Raising the Frame

This is the most satisfying part of the building process, after two weeks of hard work and then learning challenging round-wood timber frame joints to test the patience of even the best woodworker the moment of reward arrives. We have built two A Frames and another square frame with corner braces to hold it ridged.

The order of work here is to raise one A frame to one side of the building in it’s final resting place. then raise the square frame in it’s place at the back of the building once pegged these two frames will stand independently supporting each other. We gather all hand on site including short stay interns to make the raising as easy on everyone as possible without mechanical aid.

The raising went well much to the surprise of some students who made mental mountains of this stage of the build process, this proved one part you have to experience before you believe your own potential for strength and ability.

Two people hold the A frame in place while the rest of us raise the square frame at the back, a cup joint has already bean cut in the underside of the cross bar on the A frame for the cross bar of the square frame to sit under ready for pegging.

Rongamai drills the hole for the peg sitting on the frame now receiving little other support to stay in place. I get the honour of tapping the peg in to in place leaving the frame self supporting.

Now we can raise the second A frame which already has a cup joint cut in the underside of the cross bar which will seat it nicely over the square frame ready for pegging.

Next two cross bars are added to the front and back of the A frame cross bars, marked for cup joints lowered and re raised once the cup joint is completed.

Four more holes are drilled and pegged to hold the whole frame together square, then its time to raise the ridge pole.

Now we are ready to trim the frame to its final dimension and fit the rafters and roofing material but more on that in my next post.

For anyone interested in learning how to build and raise a frame like this we are repeating a similar project starting in July of 2015 on a three week green woodworking and round-wood timber framing course, more details can be found here.