A structural brace made from a piece of wood that has grown with a natural bend, such as the junction of a trunk and a large branch or root. Because the continuous grain follows the curve, a knee is exceptionally strong. It is traditionally used in timber framing and boatbuilding to reinforce right-angle intersections between beams and posts.
Heard on the job
We need a stout oak knee to brace the corner where the top plate meets the main post.
Insider tip
Sourcing natural knees requires digging up the root ball or finding a tree with a heavy low branch, making them rare and expensive in standard framing.
Also heard as
- ship's knee
- natural knee