Once the bents are completed, the task of raising them to a vertical position begins.  Temporary pulley posts installed above the deck pass cables through pulleys to the first prostrate bent below.  

Rather than employ full mortise/tenon joints with pegs, the individual members of the truss were designed using half lap joints, held together with large lag screws.   Once assembled, the finished product has a similar look to traditional timber frames without the laborious task of that joinery.  Still, much labor is required with mallet and chisel to manufacture the half lap joints.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive Asian insect that is decimating the ash trees in North America.  In our timber, the ash are currently dying in great numbers.  Some of them are large and very old.  Rather than watch these trees die and fall to the earth to rot, I began harvesting the larger ones to be utilized in a garden project we call the Overlook.

In similar fashion to our other garden buildings, a deck (with bridge) is first erected using in-ground posts and a floor joist system.  A redwood skirt sides the vertical walls of this deck and now I have a flat surface available to commence the necessary joinery work on the bents.

A homemade cupola with parabolic copper roof and copper finial add an exclamation mark to the ridge. 

The Overlook

A chain, stretched between two trees to anchor the come-a-longs establishes a pull point to winch or tilt the bent upward. 

The difficult and dangerous part of the raising process was successfully over.

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Thereafter, using manual methods, girts, purlins, rails, balusters, and braces were installed to complete the frame. Every member of a timber frame truss has a specific name, the vernacular of this ancient architectural style.  At this stage of the building process, a cessation period is traditionally called for to appreciate the beauty of the completed frame.

The vision for this project was an extremely heavy-timbered, open-frame structure located directly below one of our elevated gardens, with an appropriate bridge to gain access.  Inside the open structure would be two nice rocking chairs designed for the visitors to rock and gaze at the plants before them; nothing more - nothing less.

From our ash trees, 8x10, 8x8, and 6x6 timbers were milled on my one-man sawmill.

Like all of our timber structures, the bent (floor-to-ridge truss) establishes the design of the building.

Plywood capped the oak surface for simulated slate shingles (used on all garden buildings and our home).  While Gayle is afraid of heights, she battled through the fear to help.

Once plumb is attained, the bent is temporarily secured in place, awaiting the raising of the second identical truss.

That second truss (lying on the ground) required a 4’ lift just to reach the deck surface.  In a somewhat harrowing experience, my neighbors were able to hoist the complete truss upward using the forks of their tractor.

Oak ceiling boards (also harvested from dead trees) were applied atop the purlins to establish the roof and aesthetic ceiling below. 

Exterior sconce lighting illuminates the entrance, with interior spotlights and a ceiling fan.  A black pipe railing system provides security on the bridge entrance, while other black iron features dress up the frame. 

The Overlook represents our fourth garden structure.