hello everyone tonight

Hi DL and others looking in----

My idea about the variation in the surface finishes of the timbers making up the church frame was that many congregational members gathered together to hew the timbers, the younger and inexperienced members worked on the mediary timbers while the more experienced ones were given the task of creating the principal posts making up the bents so to speak

As I remember it the mediary posts were really roughly hewn, almost like beavers had chewed on them, while the others had real nice finished surfaces.

Getting back to the suggested dovetail attachment of the cross ceiling girts in the side of the upper plate, do you have any ideas about what effect the removal of material to create the dovetail's mortise, might do to the strength of the plate itself?

The plate appears to be about 8 or 9" square, and if that is the case then there would be about 4 to 5" of solid plate left to create the mortise for the dovetail of the cross girt

What do you think?--and does anyone else have any comments

enjoy

NH