My First 'Completed' Frame

[Ljohnsaw]

I am in the process of building a timber frame cabin but I went off on a tangent.  I get a lot of snow (10'+) and that has taken a toll on my well pump being out in the elements.  So I decided to correct that.  First, because I took out dirt to make my driveway drain better, my well is now up a bit.

I dug down and made a gravel footing and started stacking big retaining wall (keystone) blocks.



 
And continued...


 
What I want to do is make a cover - timber frame preferred.


 

I had a lot of scrap pine fir/short logs.  When long, they tend to crook and twist, so short should be fine for this.  Here is the "kit".


 
After about 60 hours of cutting, boring, chiseling and fitting, I got a pile ready to go:


 
A little finessing with some of the joints and the frame is up!


 
Then I spent a couple hours cutting and notching the rafters.  Nothing is pinned or bolted yet:


 

 
The rafters are 12" on center.  I might take one out.  The roof will be decked with 2x6 with a 6-8" overhang on the ends.  I'll paper it and put a metal roof on it.  I plan to install that next week when I put it over the well.

My original plan was to use 3x5 for the rafters and lap them at the ridge.  I didn't have enough scrap logs so I used a pile of 2x6 and just butted them.

What I've learned from this small frame.

1.  Measure twice.  The one time I didn't, I made a brace pocket 2" too close to the beam.  Easily fixed but now a big gap on the sloped side of the pocket.  I'll fill with some wood.

2.  Cheat whenever possible.  I started using my Sawsall to rough cut the sloped cuts on the brace pockets.  That saves a lot of time.

3.  Mark the Arris better - both on the plans and the timbers.  Had to redo a layout or two.

4.  Need a bigger radial arm saw.  I thought a 10" was big, but when you start cutting 4x brace stock, it don't "cut it"!

5.  It takes a long time to cut a frame - no matter how small!

[A-z farmer]

Very nice job on the Tiber frame for your well.
But how do you keep it from freezing the water ,here in New York we have pump pits down 6 feet below ground to prevent them freezing 
Zeke

[Stephen1]

Nice Little Frame

[Magicman]

Look at you goooo!!!  8)

[Ljohnsaw]

But how do you keep it from freezing the water

I likely won't be pumping in the winter when below freezing.  There is a weep hole in the pipe about 48" down to drain the head.  My storage tank is down hill from the well so that line will drain out as well.  I'll probably have a 1,000 gallon (minimum) storage tank in my basement and that should cover me for what little use there will be in the winter.

[fishfighter]

Looks good, but what about snow blowing into the pump?

[Ljohnsaw]

Looks good, but what about snow blowing into the pump?

That I don't mind.  What's a few inches, maybe a foot, around/in the well blocks?  No biggie.  I'm just looking to avoid 10' sitting on top of the control box/pump motor.  I don't see myself living up there full time.  The summer is usually fairly cool, a nice break from the Sacramento valley heat for a few weeks.  I'll go visit the snow in the winter and maybe stay up during the holidays.

[Sedgehammer]

Where's 'up there' anyways if'n ya don't mind me a askin? 

[Ljohnsaw]

Where's 'up there' anyways if'n ya don't mind me a askin?

I live at the base of the Sierra foothills (300' elevation) just north east of Sacramento.  My cabin (My Timber Frame Build) is up at 5,800' in the Sierras just off I-80, 60 miles from my house.

Things learned, continued:

6.  Make the housing sloped on the tie beams.  I did a 1" square housing (+ the oversize amount of the 6x6 beams, so about 1-3/8" deep).  That left me with a 2" chunk between the tie beam and the "roof purlin" that is prime for splitting out.  I didn't think this one through properly.

[Ljohnsaw]

Took all the parts up and assembled it in place.  Had the frame up and bolted together (used some Simpson 6" structural lag bolts) before lunch.


 

 
After lunch, cutting 2x6's down to 6' long and screwing them to the rafters.


 


And just enough time to cover it with tar paper.  Need to get some metal to complete the roof.

 

[Ljohnsaw]

Got a bit of metal from a neighbor.  He had a new roof put on but the installers decided to do it their own way (not the manufacturer's way :-\ ).  So he had a huge pile of ruined roofing.  Anyhow, got a few pieces and cut them to length at home.  I didn't have any of the installation hardware or flashing stuff, so I winged it.  The panels are 17" wide and my roof is 60" - not evenly divisible.  So I decided to just bend about 6" over on each gable end and screwed into the 2x6 roof planks (no fly rafters).  Two screws at the bottom and three at the top of each panel seems to hold them quite well.  I cut off the standing seam on one panel and bent it over the ridge, notching it over the standing seams.  I bent down a 2" flap to try and keep yellow jackets from nesting up there.  I put a long screw through each seam at the low end of the cap to make it somewhat water tight.


 

 

[Magicman]

Wow, that is a "big boy puppy" for sure.  8)