Cob & Timber Frame

Tue Feb 2 17:05:46 CST 1999

Greetings to all,

As a new comer to Cob techniques I'm going to respond here with caution as
I'm not familiar with such items as moisture content the finished product.

Regarding timer frame structures three primary factors come to mind
regarding longevity in regards to moisture exposure.

The primary factor would be the type of wood. Some woods, like locust, are
almost legendary in their resistance to rot or as my West Virginian
grandfather once said "It'll last just a bit longer than stone." Another
good rot resistant wood is white oak.

The second factor is whether the wood is heartwood or has a large portion of
sapwood. Evidence indicates that the old timber cut from the virgin forests,
being all old growth heartwood, had much greater longevity. Sapwood, in
general, doesn't stand up to moisture and thus rot.

The third factor is relative moisture content. If the materials contacting
the wood are around 20% or less in moisture content there shouldn't be a
problem. Most species of wood can stand up to a continuous exposure to
moisture up to a point.

In closing, what types of wood you will encounter in an old TF structure
isn't a certainty. While more experienced builders and house-wrights would
choose the timbers more carefully it must be remembered that a large number
of TF structures were owner built. Just as today, the levels of knowledge
and experience varied widely. However, if the structure lasted 150-200 years
it's likely that it was built by a knowlegeable builder and with well chosen
woods.

Best Regards,

Michael Shafer
Schäffer Wood Works
Timber Framing & Fine Wood Working
Pittsburgh, PA
mbshafer at telerama.lm.com
    -----Original Message-----
    From: p.mcmillin at pecorp.com <p.mcmillin at pecorp.com>
    To: coblist at deatech.com <coblist at deatech.com>
    Date: Tuesday, February 02, 1999 5:22 PM
    Subject: Cob & Timber Frame

    My wife and I are kicking around the idea of reusing timbers from old
barns
    to erect a timber frame.  We then plan to use cob walls instead of the
    standard structural insulated panels(SIPs).  Has anyone tried this
    technique?  What about termites and post rot?

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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Greetings to all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As a new comer to Cob techniques I'm going to 
respond here with caution as I'm not familiar with such items as moisture 
content the finished product.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regarding timer frame structures three primary 
factors come to mind regarding longevity in regards to moisture 
exposure.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>The primary factor would be the type 
of wood. Some woods, like locust, are almost legendary in their resistance to 
rot or as my West Virginian grandfather once said "It'll last just a bit 
longer than stone." Another good rot resistant wood is white 
oak.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The second factor is whether the wood is heartwood 
or has a large portion of sapwood. Evidence indicates that the old timber cut 
from the virgin forests, being all old growth heartwood, had much greater 
longevity. Sapwood, in general, doesn't stand up to moisture and thus 
rot.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The third factor is relative moisture content. If 
the materials contacting the wood are around 20% or less in moisture content 
there shouldn't be a problem. Most species of wood can stand up to a continuous 
exposure to moisture up to a point.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In closing, what types of wood you will encounter 
in an old TF structure isn't a certainty. While more experienced builders and 
house-wrights would choose the timbers more carefully it must be remembered that 
a large number of TF structures were owner built. Just as today, the levels of 
knowledge and experience varied widely. However, if the structure lasted 150-200 
years it's likely that it was built by a knowlegeable builder and with well 
chosen woods.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Best Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Michael 
Shafer                           
<BR>Schäffer Wood Works<BR>Timber Framing & Fine Wood 
Working<BR>Pittsburgh, 
PA                             
<BR><A 
href="mailto:mbshafer at telerama.lm.com">mbshafer at telerama.lm.com</A>        
</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE 
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">
    <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>-----Original Message-----</B><BR><B>From: 
    </B><A href="mailto:p.mcmillin at pecorp.com">p.mcmillin at pecorp.com</A> <<A 
    href="mailto:p.mcmillin at pecorp.com">p.mcmillin at pecorp.com</A>><BR><B>To: 
    </B><A href="mailto:coblist at deatech.com">coblist at deatech.com</A> <<A 
    href="mailto:coblist at deatech.com">coblist at deatech.com</A>><BR><B>Date: 
    </B>Tuesday, February 02, 1999 5:22 PM<BR><B>Subject: </B>Cob & Timber 
    Frame<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>My wife and I are kicking around the idea of 
    reusing timbers from old barns<BR>to erect a timber frame.  We then 
    plan to use cob walls instead of the<BR>standard structural insulated 
    panels(SIPs).  Has anyone tried this<BR>technique?  What about 
    termites and post rot?<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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