Check it out — here is a photo slideshow of our recent Timber Framing Workshop, from the beginning of the class, all the way to our awesome farewell party! What a blast.
Thank you Timber Frame Workshop participants!
Yesterday was the end of our fantastic two week Timber Framing Workshop. I’m very sad that it is over, and extremely grateful for the fantastic progress we made, and the quality of work we produced. Wow. We did everything from square rule layout, to lofting and daisy wheel layout and scribing, to hand hewing, working with roundwood, hand raising 18′ tall posts and beams, and so much more. We used Japanese hand saws, planes, chisels and mallets, boring machines, broad axes, and more with a group of students with minimal hand tool experience. It is incredible what we were able to achieve.
I cannot express how much enjoyment I was continually experiencing during the course, and how satisfied I am now to have been able to host such a wonderful workshop, with wonderful folks involved.
Thanks April, Tom, Chris, Lauren, Kyle, Dan, Will, Carl, Jacob, Kiera, Alex, Shand, and Micah!
(Expect more updates about what we learned, and what we built in the next couple of weeks.)
Chiseling a mortise in the afternoon sun
Things are going quite well during our Timber Framing Workshop. I’ll have a lot more to say when I have the time to write, but here’s a few photos in the meantime!
Our first timber frame bent raising
It’s happening… the timber frame is become more and more of a reality. More later.
Here’s a quick little video of one of our favorite tricks we’ve learned during the Timber Frame Workshop: the so-called “French snap”. After you saw the tenon shoulder one on side of your piece, flip the timber and saw the end cut down to that same shoulder cut depth. Once you’ve got your cuts, you can snap the material off by striking it with a heavy mallet. It works with straight grain and eliminates extra sawing and splitting. It’s very satisfying!
Tom shows off three different antique boring machines
The first two full days of the Timber Frame Workshop have already come and gone, and it’s going great! We’ve got a great group of participants, the weather is just lovely, and we’re cranking away on some good ol’ fashioned joinery using a whole bunch of sweet hand tools from Tom’s collection. Chris Newman arrived yesterday and will be a great backup to Tom in guiding our group through the process of building the rest of the timber frame.
Tongue and groove subfloor under the main house is complete!
Wow, what another whirlwind of a week as we prepare for the first Timber Frame Workshop, beginning Sunday, June 10. We had a delivery of tongue & groove subflooring just in the nick of time on Sunday, and got immediately to installing it, and now it is but a few feet shy of completion. I have been so thankful for all of the great help this week from friends, neighbors, and visitors alike.
The latest step: installing reclaimed subflooring material
The major framing of the timber frame house floor platform is complete! All of the sill beams and floor joists are firmly in place, and now we are at the exciting stage of installing our reclaimed tongue and groove subflooring.
Whew.
Here’s a photo update of how things are shaping up at the work site.
We are pleased to have Chris Newman joining the 2012 Timber Frame Workshop team as an assistant instructor to Tom Cundiff. Hailing from Michigan, Chris has 10 years of timber framing experience, making for 30 years of timber framing experience between both Chris and Tom. Wow! Chris is a Timber Framers Guild member and has helped teach several workshops.
Things are shaping up very well, and the two week Timber Frame Workshop promises to be a very comprehensive, packed, and well-rounded event. I can’t wait to meet and work with everyone who is making it out! The excitement is definitely brewing, as we are 10 short days away from the start of the course.
For any latecomers out there, we can still squeeze a couple of participants into the class. If you have any interest whatsoever, please contact me immediately, or send in an application. It’s not too late!
Expect regular updates during the Timber Frame Workshop here on The Year of Mud to catch a glimpse of what we are up to, and how work is proceeding. Oh yea.
When two timbers join to become one unit, they are mated with a so-called “scarf joint”. Scarf joints come in many different styles, some more elaborate than others. This sill beam scarf joint is a rather simple one, as far as layout and cutting, goes and it is wisely located directly above a support pier.
This photo was taken before pegs were driven into each tenon, but if you look carefully you can see on the upper half of the scarf where the peg hole is marked.
Scarf joints were developed when taller trees became scarce and long spans had to be created with shorter pieces of timber. I think that timber framing is beautiful for its ingenuity and effective use of materials.
About The Year of Mud
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
