I am looking at purchasing a new home that is timber framed. The timbers are yellow poplar and have alot of checking is this a concern for strength? We like the character that it gives the home but are not sure of the checking. There are also some timbers that have twisted. I have never seen a timber framed home so I can use any information that you could provide. There is also a beam in the basement the spans about 9'6" the has a knot in the middle of the beam, does this knot create any concerns about the beam strenght?