A post is a main vertical or leaning support in a structure similar to a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

or pillar but the term post generally refers to a timber but may be metal or stone. A stud in wooden or metal building construction is similar but lighter duty than a post and a

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

may be similar to a stud or act as a brace. In the U.K. a strut may be very similar to a post but not carry a beam. In wood construction posts normally land on a sill, but in rare types of buildings the post may continue through to the foundation called an interrupted sill or into the ground called earthfast,

post in ground A post in ground construction, also called earthfast or hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated postholes, driven ...

, or

posthole In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most p ...

construction. A post is also a fundamental element in a

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

. The terms "jack" and "cripple" are used with shortened studs and rafters but not posts, except in the specialized vocabulary of

shoring Shoring is the process of temporarily supporting a building, vessel, structure, or trench with shores (props) when in danger of collapse or during repairs or alterations. ''Shoring'' comes from ''shore'', a timber or metal prop. Shoring may be verti ...

Timber framing

Timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

is a general term for building with wooden posts and beams. The term post is the namesake of other general names for timber framing such as post-and-beam, post-and-girt construction and more specific types of timber framing such as

Post and lintel In architecture, post and lintel (also called prop and lintel or a trabeated system) is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up ...

, post-frame,

, and ridge-post construction. In roof construction such as

king post A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above fro ...

queen post A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression me ...

crown post A crown post is a term in traditional timber framing for a post in roof framing which stands on a '' tie beam'' or ''collar beam'' and supports a ''collar plate''.Alcock, N. W.. Recording timber-framed buildings: an illustrated glossary. London ...

framing. A round post is often called a pole or mast depending on its diameter thus

pole building framing Pole framing or post-frame construction (pole building framing, pole building, pole barn) is a simplified building technique that is an alternative to the labor-intensive traditional timber framing technique. It uses large poles or posts bu ...

, or a mast church.

Post and strut names in traditional timber framing

*Wall – A general term for a post in a wall. *Principal – A primary support. Principal is a general term meaning a "major" member often distinguished from "common" or "minor" members. *Angle – A historical name for a corner post. *Intermediate – A post in an exterior wall not at a corner. *Chimney – An intermediate post receiving its name from being near a chimney. *Interior – A general term for posts not in an exterior wall. *Arcade – A post located between an

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

and

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. *Aisle – same as arcade post. *Corner – Any post at the corner of a building. *Story – A post only one story tall as in "storeyed construction" also known as

platform framing Framing, in construction, is the fitting together of pieces to give a structure support and shape. Framing materials are usually wood, engineered wood, or structural steel. The alternative to framed construction is generally called ''mass wall ...

. *Prick – 1) Same as story post, a one-story post for extra support at a particular location; 2) In a roof truss a side post. *Ridge – A post extending from the ground or foundation to the ridge beam. *Samson – similar to a prick post or puncheon. *Puncheon: 1) A short, stout post may be identical to a prick post; 2) Puncheon may also mean a split log or heavy slab of timber with the face smoothed, used for flooring or construction. *Dragon – (rare) A corner post supporting a

dragon beam Dragon beam is a horizontal, diagonal beam in the corner(s) of some traditional timber framed buildings. The term is commonly used in both hip roof framing and jettying. Older publications may use the synonyms dragging beam, dragging piece, dragg ...

jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...

framing. *Gunstock, jowled, flared, teasel (rare) – A flared post, larger at the top than the bottom, most commonly found in the side walls but could be any location. Rarely a post may have an "integral bracket" which is a mid-post flair to carry a lower timber. The portion of a flared post extending upward at the top is called the upstand and one of the top tenons is called a teazle (teasel) tenon. *Jetty – A post supporting a

*Door –: A post framing a doorway. *Blade – A specific name for the post-like timber in

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

framing. *Cruck stud – The upright stud or post forming a wall, mounted on a cruck blade and held by a cruck spur. * Pile, piling – A post driven or set into the ground such as in earthfast,

, or "

construction". *Stave – 1) Small, narrow pieces of wood used in a variety of ways; 2) Upright planks carrying a wall.; 3) Posts carrying a wall.

Post and strut names in roof framing

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

– 1) (U.S.) A single, central post in a roof truss in

tension Tension may refer to: Science * Psychological stress * Tension (physics), a force related to the stretching of an object (the opposite of compression) * Tension (geology), a stress which stretches rocks in two opposite directions * Voltage or el ...

between the rafters ( top chords) and a tie beam (bottom chord), or 2) (U.S.) A short of the tie beam only supporting the rafters via struts. 3) (U.K.) A king post specifically carries a ridge beam otherwise is called a king strut. "King post" was formerly used to describe a crown post in the U. K., but no longer. *King pendant: A central, upright timber in a truss projecting below the lowest beam, "normally used with scissor beams". *

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

– 1) A pair of vertical posts in a roof system that are part of a

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

, with a straining beam between and in tension holding up a tie beam or; 2) Two posts in a roof system not acting as a truss in the engineering sense and here in compression. Also called a queen strut. *Queen strut: 1)(U.K.) A queen post which does not carry a plate.; 2)(U.S.) A queen post not part of a truss in the engineering sense and in compression (a more modern definition than 2)in Queen Post above). *Lateral Queen – a pair of braced posts between a tie beam and collar beam. *Prince – A strut associated with a

truss. *princess – A strut associated with a queen strut but shorter. *Crown – A post on a tie beam or collar beam carrying a crown plate. *Crown strut: A piece similar to a crown post but not carrying a plate. *Ashlar – or ashlar piece: Short post from a tie beam to a

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

near a masonry wall. *Purlin – A post supporting a

purlin A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin. Pu ...

plate Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), a broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

, may be plumb or leaning (canted). *Hammer – An upright in a hammer beam truss supported on the hammer beam in a

hammerbeam roof A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called "...the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter". They are traditionally timber framed, using short beams pr ...

.Alcock p. G8 *Ridge – A historic type of

post and lintel In architecture, post and lintel (also called prop and lintel or a trabeated system) is a building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them. This is usually used to hold up ...

framing, the ridge post carrying a supporting ridge beam. See Ständerhaus#Firstständerhaus

Gallery

File:Église Saint-André-d'Hébertot - charpente pieds de chevrons.jpg, Ashlar pieces are the short, vertical posts.

Saint-André-d'Hébertot Saint-André-d'Hébertot () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. Population ...

, France File:Chesnois-Auboncourt (Ardennes) Halle (2).JPG, Ridge posts extend to the ridge beams. Ridge post framing is a type of

framing from ancient times. A market hall in Chesnois-Auboncourt, Ardennes, France. File:Poteau scupté Soultz-les-Bains.JPG, This corner post in a half-timbered (colombage) building is decoratively carved.

Soultz-les-Bains Soultz-les-Bains (; historical german: Sulzbad, ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est, France. In 1682, the famous military engineer Vauban constructed the Canal de la Bruche between Soultz and Strasbourg. The canal was nee ...

, France. File:Assemblages pans de bois.jpg, B is an intermediate post, C is a window post G are studs which are interrupted by a brace (F) in a timber framed wall.

Notes

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References

* Alcock, N. W.. Recording timber-framed buildings: an illustrated glossary. London: Council for British Archaeology, 1989. * Boucher, Ward, ed., Dictionary of Building Preservation John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: 1996, NY * Gwilt, Joseph. An Encyclopaedia of Architecture: Historical, Theoretical and Practical, 1867. Reprint. NY: Crown Publishers, Inc, 1982. Print. * Harris, Richard. Discovering timber-framed buildings. 2d ed. Aylesbury: Shire Publications, 1979. * Sobon, Jack A.. Historic American timber joinery: a graphic guide. Becket, Mass.: Published by the Timber Framers Guild, 2002. * Sturgis, Russell, Sturgis' Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture and Building: an unabridged reprint of the 1901-2 edition. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover, 1989. * Russell, Terence M.. The Encyclopaedic Dictionary in the Eighteenth Century: Architecture, Arts, and Crafts. 1734. Reprint. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1997. Print. Timber framing Structural engineering Structural system de:Ständer nl:Stijl (bouw)

Timber framing

Post and strut names in traditional timber framing

Post and strut names in roof framing

Gallery

See also

Notes

References