Aradan Thompson wrote:

I realize this thread is a bit old now, but I just noticed it.

I took the timber framing class at the Port Townsend school in September 2022 and it was an amazing experience. The instructors were fantastic and the class was paced really well. The other folks taking the class were also great and we had a blast building and raising the project. It was honestly kind of life changing.

I went into it having done lots of furniture with traditional mortise and tenon joints with hand tools, and I found it very applicable to timber framing. It really is the same but bigger in a lot ways, though there are some additional considerations, like how to handle big timbers, layout systems (we used square rule), and structural concerns like roof thrust and wind loads. I highly recommend getting "Learn to Timber Frame" by Will Beemer and "Timber Frame Construction" by Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder. Also, Barr tools makes great framing chisels, easily the best steel I've ever used.

Feel free to email me directly if you have questions. I'm planning on building a timber framed shed/workshop in my backyard this summer. I could make a thread about it here or talk about it at the hand tool SIG if folks are interested in hearing about it.

Thanks for the first hand account! I ended up getting through the waitlist and registered for the class in June. I'm very excited for it. I've got a Barr framing chisel on order, and will take a look at the books you mentioned. Cheers!

Ryan Carpenter wrote:

I have always wanted to take one of these classes too but never was able to prioritize it so my brother and I just started building a porch and learning on the fly.  In the end it turned out great.  At the end of the day all the techniques of regular jointer apply, just much bigger!  I would be happy to talk through your project, or I am sure there are others at the guild who would enjoy joining in if we made this into an informal workshop.

This sounds like a great idea, Ryan. I'll work on getting together a bit more of a plan and start up a thread in the forum to kick off any sort of informal education, or a nascent SIG.

I have always wanted to take one of these classes too but never was able to prioritize it so my brother and I just started building a porch and learning on the fly.  In the end it turned out great.  At the end of the day all the techniques of regular jointer apply, just much bigger!  I would be happy to talk through your project, or I am sure there are others at the guild who would enjoy joining in if we made this into an informal workshop.

Thanks, Heidi. Looks like they don't have anything immediately coming up, but I'll keep my eye on the Timber Framers Guild site!

Thanks for the info. I've just assumed that timber framing meant the same as lumber framing. I wonder if Canada would have courses like you're seeking. They do fall a lot of timber up there. If memory serves, BC isn't much farther north than Port Townsend.