I'm a rookie, so I don't profess to be an expert on timber framing. I have learned that many inspectors require that timbers be graded. Makes sense, in that someone needs to give that inspector some assurance that the timber is as strong as the engineer assumed it was when the engineer approved the plans.

I have heard from others that there is a timber organization out there that will teach and certify someone in your shop to grade timbers. The annual charge for this is $2k to $3k, and the stamp must not leave the shop. This is cost prohibitive for a small shop. And a decent timber framer surely can grade timbers, even if he has to have a little training in the requirements.

So, why not start with timber grading? See if the Guild will explore with the timber grading organizations some way we can be trained at Guild meetings, and for a reasonable fee each year, certify the grade of the timbers that go into our frames. This might already be covered by your insurance. That's something else that the Guild could check.

Heck, for what I know this was tried by the Guild years ago. Anyone know if there has been any work on this before?

Now an engineering stamp, that seems much more of a stretch to me. I think timber framers sleep better at night knowing that an engineer has reviewed and approved the frame.