Thoreau’s house at Walden — materials
A rough list to take to a sawmill. The frame is cut green — full-sawn timbers straight from the log — and pinned with dry oak pegs: as the timbers dry they shrink onto the pegs, and the drawbored joints pull tighter. The mill cuts every stick to its section and length; the framer cuts the joints.
Each length is the piece’s cut length plus 10 in for tenons and trimming, rounded up to the foot. A piece longer than 24 ft is ordered in two or more lengths joined by a scarf (A2-16), except a post or a rafter is not scarfed. Board feet are full-sawn: width × depth × feet ÷ 12. Sizes follow the model, which is proportioned from measured drawings, not engineered — a frame that will carry a load is sized by an engineer first.
| Section (in) | Length (ft) | Pieces | Board feet | For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 6 | 16 | 4 | 192 | sill, front wall · sill, rear wall · wall plate |
| 6 × 6 | 10 | 8 | 240 | sill, gable end · wall post, front and rear walls (corner and bent) · gable top girt at the plate line, door end · gable top girt at the plate line, chimney end |
| 4 × 6 | 11 | 12 | 264 | first-floor joist, sill to sill · first-floor chimney trimmer · garret floor joist, beside a rafter |
| 4 × 6 | 5 | 4 | 40 | garret tail joist at a chimney · garret chimney header |
| 4 × 6 | 4 | 2 | 16 | first-floor tail joist at a chimney |
| 4 × 6 | 3 | 2 | 12 | first-floor chimney header |
| 3 × 5 | 10 | 14 | 175 | common rafter (45.0°, 12/12) |
| 3 × 5 | 8 | 2 | 20 | common rafter, headed off at a roof opening |
| 3 × 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 | roof header at a chimney |
| 3 × 4 | 10 | 22 | 220 | wall stud, front and rear · opening jamb stud, full story · gable stud |
| 3 × 4 | 5 | 4 | 20 | gable stud above the plate line, top cut to 12/12 |
| 3 × 4 | 4 | 7 | 28 | opening header · window rough sill · cripple stud, under a rough sill or over a header |
| 3 × 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 | gable stud above the plate line, top cut to 12/12 |
| 3 × 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | cripple stud, under a rough sill or over a header |
1,256 board feet of green timber in 89 pieces.
Pegs: 27 of dry oak, 1 in by 8 in, estimated joint by joint — order a tenth over. Keys: 6 dry oak keys for the tusk tenons.
Boards: floors about 253 sq ft at 1 in thick (≈253 board feet); roof boards about 233 sq ft at 1 in (≈233 board feet). Add for waste.
Not in this list: stone, brick and mortar; siding, trim, windows and doors; roofing; nails. Nothing here is priced.
Cut list, piece by piece
| Piece | Qty | Section (in) | Cut length (in) | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sill, front wall | 1 | 6 × 6 | 180 | A6-17 corner · A6-17 corner |
| Sill, rear wall | 1 | 6 × 6 | 180 | A6-17 corner · A6-17 corner |
| Sill, gable end | 2 | 6 × 6 | 108 | A6-17 corner · A6-17 corner |
| First-floor joist, sill to sill | 5 | 4 × 6 | 112 | A4-14 cogged over the inner half of the sill · A4-14 cogged over the inner half of the sill |
| First-floor chimney trimmer | 1 | 4 × 6 | 112 | A4-14 on the sill · A4-14 cogged over the inner half of the sill |
| First-floor chimney header | 2 | 4 × 6 | 24 | A2-08 tusk tenon into the trimmer · same |
| First-floor tail joist at a chimney | 2 | 4 × 6 | 34 | A4-14 on the sill or the spine · A3-16 dovetail into the header |
| Wall post, front and rear walls (corner and bent) | 4 | 6 × 6 | 98 | A6-22 foot on the sill · A6-02 head tenon into the plate; A6-05 girts housed and pegged |
| Wall stud, front and rear | 10 | 3 × 4 | 98 | A2-07 stub tenon into the sill · A2-07 stub tenon into the plate or top girt |
| Opening jamb stud, full story | 6 | 3 × 4 | 98 | A2-07 stub tenon · A2-07 stub tenon |
| Opening header | 3 | 3 × 4 | 31 – 37 | A2-07 into the jamb · same |
| Window rough sill | 2 | 3 × 4 | 37 | A2-07 into the jamb · same |
| Cripple stud, under a rough sill or over a header | 4 | 3 × 4 | 8 1/2 – 33 1/2 | A2-07 stub tenon · butts the rough sill or header |
| Gable top girt at the plate line, door end | 1 | 6 × 6 | 108 | A6-05 into the corner post · A6-05 into the corner post |
| Gable stud | 6 | 3 × 4 | 98 | A2-07 stub tenon into the sill · A2-07 stub tenon into the plate or top girt |
| Gable stud above the plate line, top cut to 12/12 | 8 | 3 × 4 | 23 1/2 – 47 1/2 | A2-07 stub tenon into the top girt · birdsmouthed under the end rafter |
| Gable top girt at the plate line, chimney end | 1 | 6 × 6 | 108 | A6-05 into the corner post · A6-05 into the corner post |
| Wall plate | 2 | 6 × 6 | 180 | A6-02 on the post heads · same |
| Common rafter (45.0°, 12/12) | 14 | 3 × 5 | 98 3/8 | A6-20 seat on the plate, 6 in tail · A6-44 foot lapped to the joist beside it, pegged · A6-19 at the ridge |
| Common rafter, headed off at a roof opening | 2 | 3 × 5 | 81 3/8 | A6-20 seat on the plate, 6 in tail · A6-44 foot lapped to the joist beside it, pegged · A3-16 into the roof header |
| Roof header at a chimney | 2 | 3 × 5 | 47 5/8 | A2-08 tusk tenon into the trimmer rafter · same |
| Garret floor joist, beside a rafter | 6 | 4 × 6 | 120 | on the wall plate · A6-44 the rafter's foot lapped into its side, pegged · on the far plate |
| Garret tail joist at a chimney | 2 | 4 × 6 | 48 | on the plate · A3-16 into the header |
| Garret chimney header | 2 | 4 × 6 | 42 5/8 | A2-08 tusk tenon into the joist · same |