Timber frame construction employs mortise and tenon, time-proven joinery, secured by wooden pegs. Post and beam construction, on the other hand, uses metal brackets, plates, and nails. The aesthetic difference is obvious: timber frames are seamless and flowing–like fine-furniture on a grand scale–whereas post and beam frames are interrupted and utilitarian.
Timber frames also have proven durability: many timber frame structures built using mortise and tenon joinery are approaching 1000 years old. One can still visit the timber frame home in which Shakespeare was born, for example, and that structure is relatively young at just under 500 years.