North Carolina Timberframing Workshop, up close and personal…

March 10, 2015

This post is a peek into a workshop that was organized by Timberhomes employees in Matt’s hometown of Brevard, North Carolina. The students are caught in the act here, slicing and dicing, reading plans, and raising timbers. Many of our students are builders themselves, who were looking to add timberframing to their repertoire. North Carolina offered us a respite from the New England winter, and a sweet two weeks making friends. Thanks to Capturing WNC Photography for taking, and allowing us to post, these beautiful photos.

Timberframing tools

Tools of the trade: chisel, mallet, combination square

the sun shines warmly on those doing good work.

…’just shave off everything that’s not the peg’…Kris Forward, of Forward Construction

white pine timber

Eastern white pine rafters, hot off the press

Timber framing student laying out joinery

A student starts to lay out the first timber..Stuart Howe, of Mud Dabbers

Timber framing Instructor checks layout

Timberhomes’ Sam Jessup checks student layout with a discerning eye

Tenon being checked in North Carolina Timberframing course

One side of a tenon looks square enough to me…will it pass this student’s test?

Timberframing course in Brevard, NC

Students use a corded drill and a big Al tool to drill a peg hole…Mark Wulff, on the right, of Brown Wulff Home Services

timber framing student finishes a tenon

A slick chisel pares off the final curls of wood on this tie beam’s tenon

This course was geared towards carpenters and woodworkers, and teaching safe use of common power tools used in timberframing was an integral part.

This course was geared towards carpenters and woodworkers, and teaching the safe use of common power tools used in timberframing was an integral part.

Making pegs on a shave horse

Building a timberframe also requires proper use of many traditional hand tools, like the drawknife this student’s using to shape pegs.

Timber finishing in process.

A student uses a bench plane to finish the corners of beam.

Finishing a tenon.

This student is using the flat back of the chisel to create a flat surface on this tenon. And smiling.

Paring a tenon.

A chisel can take fine shavings of wood, or larger chunks to quickly get rid of material.

Foundation for a timberframe building.

Formwork still on the concrete foundation, an instructor and the project’s GC survey the site.

Rigging a timber to be raised with a boom truck.

Most of the heavy lifting at the frame’s raising was done with this boom truck. From left to right, Chris Faulkner of Faulkner Woodworking, Timberhomes’ Matt Agrella-Sevilla, and Rob Skeen of Bracken Mountain Builders

Frame raising at a timber framing class in Western North Carolina

A plate section suspended from the claws of the boom tuck

Timber frame raising with boom truck.

A student uses the commander to ‘nudge’ a plate section over. Other students keep track of braces and other post joinery.

Long timberframe wall being assembled.

Most of the main frame is raised, and a long wall is getting assembled in its entirety on horses.

Cross frames raised in North Carolina timber frame course

With the main cross frames raised, students set up planks to raise pairs of rafters.