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Calcimator

Raising Day Planning Calculator

Crew size, equipment needs, and schedule for a timber frame raising day.

Inputs

lbs
lbs

Results

Recommended crew size

6 people

Raising days needed

2 days

Total raising hours12 hrs
Crane required1
Minimum crane capacity1 tons
Total timber pieces75
Pieces per bent11
Raising rate1 bents/hr
Total person-hours72 person-hrs
Safety equipment items23
Bent timber pieces55
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Number of bents, Posts per bent, and Average timber weight.
  2. Set Heaviest timber weight, Connecting girts, and Roof purlins.
  3. Review Recommended crew size (people) and Raising days needed.
  4. Use Total raising hours (hrs) and Crane required to inform your decision.

What each input means

Number of bents
Total number of bents (cross-frames) to raise.
Posts per bent
Number of posts in each bent (2 for simple, 3+ for interior posts).
Average timber weight
Average weight of individual timber members.
Heaviest timber weight
Weight of the heaviest single timber. Over 400 lbs typically requires a crane.
Connecting girts
Number of horizontal girts connecting bents together.
Roof purlins
Number of roof purlins to install.

What each result means

Recommended crew size
Minimum recommended crew for safe, efficient raising.
Raising days needed
Estimated working days for complete raising (8 productive hrs/day).
Total raising hours
Total clock hours for the raising process.
Crane required
1 = crane needed (heaviest timber > 400 lbs), 0 = hand raising possible.
Minimum crane capacity
Required crane lifting capacity with 2× safety factor.
Total timber pieces
All timbers including bents, girts, and purlins.
Pieces per bent
Posts + beams + knee braces in each bent.
Raising rate
Estimated bents raised per hour based on complexity and weight.
Total person-hours
Crew size × raising hours for labor planning.
Safety equipment items
Number of personal and site safety items to stage.
Bent timber pieces
Total pieces that are part of the bents (excluding girts/purlins).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Number of bents = 5, Posts per bent = 3, Average timber weight = 200, Heaviest timber weight = 500 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Recommended crew size
    6 = 6
  3. Calculate Raising days needed
    Raising days needed = ceil(totalRaisingHours / productiveHoursPerDay)
    2 = 2
  4. Calculate Total raising hours
    Total raising hours = bentHours + connectingHours + setupHours
    12 = 12
  5. Calculate Crane required
    Crane required
    1 = 1

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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