How to layout a timber frame knee brace correctly.
First things first, you have to get a solid understanding of a proper timber frame brace layout. The knee brace is the fundamental element of a timber frame structure. Although it looks simple at first glance there are many ways to get off track when laying out your knee brace before cutting. Inconsistent rough sawn material can increase the challenge. Geometric complexities coupled with mortise and tenon joinery can prove daunting to the novice.
Here we explain how to overcome all of those hurdles with solid carpentry principles and good guidance. Please download our drawing and instructions on how to accomplish this basic timber frame task correctly. The download goes into how to begin with rough sawn or surfaced timbers all the way through correctly laying out the knee brace joinery and making sure it is correct in irregular rough sawn material.