The American Frames.
The form that a 'timber-frame' takes in Canada and the States differs in
many ways from that found in Europe. Typical features of the frames produced
by many companies operating today include, accurately dimensioned softwood
timbers (often hammerbeam
trusses are seen) adorning 'The Great Room". In essence the buildings are
conceived and built in terms of identical cross-sections called 'bents'.
These bents, often two or more storeys high, were traditionally 'raised' with
vast teams of people from the immediate community, using ropes and also
poles as props .
Nowadays it's more usual to use cranes.The bents are held vertically until
the horizontal members can be manouvered into place. They are then connected
by 'multiple purlins' within the roof and elsewhere
by numerous horizontals called 'girts' .The American
tradition makes use of short timbers 'Knee-braces'
to triangulate and hence stiffen, the Frame. Other significant features in
the general appearance is the 'purlin-roof structure' and the prevalence of
strong horizontals resulting from the simplification of the assembly system.
The American settlers for some time faithfully reproduced the forms of the European Timber-Framed buildings with which they were familiar. Eventually though, the plentiful timber supplies, amongst other environmental factors, saw the Americans develop new forms of Timber Frames.