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Design Guide for Timber Trusses (TFEC DG 1)


In August 2020, the TFEC released the first edition of the design guide for timber roof trusses. The strong positive reaction to that document demonstrated the interest in and need for that publication. A group of well-known and knowledgeable contributors, including Ben Brungraber, David Connolly, Jeff Hershberger, David Hourdequin, Jan Lewandoski, Jaret Lynch, Duncan McElroy, Leonard Morse-Fortier, Grigg Mullen Jr., Tom Nehil, and Dick Schmidt, joined forces to produce the new edition of the Guide. 

In this new version of the Guide, you will find expanded treatment of historical development of trusses and common truss forms, and enhanced discussion of analysis considerations and joinery and connection design. There are several all-new chapters covering mechanical characteristics of wood, bridging and bracing considerations, fit-up and raising issues, and evaluation and repair of trusses. The TFEC anticipates that this second version will serve as a valuable resource to those who design, build, and rehabilitate timber trusses.

$35.00

Talen from Winona, MN
This is the book I've been looking for. I've helped cut one frame, and am interested in designing and building my own. I've read several timber framing books that are more of an overview and/ or process oriented. They do little in illuminating the hows and whys of design. I'm an overly analytic person who wants to overthink everything and thoroughly understand every aspect of a frame that I design.

This book offers a very thorough look at the advantages/ disadvantages of various trusses, and considerations for individual joint design. Ultimately it gives a deeper understanding of how to think about your frame and joinery, how loads are transferred through a frame, and how aging/ shrinkage will affect joints. It also gives advice on the logistics of raising a frame and consideration on what forces will be at play during the raising. It is more technical than most timber framing books, though it stops just short of the details of calculating forces for free body diagrams or finite element analysis.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking to gain a deeper understanding of timber trusses beyond your generic "how to build a garden shed" books.

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