Visited a timber frame barn in Lancaster County and noticed something about the joinery

Last weekend I stopped at an old barn restoration out near Intercourse, PA. The frame was from the 1840s and every joint was still tight as can be. What caught my eye was how they used simple wooden pegs instead of any metal fasteners. No glue, no screws, just white oak pegs driven through mortise and tenon joints. The barn has been through over 150 winters and still stands square. Has anyone else studied old timber frames and picked up techniques that work for modern builds?

3 comments

3 Comments

rosek4414d ago

Wait so you're saying those pegs were literally just holding the whole thing together? No brackets, no nails hidden anywhere in the joints? I've seen some old barns around here in Ohio where they used the pegs but always found at least a few iron nails in the roof framing or in the siding. What about the sill plates though, are those just sitting on the foundation stones with nothing holding them down?

wesley_thompson14d ago

Holy crap, no metal at all? That's insane. I mean I knew they used pegs but I thought there was at least some iron straps or something holding it together. 150 years and still tight with just wood is wild.

phoenix_singh14d ago

Maybe it's just me but I'd check for any iron nails or hidden hardware around that joint, old builders sometimes snuck them in. @wesley_thompson, you'd be surprised how long green wood joints can hold if they're cut right and kept dry. I've got a barn door from 1872 that's still tight with just pegs and wedges.