Hi all,
is not the real beauty of a timber frame or any wood structure for that matter the wood itself and how it is put together? So why does it matter how any of us cut the beams?
Just because hundreds of years ago beams were cut with two-men-hand saws or maybe a water powered mill and hewn and chiseled by hand should not stop us from using what is available today. It does not change the beauty of the framework. And since most of us here are trying to get the "perfect" joinery why not let a CNC machine do that for us at a faster speed and a lower cost.
Just take a look at the industrious Germans. They are still building stunning timber framed houses. They last hundreds of years. And yet it did not stop them from using power tools. And once the timbers age and twist and split you would never see a difference anyway. Same is true for joinery. I always have to crack up when I see those super fancy shmancy tenon-peg-lap-joints.... that do not add to beauty nor significantly to strength on top of the fact that you cannot even see them when assembled. So way not go with something more simple yet still strong. And I am not talking metal fasteners instead of wood joinery.
So as long as we will have trees and keep them growing we will certainly enjoy the beauty of well build timber frames, no matter how they were cut. One cannot beat the natural appearance and warmth of wood.
Go with the times. You are adding electricity and running water as well as insulation to any new constructed home as well as insulated windows and doors. So what is the arguing about power tools or not?
Let's face it, if we want to convince our customers that a timber framed house is not some prehistoric relict of long past times that costs a fortune to build than we have no choice as to use power tools. Of course, if any of you out there can find laborers that are willing to work for a couple of bucks an hour it is doable. In that case send some of them my way.
As to the insulation issue: Since there is a large amount of fast growth wood one could simply build a solid wood wall. It will have to be somewhere around 10" thick or so but then you could build the house entirely without insulation. Of course this does not help with our timber frame issue.
Edited- for spelling
