# Cool old school beam splice



## billy d (Mar 12, 2008)

Complements GnB CO.thats some neat cutting man.Mike the technical name you use may very well be right but I only know that joint as a keyed scarf with nibs.Bass's lightning scarf is known to me as a saw toothed scarf and the last one as a Hooked stopped scarf with key.I'm not saying these are the correct names just differences in terminology.
I think we all do our impersonation of Stevie Wonder when out and about, heres a couple of pics I took in the village hotel where I live.See if you can see somthig odd


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Dad used what he called a "ship lap" which is closest to billy d's pic in the Z configuration although about 1/3 longer. It was held with 4 Oak split-end dowels vertically, the dowels were locked with wedges and trimmed.

There were ratios to everything which I have since forgotten. Our Euro roots start in Switzerland, pass through Germany, Holland, England and Scotland on the way here. Most of these countries were also influenced by the Norse. I have no idea of where his name for this or technique originated.


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## billy d (Mar 12, 2008)

Well I wrestled long and hard whether I should answer Teetor but I think you deserve a answer so forgive me when it is a bit long winded.
What your dad called a ship lap was used in ship and boat construction for as long as history.In modern boats where the keel makes the transition from keel to stem.
In wooden ships mainly in the keel because of it's excellent quality in joining one long timber to another in tension but absolutely useless in load bearing,to over come this a 2nd keel was fitted on top of the first(a kelson).
the joints in the keel and kelson where of set like the joints in brick work
and fastened together with drift bolts.
Where the strakes (hull planks) joined the keel a hole was drilled diagonally through the scarf joint and a dowel (tree nail ) was driven through the joint
so when the water reached the tree nail (Trunel)it would swell and seel the joint and not allow any water in to the hull.BTW today this is called a stop water.
So your dad didn't do it much different from the old ships Carpenters.
Also I have it in my memory that the ratio for a nibbed scarf is 3 to 5.
that means that a beam of 6" would have a min size of 18" and a max of 2'6" then again I could be wrong.
The Norse certainly did use the scarf joint in their long ships but the joint is older than the Vikings.
Here is a link to a scarf joint 1300 years oldhttp://books.google.com/books?id=DDh5yOgfnuoC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=square+norma&source=web&ots=RQvgMy7Tac&sig=GXVMdYi3djQgMxasUPwvF1WTd1Q#PPA63,M1 
It starts on page 66 and shows a sketch on page 68.
the writer in the link talks about the most complicated scarf "Bollicks".
I've never seen it but a guy drew a sketch for me on what he called A French scarf,it went like this "a hooked scarf with 2 nibs and a key, on one flat of the hook it had a tenon and on the other flat it had a mortise and of course the opposite on the other timber.
The mortise and tenon where sliding fits and only tight on the cheeks.
The nib was not cut at 90 degrees,but on a chevron shape with a stub nose tenon in one side and a mortise in the other.
That whole lot would have sparks coming out of my head trying to mark it out and cut it, but I can picture it in my mind. billyhttp://books.google.com/books?id=DDh5yOgfnuoC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=square+norma&source=web&ots=RQvgMy7Tac&sig=GXVMdYi3djQgMxasUPwvF1WTd1Q#PPA63,M1
Sorry the link did'nt work can some one fix that please.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

http://books.google.com/books?id=DD...Tac&sig=GXVMdYi3djQgMxa sUPwvF1WTd1Q#PPA63,M1
:thumbsup:
Thanks Billy

Unfortunately pages 67 and 68 
are not included.


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## billy d (Mar 12, 2008)

Thanks for fixing the link Neo:thumbsup: strange thing is when I clicked on the link on your page I can see 66,67 and 68 strange thing the inter net.
BTW I'm a bit surprised no one made a comment on the pic's of the scarf I posted, two things hit me the first time I saw it.
The beam with the scarf is being asked to support all that timber above it,
sorry no way,a scarf joint is not a load bearing joint it needs a post underneath it.
The butterfly key looks very pretty but if it's cut right through the joint like it should be then it has cut the nib of the top slice.
There fore defeating the very reason why it's there,so this whole joint Says to me feature.Unlike Gus's original pic where OK the joint is under stress but it is still doing the job that the Carpenter intended it to do over a 100 years ago hats of to the old timers.:thumbup:


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

billy d said:


> Thanks for fixing the link Neo:thumbsup: strange thing is when I clicked on the link on your page I can see 66,67 and 68 strange thing the inter net.
> BTW I'm a bit surprised no one made a comment on the pic's of the scarf I posted, two things hit me the first time I saw it.
> The beam with the scarf is being asked to support all that timber above it,
> sorry no way,a scarf joint is not a load bearing joint it needs a post underneath it.
> ...


66 is there, but it says
"pages 67 and 68 not included
in this preview."
I thought they had run a cable
through the beam or something.
It's pretty, but I can't see how 
it works either.

Do you know the species of
the timber?


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## billy d (Mar 12, 2008)

Neo the timber is reclaimed oak


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## stp57 (Dec 12, 2007)

Great history Billy D. I wondered about that photo too, but I just assumed that the butterfly key was only superficial, maybe a inch or two deep? That is the longest lap joint that I have ever seen. How long would you say that it is?
Steve


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## billy d (Mar 12, 2008)

stp 57 you hit the nail right on the head when I saw the butterfly key I looked at the other side of the beam and could not see it coming through.
So I think you have it right it's just there to make it look pretty.
The length of the scarf? With out going up to the hotel with a tape I'll work it out like this,the beam with the scarf is a reclaimed beam I've worked with these before they have a size of 6"x8".
The beam siting on the top looks about 6"wide I think four of these would fit across the scarf nib to nib that would make it 24" long,cross check, if the drop in the main beam is 8"the rule of thumb (3 to5) says the min length of the scarf should be 24".
So it looks like 24" is the answer.BTW in one post I said the scarf in the book is 1300 years old wrong, it's 1700 years old and I can still see it.
I also said the hole for the tree nail is drilled diagonally I must have had a brain fart there,the hole is drilled square and level to the keel through the joint. billy


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

Weird place 
cyber space.....


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## tyler durden (Jan 12, 2008)

I like the lock key


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