hello everyone tonight

Well just had to add my 2 cents worth to this great discussion--splicing posts

Personally where to place a splice in my perspective is near the bottom of the post, and I say this from visual experience

Our 1865 Mulay Saw mill at UCV had most of it main vertical timbers spliced at their bottoms, and this was due to rot that happened on its original site where it stood for about 100 years

scarfs of about 4 feet were manufactured from old timber of original size and wood type and age--these scarfs were nothing special, just a half lap joint, and held together with 5-- 2" wood oak pins

This mill was restored under a leading restoration architect Mr Peter Stokes at that time, hired by the Ontario Government to oversee all aspects of the reconstruction of the vintage buildings on site

This was in 1961--this was 54 years ago now, and the splices have never moved or needed any attention, there was no glue, or steel added to the splices either

Now in the Gristmill restoration in 84, all the first floor horizontal timbers, had to be hollowed out and flat plates of steel glued in, this was to meet modern PE standards, even though the timbers were in excellent shape and had held countless tons of wheat, oats, barley over its years as a working mill

I did also dismantle a 100 foot barn that had 20foot bays, and the upper plate was spliced at 20 foot intervals right over the tenant on the upper end of the post at that location, this barn had also never moved was straight and graceful when stripped of its outer cladding

I had no idea that you could include that many splices and get away with it--as a final thought these upper late plates were basswood, which around here is a very soft wood, without a visible grain

NH