Timber provides attractive earthquake performance characteristics for regions of high seismic risk, particularly its high strength-to-weight ratio; however, current timber structural systems are associated with relatively low design force reduction factors due to their low inherent ductility when compared to high-performance concrete and steel systems. This experimental study investigates the adaptation of an advanced structural bracing system for heavy timber frames to improve the seismic performance of hybrid timber-steel buildings. This may justify the use of high force reduction factors (R-factors) to reduce seismic design forces and will provide energy dissipation to improve seismic performance. The study focuses on the design and quasi-static cyclic testing of a friction damping device within a timber frame to dissipate seismic energy and increase seismic performance. The bracing system is incorporated into the timber frame using select steel elements at the beam-column connections and glued-in rods to fasten the steel and timber elements together. The test frame demonstrated excellent cyclic performance, high ductility and did not experience any damage in timber connections, supporting the use of this type of connection detail in heavy timber structures.