Other than a few joists in the corners and a couple of small beams by the stairway, this is the completed main floor timber frame. There are 7×14′s that were rescued from a dilapidated pig barn, 2 1/2 x 12′s from Colorado, Douglas Fir logs from here in the Flathead valley, and a couple of tiny beams from a barn in Illinois.
The reciprocating floor will be supported by a complex steel piece that will not only support the floor but also allow two posts to stack on top of each other, from the lower level all the way to the ridge.
We will be exposing the main timbers between the floor planking so that the design of the floor will always show through; if you look closely, you can see the rabbets cut into the main timbers to allow the floor planking to sit down flush to the top of the timbers. Where the planking changes direction (the smaller sections around the perimeter), we will probably use a strip of Walnut as an access piece that will allow the floor plankings to have somewhere good to terminate as well as showing in what direction the beam below is going. We also kicked around the idea of using steel caps to allow for an electrical chase, and that may still happen.
Chuck, congratulations on the Hollander project. The reciprocating concept is fascinating. I’ve seen it in Cobb roofs and am interested in trying my hand at it in the future. And on a completely random side note, I’m digging the OTB logo… reminds me of a Kinder Egg.
Thanks Lindy, great to hear from you. I have never heard of a Cobb roof, thanks for bringing them to my attention. In all honesty, the floor looks like a reciprocating structure, but we will be using steel to solve the structural engineering. KInder egg, haha, I haven’t thought about those in ages; you’re right, though, it does look like that.