A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design and History of an Ancient Building System

This 250-page workbook includes comprehensive technical information on the joinery, design, and construction of traditional timber frames. Illustrated with 230+ photos and CAD drawings, the book includes frame plans, design, and engineering formulas, rule-of-thumb design and engineering guidelines, shop setup, builder's math, joinery design criteria, practical timber framing tips, tools and more. Intended for architects, engineers, builders, or aspiring owner/builders.

A good mallet will prevent fatigue and possible wrist injury that may arise from using a mallet not designed to meet the needs of heavy timber work with a framing chisel. The key is to hold the mallet lightly in hand and let the mallet do the work and not your arm or wrist. This requires the correct balance between handle thickness, length and weight. All of the mallets are hand-turned from a variety of tropical hardwoods species salvaged from dead tree limbs, old fence posts and even community members firewood piles.

A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design

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Although timber framing has distinctive attributes, the building method does have some intermingling with post and beam construction. Post and beam structures have upright posts supporting horizontal beams and those wooden members may include round logs or squared timbers that are held together by metal hardware that is either hidden or exposed. Although timber framing can be a specialized version of timber post and beam, its connections generally remain distinctive with wood-on-wood joinery, not metal hardware.

Distinctions of traditional timber framing can also become blurred as owner-builders, architects, engineers, and code enforcement officials dictate the use of certain technologies that involve engineered and metal connections for some joints. In addition, designs may require hybrid structures where builders construct timber framing and stick building in different parts of a structure.

Although timber framing did eventually die out as a popular building method, it has reemerged in an era of revival by those dedicated to preserving historical and artisan practices. The revival began in the 1970s by a group of skilled artisans and technicians in the United States and has spread to other parts of the world. Today, along with traditional techniques, timber framers can also use modern technological processes, such as industrial mill processing and improvements for insulation and design.

When considering wood for structural timber framing, different species of wood will have unique design characteristics and different capabilities, including how well a piece of timber will season or dry. Common species of hardwoods include American Chestnut, Ash, Beech, White Birch, Yellow Birch, Butternut, Black Cherry, Hickory, Black Locust, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, and Walnut. The range of softwoods include Balsam Fir, Northern White Cedar, Red Cedar, Eastern Hemlock, Eastern White Pine, Red Pine, Norway Pine, Eastern Spruce, and Tamarack (Eastern Larch).

Timber-framed structures are capable of being durable, long-standing, and sturdy because of the combined strength of the timber and the joinery. Technicians, architects, and engineers design and build timber-framed homes to last a very long time or as legacy homes. A well-built timber frame structure will also not require its wall mass to hold it up; therefore, builders can use expanses of glass in a passive solar wall without weakening the frame.

The complexities of structural design will likely make it necessary for owner-builders to employ the expertise of design and construction professionals. Their training allows them to determine the loads for a structure, what types of loads and stresses each timber member must resist, and how well the joinery will transfer the stresses. Owner-builders will also need to find structural engineers that understand the capacities and capabilities of wood-to-wood joinery, including the design criteria for wooden pegs.

Yes, most likely, as timber will shrink and swell as the moisture content of each member changes. Although humidity and temperature fluctuations may cause cracks and twisting, if an owner-builder designs and builds the home well, the defects will not affect the structural integrity of the structure. Experts advise that owner-builders should embrace the changes as natural aspects of the wood.

Provide design and detailing of critical timber members and joints in a 12,000 sf timber-framed clubhouse located in a high-snow load area. Design for wind loading using structural insulated panels for roof diaphragm and conventional stud shear walls for interior bracing. Design complex joinery for frames and asymmetrical timber trusses using both traditional wood-pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery and steel plates and bolts. Design 30-foot-diameter timber-framed gazebo with lateral loads resisted by knee braces. Provide timber-frame shop drawing review.

Provide structural design of timber-framed blacksmith shop, including foundations, diagonally-sheathed shear walls, braced frames, and traditional mortise and tenon joinery. Project part of a week-long timber framing workshop at Tillers International.

Josh Jackson has been teaching timber framing workshops for close to twenty years. This background brought him together with David Hooke for the 2002-2003 Mountain School Barn project, out of which TimberHomes was born. Thus, from the outset, TimberHomes has worked on these sorts of projects in which we provide the design, instruction and project management resources to allow a group to build together. We take on community projects ranging from simple outdoor pavilions to far more complicated buildings. If your town, church, school or business has been looking for a way to bring people together to accomplish something amazing, please be in touch.

Experience the fundamentals of designing and constructing a timber frame using mortise and tenon joinery. Students will learn layout techniques, tool use and sharpening, and joinery cutting methods as we work on a small timber frame project, culminating in a raising on the final day. Evening lectures will address the history of the craft, finishing techniques, and mechanical systems for timber frame houses. We will also cover frame design, joinery choices, and integration of frame and house design. This course will focus on traditional hand-cut joinery and tools and will also demonstrate some of the power tools used by modern timber framers.Learn More and Register

Learn how to read plans, do layout, use the tools of timber framing, and cut posts, beams, and bracing with mortise and tenon joinery, using a mix of traditional and modern techniques. During the second week, we will be assembling and raising a large and graceful timber framed pavilion.

Timber framing utilizes heavy timbers instead of skinny framing wood (like 2x4s). These pieces of wood are connected by elegant and strong joinery, which interlocks the timbers and incorporates wooden pegs to secure them. Incredibly, this method of connection is way stronger and more durable than using metal fasteners, which, over long periods of time, can attract condensation and break down. The result of timber framing is a building with an open floor plan, flexible wall materials, gorgeous exposed beams, and great durability.

This course will discuss the approval of beyond prescriptive code tall mass timber developments through effective collaboration and project vision. Learn how the largest mass timber high-rise building in the world, the Ascent, was completed by involving the right people at the right time and approving IBC code variances supported by laboratory testing. Structural design concepts used for the structure, metropolitan high-rise building and firefighting concepts will be discussed briefly. This course is appropriate for fire and code officials, engineers, and other design professionals. 2ff7e9595c