We’ve completed many more beams. Of course we’re on hold on this till spring 4 years ago

This piece will actually be one of the sills.

Notice how pleased everyone looks?

After this we threw some tommahawk, ate an excellent steak dinner (we sure needed the protein!), watched Last of the Mohicans , and took out another group to experience sleeping in a wigwam (wigwaaswi-gamig). We even made smores over the fire in the wigwam. 5 years ago

They have to be sixteen footers, and 8” x 8”. We started with these, because then after this it will get progressively easy all along. 5 years ago

while we are doing some of the planing work.

We worked it that way, we had enough people to work as long as each one of us could, and when we were tired and needed a rest, there was someone else ready to fill in their place on the log.

This is the same way we did it years ago, when we built the block house. With the block house, though, we didn’t have to be so specific. We only had to make four mosly flat sides. This time we have to measure and make it as close to perfect as is humanly possible. 5 years ago

There is hope for the next generation, after all. 5 years ago

and the oldest girl is beginning to plane the beam. 5 years ago

We finally had another work weekend for this. We started making beams. We some friends from Gaffney’s Regiment came up from the Cities and from east-central Wisconsin to work on this. The family from Wisconsin was mighty impressive. My gosh did they work hard. It was a woman with three daughters, who were awesome, have a great work ethic, are polite and considerate, are smart (they could keep up with all our obscure references to history, science and the like, and even crack jokes about it), and have a great sense of humour.

All the teenage boys better watch out, because these girls are tough, and they know how to use an axe, as well as throw a tommahawk!

In this picture they are scoring the log to prepare it for planing. We are sitting around because we just got done planing it all down, and are quite frankly, pooped.5 years ago

Some of the logs that are to be sawn into timbers can be seen in the background. 6 years ago

This is from Northern Tool and Hydraulic. It costs 2800 bucks. The cool thing is that since it will be primarily used for the historic site, Clann Tartan has offered to pay for at least part of it. I will use this so much. When I rebuild my barn I will probably make it post and beam too. 6 years ago

This is a late Medieval/Renaissance style of architecture. We are putting it in at our historic site (the one on my prooperty). This style uses mortise and tenon joinery. We’ve laid down the stone wall foundation, and started felling trees for the timbers. I will be buying a saw mill rig to cut the beams (maybe buying that should be another goal!) This one will have to go in first, before the croft, since the site for the croft is presently the road I put in last week to work on this project.

I’m using my backhoe to pull the stumps. Big Tonka toys are sure nice to have. 6 years ago