The Perfect Timber within
I have always been fascinated by Timber Frame construction. Timber Framing is an ancient form of creating barns and buildings from the materials at hand. These buildings, many of which have been standing for hundreds of years, contain no nails. They are created using wood joinery. Fasteners are pegs.
By definition Timber Framing requires the use of materials larger than 7 inches square. Unless you have access to a sawyer, this dimension of lumber is difficult to acquire.
I have been studying the joinery needed to create these works of art masquerading as barns. One such book that I recently read describes the different methods that can be used to mark and measure the joints. All of them take different approaches. Some assume that you can make a square beam from a round tree. This isn't out of the question with some of the machinery available now. This is called Mill Rule. If you have the equipment to size the wood correctly, Mill rule is one option. But, wood moves as it dries. What comes from the mill square won't retain that shape as the wood dries and changes dimension.
There are several other methods to determine the placement of the joinery which require transferring logs near each other and cutting the joints to fit. Each individual joint is sized to its mate and is not interchangeable.
The method that seems to be most versatile is called the sqare rule. This creates joinery that is interchangeable on similar parts and can be done in a work area out of the elements and then transported and assembled on site.
This relies on finding the perfect timber within the beam. Each joint is cut to fit a specific size. inside the timber lies the perfectly sqare piece. It just needs to be exposed and then the joinery can be cut. The timber is reduced in size to find the perfect timber within.
This method can be applied to many things in life.
When I'm doing images for my website, I start with a huge file size and an image with much more resolution than I need. I find the perfect part of the image that meets my needs and then crop it to fit the size and content that I need for my display image. (See this Tutorial on using Canva for your Header Images: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/customize-a-header-...)
I actually did this with the log image above. It was too large to fit the WA criteria for image size. I pulled the original image into GIMP (Free version off Photo Shop) and scaled and cropped the image, then saved it as a .jpg file optimized for display inside the WA file size criteria. I found the perfect timber within the image.
I also do this often with my writing. I determine my goal (https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/how-to-write-an-art...) put together a quick outline as a guide then dictate (Using Google Docs or Dragon Natuarally speaking : https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/training/google-speech-recog...)what it is that I want to say. This usually produces a horrendously long and convoluted document that eventually winds its way to my point. Then, after correcting Grammar and Spelling, I review and edit the post until it says what I want to say in the way that it should be said. I found the perfect timber within my writing.
How do you find your perfect Timber Within?
Recent Comments
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I like your analogy of using the timber on finding that perfect workable piece that will fit your need. Living in the Pacific North West I am familiar with the timber industry and the various steps to get the finished product. Also my son in-law is a forest engineer and saw how he measures the trees to be harvest.
I have not used a Dragon and I can see how it can save time in the writing process once one gets use to using it.
I'm new: how do I add the links to my profile so I can read again later?
Also - I'm trying the addon with google docs. Is it supposed to be just straight text or are you supposed to be able to voice-edit it as well?
You should check out the link I posted for the Google Voice. It is an addOn to Google Docs. You will need to get it from the Chrome store. It's free.
Finding the timber within can be difficult, you have to be educated on what to look for and APPLY that knowledge.
Jerry
hey! ... what you've written can be a training! ... keep well & love treats for the pups ... all the best, cheerio... :)
I suppose it could be applied to finding the "perfect timber within" your niche -- there are several avenues we can explore, but when it is "evergreen" we know we have a winner.
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A very interesting post, Craig. Thank you.
It's clear you are expert at dealing with intricate processes. I had never heard of Timber Framing, so it was an enjoyable read.
Thanks very much for the links. The first two will be extremely helpful for me. I sometimes consider using speech recognition but, as typing has been a life-long and earning activity of mine, I doubt that my speech could improve my content. However, one never knows what results can be achieved, without trying!