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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

June 8, 2012

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

May 25, 2012

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

May 17, 2012

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

May 16, 2012

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

May 16, 2012

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

November 10, 2011

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

September 17, 2009

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

November 1, 2004

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

October 1, 2004

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

January 1, 1998

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