Timbers salvaged from an old or unused building can be planed and refinished, reducing the ecological footprint of a new project. Here is a fun application for reused timbers: a sandbox!
In post and beam timber work, some notching is done to assure structural integrity of the frame, and the timbers must be held together with hardware. This differs from the mortise and tenon wood joinery of traditional timber framing.
A GRK Fastener looks like a long screw at first glance, but it is specially designed to join timbers together tightly with less torque than is needed for a lag bolt.