Nick Jackson of Riverton uses a "persuader" to assemble the final principal rafter in a queen post truss at a barn raising last Sunday afternoon. Nearly 30 volunteers showed up to help Erich Zeichner put up the barn on his Hallstrom road property. Photo by Bill Croney .The Northfield News Nearly 30 volunteers came together at the farm of Erich and Gabriella Zeichner on Hallstrom road last Sunday afternoon for an old fashioned barn raising.

The 20x28 foot structure is a “simple” queen post truss building that is being built using techniques that go back hundreds of years. Unlike standard post & beam construction, which may feature some metal plates, this small barn is held together by the mortise & tenon joinery and fastened with wooden pegs.

There was a festive air at 1934 Hallstrom Road last Sunday afternoon.

You could smell the grill starting up and, a local musical group, the “Tanglers” provided “old time’ music as volunteers muscled the heavy members of the structure into place. A beehive of activity would be an apt description.

The side walls had already been erected when the crowd arrived on Sunday so it was time to start putting up the 8X8 members that make up the three queen post trusses that will support the roof.

Each queen post truss is made up of six members: 2 principal rafters, 2

queen posts, the beam that spans the width of the building (in this case a 20 foot 8X8) and the collar tie. When all the parts are assembled you have a complete queen post truss. It's not quite as simple as it sounds. All the joints have to align perfectly and you have to deal with the weight of a large wooden beam when you are high in the air, Mr. gravity is not your friend.

“We are going to do it the old fashioned way,” said Erich Zeichner.

“We’re not going to use a crane. We’re going to lift them into place.”

And lift they did. One large group of volunteers hoisted the heavy timbers up to the five volunteers on the staging about 10 feet above them. Both groups were made up of both men and women and both groups had to really work at moving the timbers in place. The joinery in this structure was amazing and even more remarkable was just how all the hand cut mortise and tenon joints went together rather nicely. Rather nicely because the final little bit of fitting was helped into place with a 20 pound Maul known as “the Persuader”. Any recalcitrant joints would meet up with “the Commander”, a 40 pound big brother to “the Persuader.

Everybody at the site was enthusiastic right from the start but when the last principal rafter and the collar tie were “persuaded” together there was a sense of awe and joy throughout the crowd. “Only two more trusses to go,” said a bystander. Some came to look, some came to cook, some came to add music and some came to work but they all came together to help raise the barn. And raise it they did; one piece at a time.

The project was headed up by Will Eberle of Timber and Iron Artisan Builders. The 28 year old carpenter also works with the Community Connections Program in Montpelier, an alternative education program that allows students to earn their diplomas with Vocational training and community service. Many of Sunday’s Volunteers were from the program, which is aligned with the Vermont Department of Labor Training Program.

Philosophy as well as construction was important in the building of the barn.

“The wood is all pine, spruce and hemlock from Hubbard park in Montpelier. We didn’t do any logging, it is all from “blow downs” in the park. The students from the program hand cut all the joinery in the structure,” said Will Eberle. “This way the money for the lumber goes back to the park,” said Erich Eeichner.

The barn has been planned for a while but Erich Zeichner wanted all the right things to come together for the project. “We actually developed the project for a year but we couldn’t get all the facets together until now. We just couldn’t pull it together last year,” Erich explained.

The barn features some architectural “Candy” that isn’t necessary but “gives us something to look at and talk about,” said Erich. “Will had poetic license with the project. He wanted to try a project that he had never done before,” he added.

When complete the twenty by twenty eight foot, single story barn wit h a loft will be used for Erich’s woodworking shop and for storage. “It’s ambitious but I’m hope to have it completely closed in by the time snow flies,” Erich said.