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Sizing and layout

	After the timbers have been dried in the kilns, Richard fires up our 1920 vintage Yates Model 14 Timber Sizer and we mill the timbers. Milling reduces the overall size of the timber to almost it's finished dimensions. Richard and the crew will later hand plane each timber bringing it into tolerance and giving it a final finish.
The Yates Model 14 can mill very large timbers. This one will become a plate resting at the top of a frame. Roof trusses will rest on the plate and support the roof line of the home. Plates carry a lot of weight and need to be large enough to handle the stresses. I think this one could support a battleship!
	Doug is "laying out" the joinery and the cuts required to fabricate individual pieces of the frame. By layout, we mean that he actually draws the exact dimensions of the cuts on the timbers themselves using the frame construction drawings as his guide. This is precision work and Doug must be very accurate. One of the crew will recheck his layout to ensure that it is done correctly. Quality control procedures are strictly followed at this point. We don't want to make a mistake and have to do the work over.
You can see that each cut and each joint is clearly defined. When the layout drawings are checked for accuracy, a black mark defining the cut is drawn on the timber. Black markings are only put on checked and verified layouts. Of course the black marks are planned off the finished timbers so you never see these in your home.
	Once the layout is verified, the peg holes are drilled using a builders triangle to ensure a perfect perpendicular hole. Drilling peg holes at this point in the timber fabrication ensures that the hole is uniformly round and at the proper angle. It would be very difficult to drill holes in joints that have already been cut. If Keith slips with the drill now, it could cost us several days work!