Fitting Over-sized Knee Braces?

[jander3]

I cut my knee braces at 3 1/8" x 5 1/8"; the pockets were cut right at the exact dimensions (for 3" x 5" Braces).    In general the braces have shrunk some and fit up great.   However, a couple are still a little oversized.  What is the best approach to fit this up?

• Shave the brace?
• Cut the pocket bevel out a little more?

   
Seems to me that expanding and cutting the pocket bevel would be quicker and cleaner.  Looking for input.  Fitting things up this weekend.
     

[Rooster]

In theory, you would make the braces all the same dimension to fit any pocket/mortise.  On larger buildings with 30+ identical braces, it makes sense to make them all the same so that you don't have to remember which one was cut to fit each mortise.  If it is a small frame and you will only be using specific braces in specific locations then it is "6 of one, half a dozen of the other". 

It actually comes under the 2nd universal law of timber-framing: "It's your frame, cut it the way you want."

The first Law states: "Have fun, even if you cut yourself."

And the third Law says, "Use free labor, get your friends and family to help."

Rooster

[Jim_Rogers]

Shave the back side of the brace to bring the tenon down to 3" off the reference face.

As mentioned this is to make it fit anywhere that a standard brace pocket/mortise has been cut.

This is standard procedure.

[witterbound]

We put the tenon into the mortise, then marked the outside of the edge of the brace that wouldn't fit into the housing, then expanded the housing accordingly.  During fitup, we designated and marked exactly where each brace went, then drilled the peg holes before we pulled it apart.  I guess, by this point, we didn't care about the braces fitting any other place...  Guess we didn't follow standard procedure. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Guess we didn't follow standard procedure. 

Whatever works for you is ok, don't ever worry about something like that.....

[Brad_bb]

That 3rd law should probably be the first.

[jander3]

I ended up shaving the backside to get the tenon right on 3".   The dimension that was causing me some head-scratching was the 5" dimension.  I wanted interchangeable braces so I pared the inside of the over-sized brace down to 5" just like you would for square rule on the post to fit it to the housing.   Worked great; won't have to keep track of brace positions on raising day.

[witterbound]

I don't understand how all of one's braces can be interchangable on raising day.   Even if you cut all of your braces and mortices to the same theoretical dimensions, there are always differences due to something if your cutting a frame by hand.  The mortise is a tad out of square, the housing is a little too shallow, the brace is slightly twisted which puts the joint in a bind, etc...

During the trial fitup these differences are figured out, and everything is squared up, and the holes are drilled.  At that point you don't substitute brace x for brace y later on.  So, y'all that are able to pick any brace up from a pile at the raising, and use it anywhere, how do you do it? 

[Jim_Rogers]

Some people don't do a trial fit up.

Some people don't bore holes in advance and put the frame together and bore the holes there and then.

[Brad_bb]

What Jim said.  Many don't drill peg holes for braces until on site and the bents are assembled on the ground, then brace peg holes drilled.  Some braces are not pegged at all.  Many original barns had braces that were not pegged too.  Everybody does it slightly differently.  Some may fit and drill braces ahead of time, but then you have to have marriage marks to reunite the correct braces to location once transported to the job site.