**Timber Sills in Historic Buildings:**
– Large, solid timbers were used as sills to carry the bents.
– Sills were placed on stone or brick foundations, piers, or piles.
– Rare examples in the U.S. have floor joists landing on the foundation with a timber sill on top.
– Some timber-frame buildings have posts landing directly on the foundation.
– Interrupted sills are a rare historic building technique.
**Stick Framing in Modern Construction:**
– Sills are typically sized at 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, and 2×10.
– Made of treated lumber and anchored to the foundation wall with J-bolts.
– Building codes mandate the sill plate to be 6 to 8 inches above the finished grade to deter termites and prevent rot.
– Sills play a crucial role in securing buildings during storms and earthquakes.
**Automobile Sill Plates:**
– Located under the door in automobiles.
– Sometimes displays the make or model of the vehicle.
**Naval Architecture Sill Plate:**
– In naval architecture, the sill refers to the lower horizontal plate height.
– Doors and access openings are fixed above this plate.
**References:**
– ‘Framing Basics’ by Rick Peters offers insights into sill plates.
– ‘Dictionary of Construction Terms’ by Simon Tolson defines sill plates.
– ‘A Dictionary of English Synonymes’ by Richard Soule and George Howison explains groundsill.
– ‘Historic American Timber Joinery’ by Jack Sobon is a guide to timber joinery.
– ‘Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction’ by John Burrows covers construction techniques.
A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. The word "plate" is typically omitted in America and carpenters speak simply of the "sill". Other names are rat sill, ground plate, ground sill, groundsel, night plate, and midnight sill.
Sill plates are usually composed of lumber but can be any material. The timber at the top of a wall is often called a top plate, pole plate, mudsill, wall plate or simply "the plate".
Definition from ChatGPT:
Sill plate:
A sill plate is a horizontal wooden or concrete member that sits on top of the foundation wall of a building. It serves as the bottom plate of the wall framing and provides a level surface for the wall studs to be attached to. The sill plate helps distribute the weight of the structure evenly and provides a secure connection between the wall framing and the foundation.