Scarfing New Timbers to Old Columns

A contractor was hired to repair two deteriorating timber columns in the basement of a 200-year-old former post office building in Shirley, Massachusetts, using a scarfing technique to join new timber to the existing columns. The mixed-use building now houses an insurance company and apartments, requiring careful restoration work to preserve the structure's integrity.

I was hired to repair two timber columns in the basement of a 200-year-old building in Shirley, Mass., that had once been the post office and had served for a time as a hardware store. The building is currently zoned for mixed use; there’s now an insurance company and apartments. The building owner…

This story was originally published by JLC Online.