The first bits of timber have arrived and I'm soon to begin cutting braces. But I've hit a mental stumbling block. Mr Benson says (The Timber Frame House) to cut the joinery first and then to plane all the timbers in one go. Mr Sobon says that the timbers should be planed first or the joints won't fit as they should. The wood is direct from the sawmill so currently sporting a very rough finish. From previous experiments I know that I'm going to have to remove about 1-2mm / face to get a nice smooth finish. My feeling is the Jack Sobon has it right here and that those 1-2mm will add up quickly (In the worst case we could be up to 0.5cm different from the plans for a girt which connects two posts.
Also, I'm planning on not planing those surfaces which will end up hidden (facing the external walls). Does this potentially introduce any risks? I would be taking all measurements from the outside surfaces to ensure alignment anyway. Is there a risk for the wood if I leave it "uncleaned" like this?
Thanks in advance for your takes on these questions.
