Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series, 12)

Price: $29.99 - $16.53
(as of Oct 10, 2026 23:20:29 UTC – Details)

All those of us without traditional skills need to know to build with timber framing

Many natural building methods rely upon the use of post and beam frame structures that are then in-filled with straw, cob, cordwood, or more conventional wall materials. But traditional timber framing employs the use of finely crafted jointing and wooden pegs, requiring a high degree of craftsmanship and training, as well as much time and expense. However, there is another way…

Timber Framing for the Rest of Us describes the timber framing methods used by most contractors, farmers, and owner-builders, methods that use modern metal fasteners, special screws, and common sense building principles to accomplish the same goal in much less time. And while there are many good books on traditional timber framing, this is the first to describe in depth these more common fastening methods. The book includes everything an owner-builder needs to know about building strong and beautiful structural frames from heavy timbers, including:

the historical background of timber framingcrucial design and structural considerationsprocuring timbers-including different woods, and recycled materialsfoundations, roofs, and in-filling consdierationsthe common fasteners.

A detailed case study of a timber frame project from start to finish completes this practical and comprehensive guide, along with a useful appendix of span tables and a bibliography.

Highly illustrated, this book enables ‘the rest of us’ to build like the professionals and will appeal to owner-builders, contractors and architects alike.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Society Publishers
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2004
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865715084
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865715080
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.5 x 9 inches
Part of series ‏ : ‎ Mother Earth News Books for Wiser Living
Best Sellers Rank: #352,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #65 in Architectural Materials #106 in Sustainability & Green Design #536 in Home Design & Construction (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (147) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers find the book easy to comprehend and appreciate its practical approach to timber frame construction. However, the informativeness receives mixed feedback, with some finding it very informative while one notes it lacks traditional joinery information. The recommendation aspect is also mixed, with some customers highly recommending it.