Timber Framing

Timber Framing. Heritage Park, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. , Timber Framing in America and Norway , There are many ways to build a house or structure. You can stack logs horizontally to form walls, a system that you can see throughout Heritage Park. You can use narrow pieces of sawn lumber in preset dimensions, which is the system we commonly use today. Or you can use timber framing, a system of upright posts and horizontal beams. , In the United States, the predominant style of timber framing is called “square-rule.” Within every irregular, rough-hewn, or sawn timber there is a slightly smaller, perfect timber. All joinery is laid out with a carpenter's square, is measured, and is cut to this “inner timber.” Local timber framer Dale Kittleson used the square-rule style to build this structure for Vesterheim Folk Art School classes and events. , Timber framing is also a Norwegian building tradition. In Norway, more than twenty styles of post and beam construction have been used. Grindbygg is one of these. , A frame or grind is a unit of two vertical posts connected in a specific way with a tie beam (see illustration). The frames are set in a row along the length of the structure. , Traditionally, all of the shaping of the timber and the joinery was done with an ax and a tapered auger. Each piece was held up to its mate and scribed to fit. No measurements were needed. Braces connect the posts and beams and could be made of curved timbers or naturally bent materials like root knees. The load of the roof (often heavy sod or slate) compressed all of the joints to create a strong structure. , Archaeological evidence suggests Vikings used a technique similar to post and beam construction to build longhouses. From travels in Russia, the Vikings brought home horizontal log construction techniques. Log buildings were easier and more efficient to heat, and quickly became the dominant building type in Norway. Along the southwest coast of Norway, which was less forested, timber frame construction remained the choice for unheated buildings like boathouses and barns. , Supported by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.