Our newly erected compound roof frame!
Progress is sweet. I have never worked so hard in my life. Physically, and mentally, even.
It is sheer exhaustion, but looking up at the timber frame in the morning light seems to make it all worth while. Getting compliments from friends and neighbors, and smiles from strangers coming into the village must mean we are doing something right, too.
Getting these compound roof rafters installed on the timber frame was a highlight.
More later.
Lovely Millers Falls Boring Machine Bits from Jim Bode
There are a wealth of interesting antique woodworking hand tools out there in the world, and thankfully Jim Bode has a great online shop devoted to preserving and reselling some of these beautiful items. I recently received 3 lovely drill bits for our Millers Falls boring machine, a 2″, 1 1/2″, and a unique 1″ bit, all lovingly sharpened and cleaned, and a sheer pleasure to use for the first time. Wow!
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.
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.
