Construction of the Shell 



47 



The braced frame is the old-fashioned form of our ancestors. Being 

 usually made of spruce, its timber dimensions are less than were those of the 

 old oak frames, in which the 

 corner posts projected into the 

 room. 



The sill, the foundation 

 member of the frame, is usu- 

 ally of 6 x 8-inch stock, set 

 upon the underpinning 2 

 inches back from its outer 

 face. Commonly it is merely 

 laid there, but it is far better 

 that it be bedded in mortar 

 to shut out any draft which 

 may find access through slight 

 inequalities of the wall. In 

 some instances the sill is bolt- 

 ed to the foundation, the 

 bolts being built into the wall 

 and projecting above it 

 through the sill; nuts and 

 washers are then affixed from 

 the top. This will prevent 

 the superstructure from taking 

 French leave, without the 

 knowledge of the foundation. 



The sill shown in Figs. 2 

 and 3 is made up of a 4x8 

 and a 2 x 6 spiked together. 

 This is done for certain rea- 

 sons which will be explained 

 later. 



The common method of 

 joining the intersecting angles 

 of the sill is to "halve" them 

 together. A mortise is cut 

 through the two halves to 

 allow the tenon or tongue of 

 the post to enter. The halved 

 sill is then spiked together, 

 and the post, when in place, 

 secured by a wooden pin pass- 

 ing through the sill and tenon. 



The ordinary post is of 

 4x8 stock. We prefer the post made up of a 4 x 8 and 4x4 (see Fig. 3). 



4 x a and a. 2.x b joist 



ELEVAT/OM 



d loy-eMcer. 



Fig. 3. Braced framing 



This 



is as strong one way as the other and will stand cutting away for brace, girts 



