Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions Question on Common Rafter Design

Here's how my frame design is shaping up ...

The first thing I see is that you have several points where there are many timbers jointing the interior posts. This joint is going to be hard to execute.
Which way are your floor joists running? Gable to gable or wall to wall?
Whichever way, lower the supporting member by the height of the joists and run them over the supporting member and you'll eliminate this complex four way joint, as well as others.
Just my thoughts about your design, others may have more input.
Jim Rogers

I see what you mean about the 4-way joint at center posts. There's actually no reason that it needs to be there. I plan on running the floor joists in the gable-to-gable direction and I can offset them from the center post. I wanted to use the half-round logs that were used for the ground floor in the original biulding. As such, they would need to be set into notchs in the tie beams.

The picture below shows some of the joists on the right.

I also posted a page with pictures of the original barn before dismantling, during dismantling and after dismantling.

http://136.142.189.11/Brienza/Barn%20pictures/Page2.html

-Dave

[img]http://136.142.189.11/Brienza/Barn%20pictures/Barn%20pictures-Pages/Image23.html[/img]

Ok. That's a good plan to offset them so that there isn't a four way intersection at the center posts. Four ways don't leave much post, unless the post is very large.
Another thing I noticed is the beam and brace outside the building. These will have to be flashed or protected somehow from the weather or your inviting rot right into your building.
Also, you have a girt with two braces on the outside walls that mean the wall posts where the tie beam joints. There is a 3 way joint there. How are you going to deal with that?
Jim Rogers

I positioned that girt on the side at the same height as the tie beam to support the ends of the floor boards. I was thinking of using a timberlinx connector that ran from girt to girt right through the post. I'm also considering cutting shoulders into posts if necessary.

-Dave

Dave:
I understand that you need something there to support the floor.
Here is how I've seen it done:

As you can see the floor is the same height as the top of the tie beam. Here he used a floor joist at the outside wall. He cut a slot into the side of the post and slid the joist in from the outside after the frame was raised.
This would allow you to support the narrow section of floor out near the wall, and allow you to move your braces up to the level of the plate where the could help support your roof load.
Just some ideas I thought I'd share with you.
Jim Rogers