Thanks Jordan.
So all of this begs the question (at least for me): what is the point of the timberframe in the modern environment? Is it merely ornamental? If the frame is not a factor in resisting lateral loading, then it's not doing the most critical job of the "frame" (holding the static weight of the roof is relatively easy). If you have to bolt steel or nail OSB to it, why not just build it out of steel in the first place?
Don't get me wrong: I love the idea of a timberframe, have been working hard the last year to learn all about to get ready to build a house, and just invested a lot of money in tools for my project. I guess I'm just having a little bit of cognitive dissonance now. I thought I had found something that was beautiful, efficient, and timeless, but now I'm finding out that it can't stand alone, and that it plays about the same role in a house as a stone veneer. Some function, yes, but it's only skin deep. I'm very sad about this.
