About a month ago I wrote about a backyard structure I’d like to start planning. I asked for your feedback, and got a few emails.

Deep cuts and big joints

Scott cut everything with a 7-1/4″ circular saw, a hand saw and reciprocating saw. “I would go as far as I could with the circular saw, but since it only cuts about 2-1/2″ deep, I had to cut from both sides and then finish the cut with the hand saw or reciprocating saw with a 12″ blade on it.”

The mortise and tenon joints were also a challenge, as you can imagine. “I did the mortises with a 1″ spade bit in a corded drill and 1″ chisel,” Scott told me, “and I cut the tenons with the circular saw, taking multiple passes and cleaning up with the chisel and a block plane.”

“For the angle braces,” Scott continued, “I ripped the 6″x6″s in half to make 3″x6″ workpieces. I also made small pockets in addition to the mortise for the angle braces so the entire piece would fit inside the posts/beams about 1/4″. I drilled holes and used 1″ maple dowel to secure the joints. I slightly offset the holes on the tenons (~1/16″) to help pull the joint together tightly. Other than the carriage bolts on the beam, there are no other fasteners on the frames.”

All of this sounded so cool to me. I generally deal with tight tolerances on furniture projects, so the thought of dealing with a mortise and tenon joint that large fascinated me. It’s got to be challenging in its own way, even if the tolerances aren’t as tight as furniture making, to produce joints that are tight and strong in a project this large.

Heavy assemblies

Scott assembled the sections on the ground, then used 2x4s and a winch to carefully stand everything upright and quickly assemble things. “It was quite a process,” Scott explained, “but two people were able to raise each frame into an upright position without any major incidents. It might have been better to enlist the help of 5 or 6 people to raise them,” he admitted, “but I’m used to figuring out how to do things by myself or with minimal help because I work alone.”

After the structure had been up for about a year, Scott decided to make it even more functional and comfortable. “I installed PVC conduit as inconspicuously as I could and installed two ceiling fans with switches, a light switch and some receptacles. We have some string lights, and while I don’t really like the look of them, they work well and give a nice light at night.”

Mighty tempting

Timber framing has been something I’ve been keen on for many years, but I always figured it was out of my reach. I really don’t have much knowledge at all about where timbers come from or how these sorts of structures get built. Now that I’ve carefully looked over these photos, and gotten a few tips, I feel like it’s possibly within my grasp.

Thanks a lot, Scott. Now I have to consider spending thousands and thousands of dollars on timbers, talk my friends into coming over to lift heavy materials into place and risk these massive beams come down in the middle of a wind storm a few weeks after they go up. It’s true what they say, a little bit of knowledge can be a very dangerous thing.