Hi folks, I am seeking some guidance on a timber-framing project. I've done my research on the design aspects of it, but now I am looking for the best and least-expensive way to shape the timbers and put them together.

I will be making a four-post pavilion style shelter that measures 20 feet along the tie beam and 10 feet along the purlins. The posts and purlins will be 8"x8", the tie-beam and king post will be 8"x12", rafters 8"x10", and braces 6"x6". The posts will be spaced 16 feet apart underneath the twenty-foot side. I will be using half-lap joints, birdsmouth for the rafters, mortise and tenons for the king posts and struts, and let-ins for the braces and purlins. I'll be using timber framing screws for some joints and wood dowels for others. This will be my first (and possibly last) attempt at a timber frame structure, so I don't expect it to be perfect, nor do I want to spend a lot of cash on tools that I might not use again.

I have 7-1/4" circular saw, a makita sawsall, a 1-1/2" flat chisel, a 1" auger bit, and an angle grinder. I am looking for some type of rasp attachment for the angle grinder to cut away excess wood in the lap joints and tenons. I found a "carbide-crusted" disc at a woodworking store, and I also found "roto-clip shaping discs" online at loghelp.com/tools/special_attachments. Does anyone have any experience with either of these attachments?

I am open for any kind of advice, but I am looking for direction on what tools are really necessary, and any input on an attachment for my angle grinder.

Thanks, Tim

Greetings...

I'm a newbie myself...took a class with hands-on time, but that's it.

I'm not so sure the grinder is the way to remove wood for tenons and laps. At class, we made cros cuts at the shoulders and then drove a chisel in from the end across the cheek. It removed wood FAST! Just be careful to watch the grain...if it slopes towards the cheek as it goes towards the shoulder, take smaller bites.

Joel

check out an electric chainsaw, i wouldn't work big pieces without one(if you are outdoors then a gas powered machine would be fine).
you will find that your local hardware store sells fairly cheap electrics that should be fine for a small job.

Don't even bother to plug in that angle grinder. You don't need it and shouldn't use it.
Take the time to read some simple procedures and use the correct tools you already have that will do the job 100% better than an angle grinder.

Go to this site and read: Click here for link to "Cutting a tenon on a timber" list of procedures with photos.

Then ask some more question before you pick up a tool like an angle grinder, to use it to cut wood.

Jim Rogers

Gib,

Don't be a affraid of a good, sharp hand saw for cutting tenons. You can buy a decent hand saw at your local hardware store for as much as you would spend on your specialty angle grinder discs. I find a good sharp 8 tpi hand saw will work fine for both cross cuts and [small] rip cuts. Use your skil saw to go as deep as you can and finish the cut with your hand saw. An even better source for a hand saw is an antique shop or ebay; buy a good quality old saw cheap and spend $8-10 to get it sharpened. A well kept hand saw is a fantastic tool and I will choose it over stringing out an extention cord often. I recently picked up a Disston D15 for $10 from an atique shop, spent $8 to have it sharpened and since have all but retired my 7 1/4" skil saw.

As for squaring mortises; it is quite a bit more difficult, but you can get by without a corner chisel and use your flat chisel to square your mortises. Or, as with saw, shop ebay for a good price on a corner chisel. Remember, when your done you can always resell your tools on ebay.... Our own Jim Clark is always offering tools at a fair price as well.

If it were me, knowing what I know, I would buy the right tools, the bare minimum. Use them, do the job right and resell them if you think you'll never use them again. Fine old wood working tools are actually an investment; they don't loose value as long as they are well cared for.

You didn't ask for this advise, but since I'm here and you made mentin of it: you don't expect your project to be perfect since it's your first: that is ok, no one expects their first job to be perfect, but strive for it anyway. I sometimes get the sense that many people think timber framing is easy because you can get away with a lot of error. My dad, a long time stick frame contractor who helps me on jobs occasionally, is always saying "it's just a barn" as I am shaving another 1/32" off a tenon for a proper fit. Barns built in the 1700s are still standing because they were NOT built on the premise "it's just a barn". Just something to keep in mind as you prepare your joinery.

Good Luck, Gib.

ps: forget the angle grinder, they are for grinding and we don't grind wood....

Shaun Garvey
Berkshire Barns
Dalton, MA

Thanks for all the great advice! It is official then, I WILL NOT use an angle grinder. (That was something that another timber framer from WI suggested.) It's sometimes tough sorting through all the advice.

Also, thanks to Jim for posting that thread on cutting a tenon. There is also information in there on the tools you will need to do timber framing.

Please do not think that I am done taking advice here! This is a well-organized bulletin board with lots of knowledgeable folks. I'll continue to check back periodically.

I am a perfectionist by nature. I've done residential (stick-frame) construction and often actually need to scale back my expectations of my work. So this shelter WILL be a thing of beauty, and there will be NO major flaws.

Thanks again for all your great advice!
Tim

I realize this is an old thread, but I just stumbled across it and here is my humble opinion.
Yes, invest in as good a hand saw as you can afford.

Over time, a good saw (kept sharp) is worth having in the toolbox. There are thing that a power saw just won't do and the hand saw will.

As to the grinder, I use a 5" electric with a sanding disc and 50 or 80 grit paper to "touch up" tenons and "break edges" and find it faster and more controllable than chiseling or planing the radiused corners of tenons prior to final fitting. It is fast, but be careful with the dust and keep it moving all the time it is touching wood or the results may not be what you would like them to be.

I wouldn't use it where the sanding marks are visible or the time you just saved will be spent cleaning up the grinder marks.

Oh ya, wear gloves, glasses and a dust mask...