Thank you all for your input. I do use engineers but I would like to be able figure these frames on my own and then just get assurance. This is what we do with floor joists , why not with this fairly simple barn plan. I do believe this queen post barn to be a superior design in many ways. It helps greatly deal with thrust on the exterior top plates and posts, it cuts the rafter loads in half by the mid span with the purlin plates, the clear spans on the beams are generally not that long with the interior post, there is a prevalence of these barns that still stand strong today.
I believe these are primary reasons that this barn type prevailed in my region and probably many other areas as well. It is a simple design and there is no reason someone like myself could not figure the loads on the tie beams and adjust accordingly especially when referring to extant barns that have almost the same joinery , wood species, dimensions, snow loads, and probably did not have the sheathing strength that we have now.
I am not trying to be or replace engineers, I am merely trying to empower myself with some of the tools that engineers use related to specific work that I am engaged in.
I thought maybe someone had already been down this road on queen post barns or the like, and could share some formulas or general guidelines for sizing these beams.
All that being said. I do really like canted posts, but I find they are more difficult for people to navigate. I also believe engineers generally dont like them as they have trouble figuring where the loads are going.
On top of that I am already positive that the load issues are solved by having two interior posts directly under the queen posts and then support directly under these to the foundation. However many times you dont want interior post getting in the way, in this case every 8 feet. A primary reason I use timber is to have clearer spans , less intermediate posts. tb
