10' X 12' Timber Frame Shed (Raising the Frame)

jander3 · August 27, 2011, 10:06:36 PM

Planned to have this shed finished last spring. Just pegged the first bent today. Should raise the shed in a few weeks.

Neighbors keep coming by an asking, "What, exactly, are you building? Sure looks like too much work!" My reply, "Beats sitting on the couch and drinking Tequila."

Brad_bb · August 28, 2011, 02:20:01 PM

It always seems that way to outsiders. I think it's just people's lack of experience with a chisel. If you had to use only a chisel for mortise and tenons, no saw, no auger bits etc, I think that is how people picture it - using only a chisel.
Looks like you are a quick learner. Did you draw/design the frame yourself or did you get some consulting. If you have a pic or sketch of the frame, please post. What is the end use of this shed?

thecfarm · August 28, 2011, 03:15:39 PM

Looks good. Just tell him to go back inside to watch TV. ;) I like to be outside doing something. Lots of people have the thought that if they don't do it,why would anyone want to do it.

jander3 · August 28, 2011, 04:22:07 PM

Brad,

I made up the design with Google Sketchup and Timber Frame Rubies. Jim Rogers helped me figure out that the loads would be OK.

The SketchUp file is posted on the forum at the following url:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,49542.0.html

craigc · August 29, 2011, 08:03:40 PM

I am building a 12 x 18 shed in my back yard and get people walking by and stare. Last night my daughter was outside and heard a couple say over and over ' that is the prettiest shed". She came in smiling with that story.

jander3 · August 30, 2011, 10:21:00 PM

I finished most of the preps, I have a few loose ends to wrap up. Then, I can make a gin pole and get this thing raised, probably next week. I even have some help lined up to raise the shed. Actually having a few spare hands on raising day, well, that should make things somewhat easier than figuring a way for one guy to tackle this job.

Cutting the plates.

Pegging Bent Number 3. I, do so, love the truck straps.

Three bents were assembled, pegged, and staged for raising.

ljmathias · August 31, 2011, 03:21:01 AM

Looks great! From the pictures, appears to be fine work on the joints.

Do you have a hoist and tackle for the gin pole? How high do you plan on making it? Jim Rogers had a thread on this a while back, made a very interesting set up for his gin pole, as I recall. Might want to look it up.

I wanted to use a gin pole on the single bent we raised in my daughter's house but chickened out at the last minute- it was just me and her with a full two story bent that probably weighed in at a ton. Ended up using a telescopic fork lift rated at 3 ton to gently raise it up and position it- worked great, and very efficient.

Best of luck- wish I was there when you raise it. What day you planning for?

Lj

Brad_bb · August 31, 2011, 11:31:03 AM

I'm thinking for the size(as long as they are softwood and not so green that they weight a ton with water, you could get 6-8 guys and hand raise with pike poles and ropes to steady. Make a little event of it. What do you think? A rough terrain forklift could do the job too. Or do you WANT to make a gin pole. A gin pole has to be green you know... ask Rooster.

Jim_Rogers · August 31, 2011, 12:21:36 PM

Quote from: Brad_bb on August 31, 2011, 11:31:03 AM
A gin pole has to be green you know... ask Rooster.

I'll bite,,,, why?

jander3 · August 31, 2011, 01:22:45 PM

Brad,

I will probably hand raise the bents as they are pretty dry. The 14' 6" x 8" plates and ridge were recently cut, so I will set up a gin pole to get them installed.

ljmathias,

Purchased quite a bit of rigging (slings, shackles, rope pullers, etc.) to build the Stump Ranch. I will use a 16' gin pole (modified a bit) to lift the plates. Pretty straight forward. Block and tackle, with a rope puller to control the booming of the pole, and a chainfall to do the lifting. Setup takes maybe 20 minutes (after I haul my rigging into town).

Rooster · August 31, 2011, 02:04:48 PM

Jim,

Brad was referring to my past learned experiences. I prefer to use 35ft Red Pines for my gin poles. A few years ago, I had cut a new tree for a barn raising, peeled it and let it sit for about a month. I raised 5 bents with help from my team of Percheron draft horses. After the raising I stored the pole inside for 4 years. When I took it out to use it again for another barn raising it had obviously dried out. When we started the first lift the pole bowed alot...way more than the first time 4 years prior. I was concerned that it would snap so we dead-lifted the bent by hand as far as we could and then let the horses take over. I believe that when the pole was green, that it did bow but not enough to notice...once it dried out, it became somewhat brittle. It is now my policy to cut a new tree for each raising. If my raisings were more often and closer together than I might re-use...but this way I don't have to store it until next time. For smaller structures like jander3's, with lighter bent frames, a shorter reusable pole would work, but for lifting a canted purlin system that has a starting pick point height of 14ft, then I like the larger gin poles.

Rooster

losttheplot · August 31, 2011, 02:22:05 PM

A small, reusablel gin pole / A frame.

Made from a couple of 14ft 2x8's and some other scraps.
Lagged to a joist through a couple of hinges.

A 1/4" cable runs from a hand crank trailer winch to the top of the A frame.
Over a small pulley then down to the timber.
As the bent is raised the A frame leans against it and the bent stabilizes the a frame.
The rope is just to stop the bent going over too far.

Add a couple of guy lines and mount it the other way and it will raise top plates also.

8x8" doug fir did not seem to cause any problem.

Brad_bb · September 01, 2011, 12:14:02 AM

Or you could do that...

Yep Rooster, I remembered that brittle gin pole we started with...

beenthere · September 01, 2011, 12:29:05 AM

Brad_bb
Were you at the WI barn raising in 2007? Burlkraft, Stumpy, and I were there and Rooster had to back off lifting the first bent with the pole/horses alone.
Here is a pic of the pole I'm thinking Rooster refers to (or one very similar).

jander3 · September 01, 2011, 10:16:45 AM

I've found that if you use a lifting shear (a couple of poles), you can handle some fairly good sized timbers/logs using some smaller lifting poles. If this setup was a gin pole (one pole) I would have had to use something larger for the pole.

Anytime you use a gin pole, the load at which it buckles is a main concern. In compression, it doesn't take much to lift a bunch. However, if the pole buckles...that would be bad.

Brad_bb · September 03, 2011, 02:10:48 AM

Beenthere, no I was talking about the Dan Busse barn raising which was in 2009 I think. I did meet Stumpy there.

jander3 · September 06, 2011, 10:37:47 PM

My brother spent the day with me. We finished cutting girts, raised the bents, and installed the plates. Tomorrow, we should get the ridge set and then, maybe, start on the rafters and roof.

A pile of rigging that I brought back from the Stump Ranch.

We set up a lifting shear using two 16' 4"x4", a chain fall, and a block and tackle set up so we could boom the shear.

My son stopped by and we got the first plate installed.

Three bents raised and both plates installed.

Rooster · September 06, 2011, 10:50:25 PM

Too bad I didn't live closer...I would have offered to help. Great job, by the way!

Rooster

Tullivor · September 06, 2011, 11:13:57 PM

Hey Jander the building looks really good.
What is the finish on the wood? And does the wood have to be fairly dry to apply it?
Thanks
Jeff

thecfarm · September 07, 2011, 06:37:00 AM

Hey Jim,Happy Birthday. ;D

jander3 · September 07, 2011, 08:18:18 PM

Stained the aspen with a standard Cedar stain.

Today, we installed the ridge and 1/2 the rafters.

ljmathias · September 08, 2011, 04:45:10 AM

Beautiful is all the comes to mind- and don't fall off the beam... :D

Lj

Brad_bb · September 08, 2011, 12:52:18 PM

So is this a tool shed? Is the loft space for storage, or do you plan to sleep there when you're in the doghouse?

Sprucegum · September 08, 2011, 01:20:23 PM

Thanks for the tutorial 8)

Do the rafters meet each other above the beam?

jander3 · September 08, 2011, 10:17:31 PM

The shed will be closed in; I will add heat and electric. That way I can use this space as a small workshop to keep my busy during the winter months.

Rafters are 2"x6" and secured with 8" timber screws. The rafters have bird's mouths cut at ridge and plate. I allowed 1/2" to 3/4" space at the peak (between rafters) as the ridge log was far from straight and true. In general I fitted rafters individually. Next time, first thing, I will find 3 very straight and and very true logs to set aside for plates and ridge. It will make rafter cutting so much easier.

Today, we finished installing the rafters, added some 1"x6" nailers and put up the tin. Ordered the ridge cap, but that will take a week or two to get in.

Rafters installed and nailers for the tin.

Screwing in the last piece of tin.

Tin installed sans ridge cap

I spend three days with my younger brother putting up this structure. Man, it doesn't get much better than that. And, this was the first project in years where I actually had help. A guy sure could get spoiled with an extra set of hands on the job site.

Piston · September 09, 2011, 09:26:43 PM

Looks great and thanks for sharing some pics! I really like the stain you used.

jander3 · September 27, 2011, 10:05:00 AM

Started the board and batten siding; framed in some windows.

fishpharmer · September 27, 2011, 12:27:55 PM

Jander, great looking shed project. 8)

sparky1 · September 30, 2011, 08:48:45 PM

Ive never been involved or apart of anything in this sort of construction (timber frame). It looks like it would be a very rewarding and fun project to tackle sometime!! the pics are great. Out of curiosity, how much does something like that cost to build, or do you have your own mill?

beenthere · September 30, 2011, 09:19:29 PM

jon
I see where the cross piece under the window looks a lot straighter now. ;)

Bet that wasn't a pleasant surprise. :

Looking great, and wonder if the neighbors have figured it out yet?

Soon you will need the wood stove in there.

jander3 · October 03, 2011, 10:16:16 AM

Window cross piece? What do you mean?

Oh, yeah, layout was done on both front posts together. Checked and double checked. However, if you cut the girt mortise on the wrong side of the 48" mark, things get a bit un-level. How do I know this? Well, when I figured it out on raising day, I was glad there were not children outside playing.

So far, someone has called the dog-gone building inspector on this project two times. 10' x 12' needs no permit. First time, we pulled a tape on a spot that was 9' 11 3/4"; inspector was happy. Next time, he was still happy, but he let me know galvanized roofing was a no-no in town (I should have looked into this before roofing). So, I will be pulling off the metal and putting on a different roof. Whoever turned me in may not be so happy, as the new roof will be blue (but legal per code) cause my wife likes blue.

Actually, the inspectors in town are really good guys. You would think if someone had an issue, they would come talk with me. Nope, here in MN, folks are civil; they smile at you, and then they call the inspectors to turn you in. However, when I get done, the siding will be painted to match the house and from the outside it won't look like a barn structure. At that point, I think the concern will go away.

When they wrote the code for 10' x 12' without a permit, they were probably thinking a Mendards shed, not a timber frame.

jander3 · October 03, 2011, 10:24:15 AM

Cost?

I have my own mill and trees. However, the mill is at the Stump Ranch, so, it took me some time to cut, mill, and haul. And, the dimensions had to change a bit in that 14' 6" is about as long as I dared haul in short-bed truck.

Cost is below:

Concrete Pad = $1200 (poured by a local guy)
Windows = $300 (Building Materials Outlet Store)
Roofing & Rafters = $450
Screws and Such = $100

I think if you purchased the timbers from a local sawyer, you would have 2K into the timbers.

jander3 · October 30, 2011, 08:49:24 PM

Replaced the roof with something blue. Now compliant with the city code.

Working on the siding when I have time.

Piston · November 02, 2011, 09:19:29 AM

That looks GREAT!

RPF2509 · December 16, 2011, 06:30:43 PM

Would you be willing to post a cut list for this building? - we have a 10' x 12' no permit required as well. I have 2 - 16'x 36" logs ready to mill come springtime. Somewhere I have a book by Jack Sobon where he shows how to build a similar structure but since we just moved its in a box - probably at the bottom of the pile

jander3 · December 17, 2011, 04:49:59 PM

http://peelinglogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/timber-frame-plan10-x-12-shed.html

Here are the plans, there are a couple of things that maybe aren't quite right (i.e. center post is reversed...not on purpose). The sketchup plan is posted as well. If you download the sketchup plan and have Timberframe Rubies, you can adjust the model and make your own shop drawings.

The plans show the ridge and the plate at 16', I had to go with 14' because I couldn't get anything longer in the back of my truck.

RPF2509 · December 19, 2011, 06:12:51 PM

Great! Thanks Jander3 - I'm figureing my way around sketchup - rubies is next. Ah for the long winter of planning

mog5858 · December 27, 2011, 09:41:10 PM

NICE JOB you really out did your self. after reading this really wont me to go and start cutting timbers for a little shed too. but i have to put my sawmill together and then lean how to cut timber and timber frame bean reading books but that's about as faw as i got. maby buy this summer i could try somthing like what you got going on i hope.

jander3 · December 28, 2011, 01:54:25 PM

Installed a door with big hinges as it is one heavy son-of-a-gun. I just have to finish up the battens and loft planking, then, I will be ready to move things in.

December 27, no snow in Minnesota...different this year.

Rooster · December 28, 2011, 06:29:54 PM

Are you planning on decorating the shed for the holidays???

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

It looks great!

Rooster

jueston · December 28, 2011, 08:35:23 PM

Your description of Minnesota nice is spot on with my experience. Our no permit rule in st. paul is only 100sqft though, to bad....

Its an awesome shed, you did great work here.

How about this weather around here, huh?

jander3 · December 28, 2011, 09:05:58 PM

Rooster,

I have more lights on that shed than you could imagine, at night she lights up like an airstrip. And, if you look up at the peak on the front of the building there is a saw blade with hand letters that say's, "Code Compliant". That touch was for who ever called the building inspector on me.

Jon

Fred Bryant · January 30, 2012, 11:12:53 PM

This might be a stupid question, but how is it attached to the pad?

Thx's, Fred ( jyblood@nwi.net )

Piston · February 01, 2012, 07:27:08 AM

Quote from: jander3 on December 28, 2011, 09:05:58 PM
...if you look up at the peak on the front of the building there is a saw blade with hand letters that say's, "Code Compliant". That touch was for who ever called the building inspector on me.

Jon

That is awesome! :D :D :D

jander3 · February 01, 2012, 08:47:50 PM

The frame is set on a concrete pad. I used some L-shaped brackets at the posts. I put a lag screw in the post and and anchored it to the concrete pad with a threaded rod designed for installation into concrete.

Piston · February 03, 2012, 09:33:41 AM

That's one NICE looking shed! 8)

Did you use forms at all for the posts? Or just pour a slab and set the posts right on the slab? If so, how thick of a slab did you pour?

Brad_bb · February 03, 2012, 11:04:06 AM

This winter is strange with as little snow or cold. I bet the shed looked cool lit up at night, got a pic? Some snow on the ground would look even better. I'm hoping we get some winter here soon (IL). The bugs are going to be bad this year...

jander3 · February 03, 2012, 07:17:55 PM

Posts were set right on the slab. The slab was 6".

Odd winter here to Brad. No snow, not much ice. No vehicles on the lake for ice fishing.

Kiwilassy · September 05, 2021, 08:56:35 AM

Quote from: jander3 on August 28, 2011, 04:22:07 PM
Brad,

I made up the design with Google Sketchup and Timber Frame Rubies. Jim Rogers helped me figure out that the loads would be OK.

The SketchUp file is posted on the forum at the following url:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,49542.0.html

Hey, Jon,
Michelle Bar-Evan in Colorado here. (I bought a TFHQ layout square from you last year) Wondering if you still have this plan? I clicked on the URL, but it doesn't exist anymore.
Kindly, Michelle