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A Glossary of Terms For Traditional Timber Framing (Timberbee)

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Joinery Terms

  • Tennon - A projection upon the end of a Timber for insertion into a Mortise. It is a rare occasion when the Tennon is not taller than it is wide.

  • Stub_Tennon - A short Tennon, often no more than Two Inches Long.

  • Tusk Tennon -
  • Through Tennon - A Tennon which passes entirely through the piece of wood it is inserted into. Clearly visible on the back side.
  • Teasel Tennon - A term used for the Tennon Atop a Jowled, or, Gunstock post, which is typicaly received by the Mortise in underside of a Tie Beam. A Common element of the English Tying Joint.

  • Top Tennon - The tennon which occurs atop a Post.

  • Mortise - A cavity cut into a timber to receive a Tennon.

  • Open Mortise - A mortise which has only three sides.

  • Stub_Mortise - A shallow Mortise, typically no deeper than Two and One Half Inches.

  • Through Mortise - A Mortise which passes entirely through a piece.

  • Wedged Half-Dovetail - A Mortise where the Back is deeper, or longer, than the front, or Opening. The space for the wedge initialy allows room the tennon to be inserted, the presence of the wedge, after the tennon has been engaged, prevents it's withdrawl.

  • Through Wedged Half-Dovetail - A wedged Half-Dovetail Mortise which passes entirely through the piece.

  • Housing;

  • Diminished Haunch;

  • Shoulder;

  • Stepped Shoulder;

Parts

  • Post - A Vertical Member

  • Wall Post - A Major Support in the outermost aspect of the frame. Often running between Sill and Wall Plate.

  • Corner Post - The Wall Posts which occupy the Corner Postitions.

  • Intermediate Post - A post which serves in a secondary capacity. Often used to stiffen a Tie, or to otherwise lend strength where it is needed.
  • Door Post - The Posts which flank, and frame, a Door. They are generally pegged closest to the proposed opening, rather than pegged in the Center of the tennon, this is so that, as the Door Post shrinks, it will shrink Towards the door (towards the peg), rather than away from it (As it would if the peg were centered).
  • Stud - A minor element, which, while it Can provide structural support, serves mainly to support various systems of Infill.

  • Truss Post - a Post which serves as an element of a Truss.

  • Purlin Post - A Post which supports the Purlin. This post can be a Major Element, as in a Dutch Barn Frame, or it can be a Minor Element, as in some of the later American Barn Frames.

  • Canted Purlin Post;

  • King Post - The Major, and Central, Vertical Element of a King Post Truss.
  • Crown Post;

  • Queen Post - Similar to a Purlin Post, but differentiated by it's role as One-Half of a Pair of Posts in the queen Post Truss.

  • Beam - A Horizontal Member

  • Joist - The smallest Floor Member.

  • Girt - a connecting member, running from Post to Post, typically used where Vertical siding is to be employed, rather than Horizontal siding.

  • Summer Beam - A Major Floor Member, often spanning between Tie Beams, and joined to accept floor Joists.

  • Tie Beam - A Major, Horizontal Member, running Perpendicular to the Line of the Ridge, whose main functions are to Provide the Tying Action within the frame, resist the outward thrust generated by the roof, and, Sometimes, to bear floor loads. They also serve as the Major Horizontal Members in a number of trusses, particularly, the King Post Truss.

  • Anchor Beam - The Name given to the, often, enormous Lower Ties within a Dutch Barn.

  • Dropped Tie;
  • Interuppted Tie - a Tie which does not span the full Width of the Building. Often components of various Trusses, such as the Hammer Beam Truss.

  • Intermediate Tie - A Lower Tie, , but, whose Main purpose is to support Floor Loads, or to Augment the Tying action of the Main Tie.

  • Brace -

  • Down Brace - a Brace which goes, as an example, from Post to Sill, rather than from Post to Tie, or Post to Plate.

  • Cruck;

  • "Blade";

General Terms

  • Bay - An area defined by Two Bents. There is always one less Bay than Bents when speaking of Buildings, i.e.; A 3 Bay 4 Bent Barn.

  • Rod;

  • Bent - A Section of Frame, perpendicular to the line of the Ridge, consisting of a Tie Beam and it's supporting members.

  • Bent Construction - Refers to a system of Framing in which the Bents are The Major, Identifiable Structural Components, supporting All Major Elements. The Walls, in a Bent Frame, generally consist of connecting members -- Horizontal, or are considered curtain walls, if they consist of vertical members.

  • Wall - The Outer most Aspect of the Frame, in line with the Ridge, consisting of a Plate, and all Major, and minor, supporting elements.

  • Wall Construction - Refers to a system of Framing in which the Walls are the Major Structural supporting Elements. In Wall construction, there is Still Bent spacing (The Frame is divided into "Bays"), however, the Ties are Typicaly supported by the Plates, and/or rest upon the Tops of the Posts. This type of Construction is used primarily with the English Tying Joint, or one of it's Many variations. In Wall Construction, as with Bent Construction, the difference is not merely semantic, nor philisophical, but refers to the manner in which the Buildings must be assembled.

  • "Schnaff Schnaff" - A term used to express Framing Conventions. In this case; 1 1/2 Inch Shoulder, 1 1/2 inches from the Reference Face, followed by a 1 1/2 Inch Wide Tennon.

  • "Two - Two" - Expresses the Same Conventions, as Schnaff - Schnaff, except that the value is 2 inches, rather than 1 1/2 inch. In addition, a frame is generally One or the other, the joinery is either "Two - Two" or Schnaff - Schnaff, not both. However, the placement of the joints themselves are not limited to the dimensions expressed by these terms. They simply represent the "Base" Practice, or, organization of the layout.

Further, often when the joints are NOT Two - Two, or Schnaff - Schnaff, they are multiples of the same. An example of this might be an Anchor beam whose Tennon is 4 inches Wide, and is set 6 inches from the Reference Edge (an example of Two - Two Framing expressed in multiples).

These conventions are to lend clarity, and to prevent confusion, when cutting the frame, more than for anything else. The overall Goal, for many of these systems, Particularly Square Rule, is to prevent Dramatic, Unpleasant, and Costly mistakes come Raising Day.

  • French Snap - A term used to describe the cutting order when shaping a Tennon. The first cut is the Non-Reference Shoulder cut, and is full depth; That is, it is to the Near Face of the tennon. The Second cut is the End cut, this cut is made just a few inches past the tennon, and thus, passes the Non-Reference face Shoulder Cut.

The next step is to score the cheeks of the tennon, and then strike the Waste block, in order to break it free. This should remove the bulk of the waste with a minimum amount of cutting. The final cut is the Reference Shoulder cut, (Generally the shallowest cut).

Tools

  • Axe - A striking tool which is Hafted so that the blade is in-line (Parallel) to the handle. Modern Axes are typically of, fairly, soft steel, the body pierced by an eye to receive the Handle. The softer Steel allows the bit to deform when encountering imbedded gravel, debris, nails, and extremely dense knots, rather than to shatter. (Racing Axes being a Notable Exception)

  • Felling Axe - The most commonly known of the various Axes, generally made with fairly Soft Steel for the Bit. Weights varying from 2 to 41/2 Pounds.

  • Racing Axe - An Axe whose predominant use is in "TimberMan" Competions. The Bit is Almost Always of a Fairly Hard Steel, often requiring honing with a Stone, rather than a File. Generally an Expensive Axe, and not one Entirely suitable for Felling, Juggling, Splitting, and other Common Uses, as the Edge has the tendancy to Spalt off Very large chips when encountering extremely tough knots, embedded stones, and the like.

  • Mortising Axe - An axe whose bit is shaped much like that of a chisel -- long and narrow, though the bit is still sharpened with the Double Bevel of a felling axe, rather than the single Bevel of a chisel. This type of axe is currently one of the least common in use in the United States at this time.

  • Broad Axe - Broad Axes exist in the greatest variety of any of the Axes. The great many Patterns of Broad Axe, vary enormously in weight, and the length, and Shape of the Face. Teh number, and the Extent, of the Curves, also vary, Markedly, between the many types.

  • Goose Wing Broad Axe - Goose Wing is a General Term for a Particular Shape of Axe. As with Broad Axes in general, this pattern may vary greatly from one to the next. The Main, identifiable, feature of this axe is that the Eye is not centered behind the bit, but, rather, that it is quite high atop the Face of the axe. so that, when Hafted, the bit extends well below the connection of Eye to Handle, so much so that when held, with one hand nearly touching the steel of the Eye, that high is almost, or very much so, centered behind the Bit.

In Addition, the uppermost part of the bit, rises sharply, to a dramatic point.

  • Bearded Axe -

  • Adze - A Shaping tool whose Face is perpendicular to it's handle.

  • Shipwright's Adze - A lighter, and more versatile Adze, than the Carpenter's Adze. This was designed to be used in a variety of position, including overhead, as well as in front on -- Waist, and Chest level.

  • Lipped Shipwright's Adze - A variation of the Shipwrights adze. It features a wider than normal bit, whose outside edges are Sharply turned up, so that, when gazing directly down the adze, from Bit to Eye, the cutting edge resembles an Extremely Wide, and, Often, very Flat, U. This Adze was mainly used for shapping cross grain, such as for joining planks.

  • Carpenter's Adze - A Heavy Adze, often with very steep curves, and a very heavy, Blunt, Poll. The weight of this Adze makes it unsuitable for sustained Overhead Adzing.

  • RailRoad Adze - A Carpenter's Adze which had it's Bit extended in an effort to limit the breaking of handles when shaping Railroad Ties. Early Examples in New England began showing up approximately in the 1940's - 1950's. The initial prototypes clearly showed a weld, where the extension was attached. Later examples revealed that the Adzes were intentional.