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Will Beemer

For the past 35 years, Will Beemer has taught timber-framing and carpentry at the Heartwood School for the Homebuilding Crafts in Washington, Mass. He has also recently retired as co-director of the Timber Framers Guild. He and his wife, Michelle, live in Becket, Mass., in a house with a great view of his hops vines. Will is an avid sea kayaker, whitewater enthusiast musician, and home brewer.

Master Carpenter Video: How to Drill and Assemble a Timber-Frame Joint

After you've cut a mortise on one timber and a tenon on the other, it's time to drill a peg hole
Master Carpenter Video: How to Cut a Tenon for a Timber-Frame

Will Beemer shows how to cut the first half of a mortise-and-tenon joint—the quintessential timber-frame connection
The Essential Timber-Frame Joint

Learn from a veteran framer's technique for making large pegged mortises and tenons.
Mark a Timber for Cutting a Mortise-and-Tenon Joint

Veteran timber-framer Will Beemer demonstrates the preliminary steps for joining timbers: laying out and marking tenons.
Master-Carpenter Video Series: The Essential Timber-Frame Joint

Senior editor Chuck Bickford visits the Heartwood School to get an inside look at one of the oldest forms of home building still in use.
Use a Pull Saw

Pull saws aren't every-day tools, but they can come in handy on occasion.
Timber-Frame Bang Without the Buck

Using timber-frame elements selectively is a more affordable way to add strength and beauty to a conventionally framed home.
Build a Timber-Frame Shed

What could be better? Learn the basics of timber-framing and get an outbuilding in the process.
Raising a 12×16 Timber Frame

A parts list and a close look as timbers come together as a structure
Rules for Finish Carpentry

A veteran builder and teacher shares the rules that shape his work.