I am building a 20'x30' pavillion in our orchard I want to do it timber frame. I live in easten PA.
I am sawing my own oak beams and had some plans drawn. They call for 8x8 posts, three down each of the 30' sides. Then 8x18 cross beams. The plates are 8x12. The rafters directly above the posts are 8x8 and then the common rafters are 4x8 on 36" centers. The king post is 8x8 with an 8x14 ridge sitting on top of that. The roof pitch is an 8/12. The decking on the roof is 1.5 inch poplar of varying widths. Do these sound like large beams? I am new to timber framing but have done a good deal of reading on the forums and a few books but I have never read about any beams being this large to span 20'.
The other issue is after getting these plans I started cutting the logs that we have at out house and found out that they are 12.5-13' long. So I was thnking about expanding it to 4 posts down a side and scarf three pieces together to make the plates. I would locate the scarfs over top of the braces on the two middle poles. Would this be strong enough?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Chris Becker
