The Great Construction Saga -- Part 5

The crane arrived. It took quite a while for the crane operator to install himself and his monster machine on the platform Zack had built for just this occasion. When the job was finally done, it looked like this:

Crane installed, looking slightly as though
it is launching itself into the air.

Once the crane operator was satisfied with his crane's position and stability, he extended the arm to its full length and prepared to lift the first bent--the one that would stand farthest from the crane. Among other things, this bent was also the heaviest, weighing in at some 2,700 lbs. The crane operator was most insistent that it not drop off the end of the foundation, since that would cause a mighty jerk. His crane is rated at 2,900 lbs, and said jerk could prove destablizing, at the very least. An outcome devoutly to be not wished.

The bent itself was made up of several posts, beams and braces, joined and held by wooden pegs, but the joints were not strong enough for the tensions and pressures raising the bent would entail, so the centre was braced with boards clamped over the most susceptible joints. It looked like this:

First bent, braced across its middle to prevent wobbles and snaps,

rises to its place on the foundation.

Eric puts temporary bracing around the base of one of the posts.

While the crane maintains tension, Eric and Matt work to brace

the first bent so it can stand free while the plates are put in place

and the second bent is raised.

When the first bent is securely braced, the reinforcing

boards and clamps are removed.

The first plate (connections between bents) is raised 

and given temporary support.

Eric watches the base of the centre post on the second bent

as the bent is rasied into position.

Attaching one of the plates between bents 2 and 3.

Raise high the roof beam, carpenters!

Uh oh. See where Tabs A, B and C are?

See where Slots X, Y and Z are?

Not precisely aligned, then, are they?

This will require some pushing, shoving and

general chivvying.

Pushing, shoving, and chivvying under way.

A well-behaved roof beam, with all tabs in assigned slots.

The crane was on site for two or three days, raising all the bits and pieces...joists and beams and rafters and what not. At a certain point, the whole mess began to look like a house:

Proto-roof going up.

My goodness! This could be a house one day!

When the last of the timber had been placed in the frame, an ancient timber framers tradition was performed. A sapling of the tree that provided the bulk of the wood -- in our case, pine -- was affixed at the peak. Then it was most definitely beer o'clock.

Frame complete, with a pine sapling as testament.