• Timber framing is an ancient method of house and barn construction.timber framed cottage image by Chris Lofty from Fotolia.com
  
  Timber framing was the most common form of wooden house building until the development of milled, dimensioned lumber. Timber framed houses are built out of large timbers, sometimes as much as 12-inches square, that are joined together with a variety of interlocking joints held together with wooden pegs. Traditional timber frames don't use nails or any other metal fasteners.
  
  

Mortise and Tenon

• The basic joint used in timber framing is called a mortise and tenon. A mortise is a hole that is cut into the side of a timber. The tenon is the end of the piece of timber that will join it, cut to fit snugly into the hole. After the tenon is fitted into the mortise, one or several holes are drilled that go through the wood surrounding the mortise and through the tenon. Pegs are hammered into the holes, thus securing the two timbers together permanently. Mortises can go only partway into the timber, leaving the opposite side untouched, or they can be cut all the way through so the the tenon protrudes out the other side.
  
  

Bents

• The roof of a timber-framed home is supported by "bents." A bent is one section of timber framing that is put together into an integral unit and then lifted into place using either a crane or a large number of people. The number of bents that are put up depends on how long the building needs to be. For a 40-foot-long barn, with bents erected every 4 feet, 11 bents would be necessary. The posts that are used in timber framing don't need to as close to one another as studs in a conventionally framed house, because the timbers are larger and can support more weight.
  
  

Diagonal Bracing

• A defining characteristic that can be seen in timber-framed barns and homes is the presence of diagonal bracing. Diagonal braces, built into the corners where posts meet joists, help to keep the angles square and to strengthen the joints. Braces can be made with straight timbers, but are sometimes made more decorative by using naturally bent pieces of wood. Braces are secured to posts and joists using mortise and tenon joints. The joists that support a ceiling are often left exposed in timber-framed homes in order to show off the natural beauty of the wood.