Cutting arch joinery

The final load of dried timbers is out of the kiln and the final planing run has been done. The first laminated arch has been hand planed and the tenon joinery cut. The next three laminated arches have been built and are waiting for the joinery to be cut. Hand planing has begun and we are waiting on final word about the finish the timbers are to receive. Most of the purlins and smaller arch pieces have been completed and are receiving a final hand planing. All of the rafters are complete and stored awaiting final finishing.

	The last load of chapel timbers emerges from the dry kiln.
Tim and John Box check the moisture content of the timbers. This load has an average moisture content well below specifications and is ready for the timber sizer. Tim and Keith will sort the load and get them ready for planing.
	The new load of dried chapel timbers is being planed. You can see Kevin and Keith rolling out the first timber from the Yates timber sizer. Everything is working as it should as we work through this final load of timbers.
Chips are flying as we move through the timber load. These are the last two timbers to be planed. Once done, the timbers will be moved into the layout barn where Tim will finish laying out all of the chapel joinery.
	The crew is seen here finishing laminated arch #3. The first two arches are already in the big barn being finished.
The bright warm sunlight takes the edge off the early morning chill in Braceland as the smell of hot coffee drifts through the air. Jim and Arvel get ready for another day of chapel arch sections.
	Here Arvel can be seen making the inside radius cut on yet another chapel arch section.
Jim is finishing up one of the tenons with his hand tools making sure the tenon and flat surfaces are at an exact 90° angle.
	The number of completed arches ready for final finishing continues to grow. There is another stack just off camera that I couldn't get in the picture.
Keith begins work on the first laminated arch out of the timber shop. He uses a 12" powered hand planer to smooth and square the sides of the arch before laying out the joinery. At this point, the laminated arch is treated in the same manner as any solid timber. You can see the laminations at the end of the timber arch. This section will be cut away as we begin cutting the joinery.
	The second laminated arch moves into the big barn as Keith finishes checking Tim's joinery layout on the first arch. The material stacked at the foot of the second arch is the laminations for arch #4. Arch #3 has already been built inside the timber shop.
Tenons have been cut in both ends of the first laminated arch and the result is impressive. You can see that the arch has been planed smooth and the tenon finely crafted. This arch is ready for final finishing.
	The second laminated arch is shown in the background as it receives the same treatment as the first arch, which is shown in the foreground.
Richard begins final planing. Final planing is where we produce the finished surface of the timber. Final planing and "oiling" are the last steps done on each timber. You can see by the amount of shavings on the barn floor that there have been a lot of timbers through his hands. In fact, many of the finished post for the chapel can be seen in the background.
	Here Richard is making a pass on yet another chapel timber. The shavings flying in the air from his power planer made an interesting picture. This is also a better shot of the finished timbers in the background.
As the day warmed up, Richard moved to the chapel purlins which run between the rafters. By the end of the day, all of the purlins had been planed and are ready for the finish oiling. You can see in this picture the beauty of the wood grain in these timbers. Once they are oiled, the grain will be more prominent and the wood will take on a deep lustrous color.
	The completed chapel rafter timbers seen here are Richard's next finishing project. It will take several of the crew to handle these large timbers and move them into position. More timbers are coming out of the shop on a daily basis and we are well into the production of laminated arch #4. This puts us halfway through the laminated arches which is well on schedule.