A Report by Emmett C. Greenleaf & Sharon Greenleaf
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What does a semi-retired project management professional, TF Guild member, consultant, reasonably healthy senior citizen do on a long holiday weekend? He heeds the call for volunteers to assist in a barn raising project, future performing arts center, supported by the TF Guild. Initial call was for Saturday through Monday, Labor Day weekend 1998.
The site is about 48 miles from my home, so we naturally drove up Thursday afternoon to check it out. This led to some immediate conversation like "Where's your hard hat and gloves?" Thursday afternoon led into Friday, through the weekend until sundown Wednesday. Interesting math this timber framing skill employs, 3 days = 6 days. Oh, yes, bring your spouse to help Friday through Monday and your adult daughter Saturday through Monday. Kind of like an all hands meeting in a former life. We learned a lot, polished some old skills, met some wonderful people and added some politically incorrect definitions to the vocabulary:Timber framers are like lawyers – a bunch of chiselers (donated by a retired lawyer/master framer). Timber framers are like dentists – they do a lot of drilling and fill cavities. Timber framers are social butterflies – always screwing around (lag screws). Timber framers hang out in the joints (see photos). Timber framers are great problem solvers prone to using a bigger hammer. Selected photos appear below. Click on the small photo to see a larger version. 
Key: (1) In the beginning.... (2) You asked for accurate drilling. (3) Every barn needs a multi-level foundation. (4) Syncopated peg pounding. (5) 1st ceremonial peg driven by invited local people. (6) 1st frame to fly. (7) Uniform of the day for Guild volunteers (author and spouse). (8) No, we still do it the hard way, too. (9) Proscenium truss: heaviest and most critical of the lot, something like 100 man (person?) hours' assembly time on the ground. Steel bracing is such a wonderful material to work with. (10) Trial fit. (11) South end is just fine. 
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