After a great deal of deliberation, coordination, anticipation, and engineerification, the week finally arrived…a full on 6 days of instruction about timberframing at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Dartmouth Alumni class of 1965 hired Timberhomes plus framer Seth Kelley of Knob Hill Joinery and woodworker and human being extraordinaire Skip Dewhirst to instruct a diverse group of recent grads, members of their Alumni class, returning students from last year’s project, and others interested in learning these traditional skills. With our instruction and their (and all of our) labor, we cut a 26’x51’4″ main timberframe with a 25′ long monitor atop, and a lovely little entry. No small feat, for a group of volunteers who may have never heard the words ‘measure twice.’ What a fine job they’ve done!
This workshop was made possible by the Alumni class of 1965, similar to a project that Timberhomes also helped coordinate last year during the construction of the class of 1974’s gift to the college, the great “74′ tress“. These workshops are, in essence, a way to mobilize the efforts and skills of many people to create an awesome space to serve the community into the indefinite future, quickly, with maximum endorphin release. As instructors, our job here was to teach workshop participants how to read plans and understand the language of timber framing, use the tools safely and skillfully in a very short time period, and then guide the learning curve. Timberhomes is open to discussing workshops for individual clients if you have an appropriate project in mind. Timberhomes’ Sean Dalton, who designed this frame, will stay to direct a crew of Dartmouth alumni to roof, enclose and finish this bunkhouse.
Thank you Milo Johnson for this time lapse:
Jack Nobel, a member of the Class of 1965, works on a mortise
Part of the crew, working on posts and tie beams.
Lodge Life
The frame starting to come together: this purlin post has a tie beam coming in from the right, a straining beam from the left, and knee brace back down to the tie.
Many hands make light timbers….rafters snaking their way through a jungle of framing and staging.
Handmade, hand raised, handsome!
The frame is raised
Hanging out inside the bunkhouse
A jungle gym
Rafter peaks aligned
