Can anyone tell any book titles on how to design timber frame barns? I desire to build myself a timber frame horse barn for us in the next 3 years. I love old timber frame dairy barns. My granny had a large timber frame dairy barn on her place.
I used to help her out. After my grandpa died from luekemia in 1962.
I sure have some nice memories from those days working in that barn. I have the classic books on barns from Lee Valley Tools. But I can not find any good books about the designing and various animal husbandry concerns for timber frame barns.
Thx. Eric Wolfe

Hi Eric,

You could do no worse than consult the various books written by Richard Babcock (Mr. Barn and mentor of Jack Sobon) a number of which give details of the internals fitted into barns for the animals.

His self published book was called "Barns of Roots America" and this is available on Open Library at :-

http://openlibrary.org/b/OL859960M/Barns-of-roots-America

Regards

Ken Hume

Ken,

I couldn't read or access any of the text of Babcock's book at that site. Perhaps I didn't click in the right place...looks like it's not in the public domain. Can you access it?

Cedar:

A great way to get a feel for design is to go visit some barns. Not only is this a lot of fun, but a real learning experience.

Many barns in this area are not quite symmetrical: the center isle is offset a foot or two, sometimes more...must have been for the animals. Cows and horses on opposite sides... horses are longer than cows, etc.

Regulations eventually put a stop to housing cows and horses in the same barn here in N.England (if you were selling milk). Diseases like TB were thought to be spread through cow manure.

Talk to some old farmers, too. They may have a love/hate relationship w/ old barn layouts w/ all the interior posts, which were not as user friendly after "The War" when tractors and other modern equipment hit the scene.

And I guess that's part of the question: what will you be using it for? Do you want something old and historic, or something more "modern?"

I'd be interested in seeing some books out there if someone has references.

Good topic.

Hi Don,

I think that maybe one has to have a Google account to be able to access this site. Are there any Googlers out there who can confirm or denay this supposition ?

Regards

Ken Hume

Just checked into Open Library, Google Books, and Project Gutenberg. No luck with online previews.

The book "The Pennsylvania Barn" by Robert Ensminger surveys a very wide variety of styles out of the Swiss and Southern German building tradition, barns that are very common in the Mid-Atlantic states.

For information on floor plans try the state or county agricultural extension service. Numerous plans have been developed through the agencies of USDA and design groups of many land grant universities. Timber framing takes a back seat with USDA plans. Here is a catalog of plans from NoDak, http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/plans/

Hi Cedar;

If you are still looking, google books can access numerous historic publications with floor plan design information, particularly the series called "Farm Buildings". There are numerous barn books available, but not too many show floor plans. BARNS by John Michael Vlach is expensive but has some floor plans and measurements in addition to numerous photos. And then there are the how-to books which help with joinery and timber sizing, layout, cutting, etc. An agricultural extension agent can help with modern design information.

Good luck
Jim

Thanks for the information Housewright. I will look for the books. I am looking for plans to use to cut my first small barn frame.
Cedar:)

Derek,

Are you saying that books are not valuable? I would disagree with that.

cedar,

Is your grandparent's barn still standing? Perhaps you could base your design on it?

As for book recommendations, I'll throw in Jack Sobon's Historic American Timber Joinery -- it won't help too much with the overall design, but when you get into the details of the joinery, it will be invaluable, as many of the connection details are from historic barns. you can get it through the Guild's online store. Here's a link -- Historic American TImber Joinery

Precious little if we dismiss good questions and legitimate quests for imformation as misguided or irrelevant without providing meaningful input.



Absurd question. I assure you my library is more than ornament. Although I do think it's pretty He's asking for recommendations of books on a specific topic and you question "if books are needed", rather than offer any real advice, information, or reasonable alternative.



That, I would agree, is priceless. Why don't you take some pictures of it and share it with the OP, rather than dismiss his inquiry as misguided.