[TheForge] Timber Straps

Fri Oct 25 14:28:07 2002

I don't have that book so I'm going to have to find a copy to look at.  I
really like the look of iron & wood (heavy timber).

Our blacksmithing group recently had a new building put up for us at a
historical village.  I wanted to see some timber connectors that would show
off our stuff.  It would have been an excellent opportunity but those in
charge at the time weren't interested in that so it didn't happen.  We now
have open, 20th century trusses with metal pressed connectors in a
historical village setting.

What a wasted opportunity! (The members making the decesion didn't care if
they used electrical power openly either so this was a lost battle from the
start.)  Oh well... just another opportunity I guess....  Now we need to
find a way to cover that stuff up.  And the galvanized hindges too!

I really like to see materials used to maximize their properties.  That
means wood in compression and steel in tension.  (Before anyone jumps up ...
steel is better in both tension and compression and wood is really pretty
good in tension but if you are going to use them both, use wood + &
steel -.)  A nice example of this is a king truss where the bottom cord is
steel ... possibly twisted bar or linked rods (no turn-buckles) with the
steel running through the king post that is wood and can be decorated by
being turned or having a turned finale on the bottom.

Walt

  -----Original Message-----
From: Howell Steve <[email protected]>
To: '[email protected]' <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, October 25, 2002 9:35 AM
Subject: [TheForge] Timber Straps

>You know- I thought more about this and the shrinkage and wood loss issues
when using bolted straps. I then went and looked at my Greene and Greene
book (American Arts and Crafts architects) and felt reassured when all of
those issues could be addressed with their solution of using wrap around
straps using wedge joinery. Several of their 'Ultimate Bungalows' of the
California elite had Japanese influenced timber frames constructed as such.
>I went as far to make some prototypes myself and am amazed at their holding
capacity. No bolt holes to drill and if there is shrinkage, tighten them up.
>This may not be a solution for everything, although it would represent a
truly blacksmithed product with no welds, no holes and beautiful joinery.
>
>Steve Howell
>Seattle