The Barn

I am lucky to have my dad's haw mow as my work space. The timbers can dry slowly and hopefully w/o too much cracking. I have a rechargable DeWalt worklght and use head lamps for lighting. With the timbers re-stacked the plan is to make (2) sawhorses first as to get practice with the new tools.

The chisel and slick from Barr Tools are awesome tools and worth every penny. The hand saw from Garrett Wade took some getting use to @ first but I am still glad I am using all traditional hand tools. The following are a few of my first mortise and tenons.

The Neighbors

Pictures courtesy of Dan aka "The Mexican Millionaire".

Material List

I selected White Pine over White Oak mainly due to the weight difference. I actually had (1) quote with oak being cheaper than pine but between considering the trailer weight and the thought of lifting the (2) 6x6x20' purlins above our heads - pine won out.




The cabin will be 14x16' w/ a 4' porch in the front, (3) bent, and a 12/12 pitch roof.

Timber List
8 Posts 6 X 6 X 10
4 Beams 6 X 6 X 14
2 Plates 6 X 6 X 20
2 Sills 6 X 6 X 20
3 Sills 6 X 6 X 14
1 Summer beam 6 X 6 X 14
18 Rafters 4 X 6 X 12
4 Door posts 4 X 6 X 8
4 Collar ties 4 X 6 X 10
6 Wall girts 4 X 6 X 8
12 Joists 4 X 6 X 8
8 Braces 3 X 6 X 8
4 Braces 3 X 6 X 10

Purchased Hand Tools
Cross cut saw - Garret Wade
1.5" Chisel, rawhide mallet, 3.25" slick - Barr Tools
Beam Drill, 1 & 1.5" bit - Jim Bode, Tool Collector
Steel Square and combination square - Home Depot

Selecting the Property

In June we purchased 20 acres from friends of ours who are already living in Montana. It is located half way between Glacier and Yellowstone, 15 miles East of the continental divide, and surrounded by State and BLM land. I was struggling between (2) lots but decided on Lot 9. Lot 9 had the most building options and topography diversity. There are beautiful rock out croppings, views of the ridge, and the ability to see and hear the small stream winding through the bottom of the cut. An upper meadow has more expansive views and a very natural building site that would allow for minimal site disruption. The real problem was that I was making this decision w/o Sherry seeing the property.

The mountain road is actually in very good condition and a relative short distance from the main road.

The Lower Ridge area has a small but beautiful area with these numerous rock outcroppings, a view of a rock cut to the front, and then leads down to the stream below. Notice the Aspens at the bottom of the valley - I would love to have more of them in time.

The Upper Meadow offers a more expansive view and a nice open area that would be a natural building site offering good solar potential.

Intitial Posting

I started a written journal over a month ago and recently started taking pictures of my cabin project. I have been inspired by (2) other cabin blogs and just tonight I thought this may actually be an easier way to journal my progress and share my activities with others. This will be my first blog and to be honest in the past I have felt they were lame but I would like to journal my progress.

I started this journey the usual way by looking for inspiration from the Internet and checking the local library. One book I know I have checked out before as this is not the first time I have desired to make a timber frame structure. I started by purchasing Jack Sobon's 1st book as it has a section on a simple 2 bay structure like I plan to build. I also bought plans from Grand Oaks Timber Framing in Paris, TN. The plans are detailed enough but I am modifying them slightly to include a front porch.

My plan is to dry fit the frame in the mow of my dad's dairy barn and then move it out to our property in MT this summer and raise it. I desire to use all traditional hand tools in the cutting of the mortise and tenons. I am hopeful that Clayton will have an interest in helping me on this project as I think it would be a fun experience for us to share.