Chicago Balloon
Framing
To the Editor:
Regarding your article on collar
ties by Harris Hyman (4/92):
Chicago is where they say balloon
framing got its start. I'm not sure
whether this is true or not, but I have
worked on a great number of attics
with balloon-framed (cantilevered)
kneewalls in this city. Invariably, all
have been pushed outward by rafter
forces over time. My theory is that
when the carpenters installed the
original collar ties, they nailed at the
normal angle of hand and hammer
and didn't try to get the nails in at 90
degrees to create the shear-pin effect
needed. Over time (50 to 100 years)
the rafters were able to pull away
from the collar ties and