Big Dave

This isn't really a timber framing type project but it did involve working with some big timbers none the less. They were 10x10 white pine. The longest one was 22' finished length. We had to support the deck and remove the old rotted post then re-level the deck and measure for and fit the new timber. Took some thinking to figure out how to handle the timbers without hurting someone.





I made these cookies as I called them so we could easily rotate the beam to do our cutting and notching.



I also made this cart so we could transport them around the jobsite easily.



I installed this mini crane to assist in lifting the beams off of the trailer onto either the cart or cookies.



I made this other mini crane to assist in setting the beams over the edge. I would sit on the end and run the controls while my two helpers set the base of the beam in place and pulled the notched part onto the deck.

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Cole

Dave, I can really appreciate this kind of work, it took a lot of thought as you mentioned and it really showed in the photos.

Great work!

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Daren

Good stuff Big Dave . Clever ideas to move those beams all the way from the trailer to install.

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mics_54

Daren, In regards to your crane on the trailer, did it seem to be adiquate? Would you make any changes? I was thinking of setting a small boom up on my 20' trailer for off loading logs when my skid steer isnt on that end of the turn.

firehawkmph

Nice job Dave,
I like all the little adjuncts you made to make it easier to work with the beams. How much did one of those beams weigh aproximately?
Mike Hawkins

mics_54

white pine 10x10 is about 18.5 #/ft 20 footer would be about 375 pounds

Big Dave

Yes it was adequate. The only change I would make is to add an electric hoist instead of the hand winch. I actually had to replace the cheap hand winch that came with the crane but didn't want to upgrade to an electric.


Right on with the weight. I had a 24 footer though that weighed less than an 18 footer but the 18 footer was soaking wet.

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mics_54

Oh sorry Big Dave I got my people mixed up.

Joe Lyddon

Big Dave,

You really had to use your ingenuity on that project!

Like how did you measure each timber for the proper length? Get on the deck with a long PlumbBob, marking the string where the top of the deck hit, then measuring the string?

What was your biggest challenge?

Nice cabin!!

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jdixon

Big Dave, Nice work and good use of the brain power! You came up with some neat solutions to move those big suckers around.

Wow, if you had some left over think of the trebuchet we could
build!

John

Big Dave

We used some straight 2x4's to put against the deck and then set a level against them to find out where the notch needed to be and where the bottom of the post was going to set. For the height of each notch one guy was at the bottom and another at the top and we just used a tape measure to get the length.

Honestly, the biggest challenge was landing the job. It took some smooth talking and my reputation to convince the homeowner to invest that much money into his deck. There was another company that had started the project but then abandoned it and he wasn't happy with their workmanship.

Total cost was a little over $15,000.00 for material and labor and that didn't include any handrailing. He was having a wrought iron company do that.

This is also their second home used only on weekends and holidays.

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Do one thing at a time, do it well, then move on.
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Big Dave

I can get all you want and even bigger. The lumber yard I deal with carries the timbers up to 16x16. The 16x16 cost $29.00 a linear foot.

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Do one thing at a time, do it well, then move on.
www.bigdaveswoodworks.com