Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods

Very informative and lots of examples

And this book has it all!!

A great book about timber framing. It really focuses on the construction of one house and includes plans for that frame. Every instruction on timber framing in the book is viewed through this single project house. In that respect it is thorough and well written. That is one of the books strengths and it's largest drawback.I would have loved to seen more on other framing styles or plans included in much greater depth. But understandably that might make for a vastly larger book.Overall a great book, worth a read if you are looking to build a timber frame of your own.

The project house discussed in this book is larger than I’m interested in building, and the details for smaller variations are a bit scant. Still, the details for options to finish the house after the framing is up are much more extensive than other books I’ve read on the topic, and I appreciate that.

I've just finished reading this book and it is very good. It does expect that you have some basic woodworking skills to understand the processes that are referenced and to know that a peg should "sound right" when it is driven enough. There is some basic engineering covered although you will be required to perform many more calcs to comply with local codes if you intend to build the sample house or a design of your own.I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about building a green wood timber frame with hand tools and draw pinning. It's just an excellent read with plenty of diagrams and illustrations.The book contains references to many excellent books to read in addition to it. Two of note are "Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building" by Jack A. Sobon and Roger Schroeder, and "The Passive Solar Design and Construction Handbook" by Steven Winter Associates. There are other strong references regarding timber identification and selection, tools, and many others.Use this book as a springboard into timber framing and you won't regret it.

I'm a little surprised nobody has compared this book to Sobon's earlier book in 1984: "Timber Frame Construction: All About Post-and-Beam Building", which is also available here on Amazon. I read the earlier book in my local book store yesterday. I then bought this book for my Kindle today, on a whim. While the first book left me intrigued, it didn't provide much detail. This book provides much more detail. It seems Sobon has matured over 3 decades. He writes about building codes, electricity (though still briefly), and provides more information about engineering (though still briefly), like load requirements and provides some formulas and examples.Being an engineering type myself, I'd like to see more detail in that area. Being a woodworker, I'm a little happier with the added detail regarding joints, flattening, milling, etc.It's still an introduction, not an end all manual, but I think it's a better introduction. I prefer this newer book. It's a great read.

I am a recent student to the art and technology of Timber frame (post-and-beam) construction. There are differences of nomenclature amongst builders, purists and pragmatists alike. The author's easy writing style harmonizes that hurdle and makes for an enjoyable experience as you learn about the art, the pragmatism and the utility of timber frame construction and the engineering science behind these structures. Moreover, the author speaks to the purpose of timber frame construction in a modern era: energy efficiency, carbon footprint, and timeless beauty that will be appreciated by generations to come.

Covers all the basics for creating and erecting simple timber construction. The book is particularly useful in describing and illustrating not only the joinery used, but also where in the structure each joint should be used (pg. 84-136).Some of the more advanced techniques are absent (ex. Hammer Beam Truss) but these are generally uncommon and would not likely be utilized by the intended audience.

Great book

the best book

This is an excellent source of information for those considering building a timber framed home. Enough details that you can do it if you are handy enough, but it does require skills at an intermediate level at least. Overall a good read with lots of great pictures.

Lots of useful info for my new project. It arrived on time, and is in the condition I expected. Shame about an adhesive lable that the vendors stuck on the back cover - it is proving almost impossible to remove.

love traditional timber frame