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At Sanborn Mills Farm, preserving the past and planning for the future never stops!
June 2016 eNews Annual Open House this weekend . . .
You are invited to visit us this Sunday, June 19
th anytime between 10 am and 3 pm. Wear comfortable walking shoes!
Regular visitors to our Open House will find some changes this year. We are in the midst of a few construction projects, mostly around the Sanborn Barn & Main House so please keep your eye out for signs and barriers as we route you around the farm.
All this building will support the expansion of our educational programs in the next few years. The lower level of the Sanborn Barn is being repurposed to accommodate a kitchen and dining area, the old Carriage Barn has been moved up the hill and now sits right next to the Barden Barn where it can serve as a workshop space.
This summer, a new Carriage Barn will be built to accommodate studios and housing for students. Some of the complex timber trusses we are building will be on display Sunday.
Our teamsters will have the draft horses and oxen hauling logs and farm carts around and explain how farm work can be accomplished with animal power. For flower lovers, there are new gardens for you to enjoy and our head gardener Michelle Smith will be on hand to share her knowledge.
A unique aspect of Sanborn Mills Farm is our historic water-powered mills that were once the lifeblood of Loudon. Millwright Brian Clough will be grinding corn in our 1830 gristmill throughout the day.
This year, our 1829 sawmill is undergoing needed repairs to the main shaft and turbine. Visitors will get a glimpse of what it takes to keep 19th century water-powered technology in working order and learn what a There is no charge for admission on Sunday though donations are gratefully accepted. There will be signs for general parking in the field above the Sanborn Barn. Handicapped parking will be available by the mills. Sorry, there will be no food vendors this year.
As a reminder, with so many construction projects underway, the operation of antique machinery in the grist mill, and the movement of large animals here at the farm, families with children coming to the Open House need to assure that each child under the age of 12 will be accompanied by an adult responsible for that child’s safety.
Learn more about the Open House . . .
What’s a truss and why build one?
Let’s start with what timber framing is.
Sometimes referred to as post & beam construction, timber framing relies on connecting heavy timbers – that can range in size from 6″x8″ to 10″ x 12″ and up to 40 ft in length – with interlocking joinery secured with wooden pegs, methods that go back to Medieval times. 
Our master carpenters preserve these t
Now for a little vocabulary so you can chat with our carpenters on Sunday! Timbers are interlocked when a tenon extends into a receiving mortise. A unit of upright timbers connected with a horizontal beam is referred to as a bent. Braces help steady the bent. The space between the bents is called a bay.
Connecting timbers called a truss support the roof and there are many styles. Roof trusses usually occur at regular intervals linked by cross timbers called purlins.
Balloon or platform framing, which is used in most modern construction, uses Learn more about framing . . .
Learn more about
Sanborn Mills Inc. | 603-435-7314 |
A traditional New Hampshire farm and nonprofit organization dedicated to sustainability, creativity, and preserving folklife and traditional agricultural knowledge so that the best of the past can help shape our future.
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