After reading through a few threads I thought I'd put out an intro/profile and share my TF goals with the group.
I grew up in Mid Coast Maine and have been around the country since '79 with the last stop in the NW Chicago area. Just closed on 42 acres back home and will build a timber frame workshop with an above appartment over the next four years (will move back around the same time and use this as my shop and temporary residence).
My wood working experience is in custom furniture using traditional design and build techniques. I also own a Woodmizer LT40 which is in a great old TF dairy barn north of me - provides lots of inspiration. Although I can make mean hand cut dovetail joints and dead on mortise and tenon joints in a piece of fine furniture my timber frame experience has been limited to cutting a few replacement beams for barns up north. I have a good feel for what logs do when you cut them into lumber and air dry them. Most of my lumber cutting experience is with making quarter sawn white and red oak.
My brother is a structural engineer specializing in older buildings and my brother-in-law is a New England style home builder back east. They are acting as my main consultants. For the workshop project I have chosen a high posted cape traditional to the Mid Coast Maine area. Measurements around 28'x 36'. I have a good start on reading the clasic TF books but have some specific question not answered yet. Also any contacts with Maine TFG members near the Bremen area would be helpful. Bremen is near the Damariscotta, Nobleboro, Waldoboro area headed down the Pemaquid peninsula one peninsula north of Boothbay.
I have access to free red and white oak trees from a tree removal company in the Midwest and would like to pre-cut the timbers and ship them to Maine. Is this economical and does anyone have experience in shipping timbers? Contacts appreciated. How long should green timbers sit before the beam work? Since I have a "regular" job and will be doing the work over an extended period of time by myself will this cause problems. Could I do the beam work here and ship ready to assemble or should I over saw the demensions and re-saw to allow for wood movement considering oak as the frame choice? I have enough experience with large oaks to know I want to handle them the least amount but want as accurate joints as possible. Considering oak as the choice and a 28'x 36' frame are 8"x8" overkill for principle members? I'd like to get the most out of these great tees. A list of frame members with recommended demensions using oak would be helpful.
I've probably worn out my welcome already but any advice is appreciated.
Thanks - Ben
