I am going to do a couple of threads on the process I went through to rebuild an old building on my wife's family farm. I believe the building was built sometime prior to the War Between the States. Several reasons . . . mainly the nails used in some of the siding, and the method of putting the framing together. Also, I believe the building was the first used for a dwelling on the place. It could have been a slave building, or it could have been where a white tenant lived. It could have very well have been where the original owner of the property lived. There is one big reason I believe it was a dwelling: it had a front door and a back door. Also, the size would lend itself to that use. It is only about 15x16 feet.
The first interesting feature is the joinery, or the way the frame members were put together. I believe it would be called post and beam construction today, and most of the major joints are mortised and tenon. The size of the timbers and the way they were joined was a major case of overkill. Of course, the wood was heart of pine, probably long leaf.
As I said before, a picture is worth a thousand words.
"Before" picture. It has a distinct lean toward the west, away from the front door.
Just for reference, the rafters are about 3 1/2"x6". Doesn't sound very large, but consider that a lumberyard 2x6 is actually about 1 3/4"x5 3/4". The uprights at the corners and the door frame are about 4x6, way overkill. The uprights are mortised into the top sill. All the wood from the top sill up, the entire roof structure, was in very good shape and didn't have to be replaced.
A corner, where two sills meet at right angle. The entire building is sitting on rocks.
Here is a mortise and tenon joint, secured with a wooden peg.
More joints.
Rock foundation. It is amazing to me that the building has been sitting on those rocks for 125-150 years. It was still level enough that I didn't fool with trying to improve it.
The first interesting feature is the joinery, or the way the frame members were put together. I believe it would be called post and beam construction today, and most of the major joints are mortised and tenon. The size of the timbers and the way they were joined was a major case of overkill. Of course, the wood was heart of pine, probably long leaf.
As I said before, a picture is worth a thousand words.
"Before" picture. It has a distinct lean toward the west, away from the front door.
Just for reference, the rafters are about 3 1/2"x6". Doesn't sound very large, but consider that a lumberyard 2x6 is actually about 1 3/4"x5 3/4". The uprights at the corners and the door frame are about 4x6, way overkill. The uprights are mortised into the top sill. All the wood from the top sill up, the entire roof structure, was in very good shape and didn't have to be replaced.
A corner, where two sills meet at right angle. The entire building is sitting on rocks.
Here is a mortise and tenon joint, secured with a wooden peg.
More joints.
Rock foundation. It is amazing to me that the building has been sitting on those rocks for 125-150 years. It was still level enough that I didn't fool with trying to improve it.
Nice pictures. I like the way the building is framed. Larry
