Hi Clark, and Timbeal:

No-- this was a typical 3 bay driveshed with no purlins to rest some of the weight of the roof structure on and to also alleviate some of the outward thrust of the rafters, and the many snowloads that must have come to bear on this joint over its lifetime. By the way this shed is still standing, and you would never know that this problem is hidden away up in the attic area.

One of the construction features though that this driveshed has that may have added to the joint failure is the width of the bays. The first 2 bays closest to the home were wide enough for two wagons to be parked side by side in each bay. If my memory is right I believe these 2 bays were 2o feet in width, and the last one was 16 feet and contained a small shop with a floor. This made for a 56 foot outbuilding and was longer in length than the 3 bay barn that I reconstructed in UCV, and the one that shows us in the process of raising in the above post.

The centre bay was framed in with a lovely set of swinging doors on the opposite side, so that wagons could pass right through rather than back out after unloading say firewood or other items.

When I look at these old structures I can truly visualize the work that went into each one having reconstructed a number of them over the years.

I believe that the hewing of the long plates and mud sills contributed a great deal of the total effort, and of course the tie beams and plates being in the neighbourhood of 24 feet contributed a sizeable share too.

As a last thought and is just a bit of a history lesson I guess This home contained a secret passage way to the basement and was used to shelter soldiers during the battle of Crysler Farm in 1813.

Thanks for your replies

NH