I have several questions about a timber frame that I am building. This is a frame that I have been cutting for the past year and I am about finished with the cutting work. I will be moving on to trial fitting soon and hope to raise the frame at the end of the summer. On to the questions:

1) Pegs. I am planning to purchase the pegs rather than make my own. I see that there are a variety of different types offered. I have found straight, double chamfered, and tapered. Each comes in a variety of lengths. My timbers are all a nominal 8” in the dimension to be pegged. Any recommendations on which type/length to purchase and why?

2) Raising. I have never raised a frame before and am in the dark here. I am planning to have all of my bents pre-built on the ground and bring in a crane and operator to raise the frame. How long should I plan to have the crane there? This is a five bent frame that is 32’ X 48’. All of the connecting pieces for the bays will be precut and staged for assembly. Temporary bracing will be available on site when the crane arrives. Is this a one day project? Or should I plan for two days, a week, etc? How about rigging the bents so that the crane can pick them up? Are there any special considerations that I should be aware of? How many helpers do I need to have available on that day? I don’t mean to sound dense about the raising, but I want to make sure that everything has been planned for if at all possible.

3) Raising sequence. I am planning to do it as follows: Raise bent one and brace. Raise bent two putting the connecting girts in place between it and bent one and then pegging. Drop in the transition purlins and peg them, drop in DT floor joists, and drop in DT purlins. Install braces as required. Repeat these steps for bents three, four, and five. Finally, go back and drop in the remaining floor joists and purlins. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Am I missing anything here?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions.

Stan Debick