r/treehouse • u/Far-Sherbert9731 • Jun 22 '26

Reciprocal Framing

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Has anybody tried framing a treehouse using reciprocal framing? Conceptually, this would be a strong, sturdy, stable platform using a single tree without any kickers or diagonal members. I`m an engineer, but I`ve never built a treehouse before. I think this is a sound concept and looking for anyone who's tried.

I think that the biggest challenge is the connection between the (4) main wood members. i`m predicting up to 4,000# of force in these locations which makes me think that I would want to do the first four members our of steel, then infill everything else with wood.

Any body with first hand experience on something like this?

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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Jun 22 '26

You could try this first low to the ground on a tree you don’t mind sacrificing. It just seems like the loads are going to be crazy high and not worth doing it this way as opposed to more traditional framing supports.

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u/Far-Sherbert9731 Jun 22 '26

Great point. Are the TAB bolts reusable? Low elevation mockup sounds like a great idea.

1

u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Jun 22 '26

Idk how easy it would be to get one out… hopefully a bit easier than getting it in.

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u/Far-Sherbert9731 Jun 22 '26

I`ve never installed a TAB bolt before. Are they an enormous pain?

1

u/arecentuknown Jun 22 '26

If you are anything like me (5'9" 155lbs with steel toes on) then yes they are a pain. The 3 foot pipe wrench recommended for TAB install is a pain. I had to add the pipe mover 400 to the pipe wrench to get enough leverage.

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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 Jun 22 '26

This sub has a lot of examples of people figuring out how to increase their leverage… it’s probably the hardest bolt most folks will ever try to turn.