It takes a Village to raise a truss...

And that is just what we did in the Village of South Wayne, Wisconsin Saturday morning. Putting everything I learned from reading Milton's book and firsthand experience with fellow Timber Frame Guild member Grigg Mullen from VMI we had a successful quiet lift!  Many thanks to the fine helpers and their patience as we jacked, cranked, blocked and leveled the first truss for 2 hours of serious fun!

At the pit meeting I went over safety, the details of the different stations and what would be required at each of them. We began the process.

Handyman jacks were used on the ends to assist the winches with the early phases of the raising.

With the heaviest lifting now done the winches took over.  Keeping a close eye on the camber in the bottom chord these guys compensated for the arch of the camber to support and keep the bottom chord straight as it was rotated. 

And walla! Truss #1 plumbed and braced. Now all we have to do is reset the cribbing on the other side, re-assemble the 2nd truss, rig it and repeat the process again next Saturday. Simple as that. Should make for an interesting week. If you are in the area stop in and visit or give me and Alex a hand.

Puzzler - During the first day of the school year how will Alex answer the age old question, "What did you do over the summer?"
Tech Vocab - Plumb, Brace, Camber arch support