!

The unusual "horizontal corner braces" are sometimes called angle ties or if associated with a dragon beam a dragon tie. Historically a corner was called an angle so if you see a historical reference to an "angle rafter" it is referring to a hip rafter. I associate angle ties with very old American buildings so it is very interesting to see one in a modern-enough building to have circular sawn timbers.

This frame is also a level assembly frame. That is the plate and tie beam are at the same (or similar) elevation and the tie often tenons into the top plate. The tie and plate being at the same elevation allow the angle tie to be easily framed in.

The purpose of an angle tie is to prevent racking of the plate and tie beam, a condition which is not widely documented but seems rare.

Sugar houses have the unique feature of roof vents which often form the shape of a monitor roof. It is interesting to see how this one was built.

Thanks for sharing these interesting photos.

Jim

I've also heard or read that the "horizontal corner braces" are called a "lodging brace".

Has anyone heard that term?

Jim Rogers

Hi Jim;

I have read of a ships knee called a lodging knee when horizontal, hanging knee when the arm is down (the larger part of a knee is known as the body), standing knee when the arm is up.

Interesting, thanks;
Jim D.