Jay & Roger:
Thank you very much for your responses.
I have done two very small frames in the past, please see the attached images. I tend to agree with you on avoiding the hammer beam frame for this structure. I will put together a revised Sketchup model and post it for review.
Hammer BeamOn an aside, the truss design came from
A Timber Framer's Workshop by Chappell. I created the Sketchup model with specific joints - not visible in the screen shots. I have attached two images with detail. I believe the modified English tying joint is insufficient in its current form.
Tulip PoplarI hire a guy to take down trees to avoid injury- $950 a day to take down ~60 trees is expensive on its own, but cheap if personally injury is taken into account. I would end up winging the dropping and milling of the Tulip Poplar given my lack of experience/control. My tree guy is dropping the trees this Friday, and I will have my woodmizer guy mill some poplar logs while he mills locust posts (see attached image of milled locust posts)
Best,
Arne
This is part of this project:
Broadwater Cidery