Ok....on to other questions....I have decided to do the monolithic slab ($3500 bid vs $7600 on the latest). They will give me a 3 or 4" concrete sill I can do whatever I want with. I'll probably opt for a 3" WO sill atop that, bolted to it and tenon my post into that. On my last frame, I used 2' really wide angle brackets to attach it to the foundation (rail ties)...seems to me the stub tenons on plates/sills aren't normally pinned though...mass takes care of it?

Anyway...to another question...and ramble.

I am planning on 8x8 posts and an 8x10 horizontal beam. Braces will shorten the free span to about 11 ft or thereabouts. I went to the mill yesterday and talked shop and saw what an 8x10 looks like in person. And then began to question it all. Will a 7x10 or 7x9 beam work just as well and then go for 7" posts? Or shall I just stick with it even if its overkill? 8x8 posts are MASSIVE from a wood shop perspective. Of course chopping down things will also save me a bit of money. Incidentally, the entire lumber bid for this (the fun part, not the stick built innards for insulation unless someone has a good alternative) will be well under 2K. WO will be between $.50 and $.65 per bd ft cut depending on the length...apparently the nicer stuff I'll need for the 18' beam will run a bit more ($.65), whereas the 4x6 bracing and whatnot will be cheaper. I suspect the 3x7 rafters will be in between. I will fill in with some red elm (I plan to sticker it and have it set a bit before working with it as it likes to move...that wood is free though from my back yard). How does this price fare geographically with what you pay? I live in WO country...Caledonia (MN) Stave is right nearby, and the oak for my project will come from Northern Iowa.

Also, the only frame I ever built was with 4x4 RO. It moved a bit, but was fun and easy because it was small dimension lumber and meant to keep firewood dry albeit 8x22 three bent, two bay dry. Or course this will be more work, but from a mental standpoint, I have done it all before. Point being....how does one work with timber if she starts to move? Fast? And how important is it that the center of the tree is balls on center. Reuben guaranteed me there'd be no centers out of sides, but how about a bit of diagonal as the trees aren't perfect? I plan to assemble the bents at the mill where I am building it, and then transport them to my place three miles a way by horse so as to avoid DOT Issues. Fun, easy, Percherons are nice.

Lastly....who here is a pro who'd look over my plan just for looksies sake? I did it on sketchup, and have pulled each member out for dimensioning. I think this ought to do as a "working" drawing.

Thanks and again, sorry for the ramble.


AJS

I think that your timbers are certainly bigger than they need to be. Especially in W.Oak I would consider going down in size a bit. Without seeing the design, I would think that 7x7 and 7x9 should work. I would say you are getting a great price on W. Oak. I wish I could get it for that price!
Ideally you want the center as close to centered as possible. But as long as you don't have really crooked trees( ie centers out the sides) you'll be fine. I doubt this stuff will move as much as the small dimension R Oak you used last time. Still, the sooner you raise after milling the better.
Just out of curiosity, why assemble the bents away from the site? It sounds like it would complicate transport and loading/ unloading.
It sounds like a fun project!

I am a crew of one. Of course once I am raising, I can get as much help as I'd like. But...I figured if I am where I build them (the mill), and I have to test fit them once they are cut, I might as well just grab the guy with the end loader, wrap a nylon strap around the bent and set it to the side. At 18 x 14, they aren't huge. Then, when all three bents are done, I will flag the same loader operator down (he can't hide well on one acre in a big yellow machine surrounded by horses and dudes with straw hats) and have him lift the bents onto an appropriately sized wagon with a few percherons. My place is literally three miles away...why un-assemble and pry apart only to put it back together over the hill? Of course if I was hauling them 30 miles, I'd do otherwise. Likewise, if there's a logging truck there that day, I may use it.

Back to the drawing board on size maybe? I just don't want a post in the middle. I wish I could get a genuine working print, if for no other reason than it would be fun.

Hi AJ I was thinking more about your building, and should say that your timber size will be very much determined by what you need to best accommodate the joinery. Without knowing how you plan to layout the joints, I can guess that you may want to size the timbers the larger size for joinery purposes. If you are planning to dovetail your floor joists the larger timber would probably be good. If you get some drawings together it would be great to see them.

I think you must be psychic. Not 30 seconds ago, I was in sketchup, thinking how it'd be nice to run the frame by someone who has more than the paltry experience I do. Then I remembered a post here I stumbled on a while ago, where someone offered to take a gander and give an opinion...Then I saw your post on my original post half by accident. Kinda spooky.

Oddly enough, I'd just like to someone whose done plenty to ask a few questions to. Give me a number and an email, I will send the frame in sketchup, and follow up with a genuine call.

Thanks a mint.

Hi Andy,

I am late replying, but I just found this link while researching the same topic. Your project sounds very interesting. Please post pictures when you get started. [url=http://www.toolbase.org/PDF/DesignGuides/revisedFPSFguide.pdf][/url]

Its a very good link with detailed explanations on Alaskan slabs. A friend built his garage using an Alaskan slab in Quebec City, its been many years and the garage has not moved at all.

Personally, I am debating if I will go ahead and build a workshop / garage with the slab or wait and build my cabin with a walkout basement that will be used as a workshop in the summer and garage in the winter. My wife wants a pottery workshop, I want a wood working workshop and we store our car in my uncles barn in the winter. He is getting old, we may need to store our car in the workshop in the future. What makes things a bit complicated is the fact that I am messy and my wife is supper clean, so sharing a workshop will be an issue.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Serge