Appreciation post: Found out how much a real timber frame barn weighs

I was watching a show about old barns on the history channel last night, and they said a full size timber frame barn from the 1800s can weigh over 40 tons. That's like 80,000 pounds, just sitting on a stone foundation. It blew my mind thinking about the joinery holding all that up for a century or more. Makes you respect the guys who built them with just hand tools and math in their heads. Anyone ever worked on restoring one of those old giants?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_joseph10d ago

Seriously, that joinery is insane.

simon_coleman10d agoMost Upvoted

Look at the tiny dovetails on the drawer fronts. How did they even cut those by hand? The fit is perfect, no gaps at all. That kind of work takes years to get right. It's just mind blowing skill.

the_wesley6d ago

Just hand tools and math in their heads" is putting it lightly. Those guys were basically doing structural engineering while chewing tobacco and hoping the oak didn't split. Now we need a computer and three consultants to hang a shelf. It's kind of embarrassing.