Connecting girts and rafter plates

Connecting girts connect the bents to each other and solidify the structure. The rafter plates on top are somewhat smaller, adding extra strength to the connection, and also serving as supports for the rafters.

The crew adds braces into the hollowed out mortises. Holes are drilled into the mortises and tenons and wooden pegs hammered in to hold the joinery together.

Note the dovetail joint on top of the center post. I believe Willy uses this to keep the beams from twisting as they dry. Green timbers are used in timber frame construction because it is softer and easier to carve. However, the timbers will shrink as they dry. This actually locks the timbers in place as they shrink. Hemlock, unlike most other wood, retains it's initial dimensions, but will check (i.e. crack) as it dries. This also makes hemlock beams notorious for twisting they dry.

Lisa and I don't mind because this is what adds character to a home; if we wanted straight, we'd order a prefab from Allouette. Carpenters hate twisting though because they like their work to be "Deutschgrade", as John Liptak would say. Willy says "Enjoy the frame now, because this is as stright as it ever will be." No, no, no ... watching the timbers twist is the part o' the fun in a timber frame. :-)