Hello All-
I am thinking about taking a two week timber framing course with the Fox Maple School. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with them and if thwere is any feedback on the quality of the workshops.
After tuition, lodging, meals and travel to Maine; combined with two to three weeks lost work this is around a $10000 dollar investment in my future.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Replies
if 2-3 weeks of your time are worth $10K you don't need to know how to timber frame.
Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
I learned timber framing by reading, doing, gradually collecting the necessary tools and eventually, getting an occasional job that called for either a little or a lot of it.
I don't know much about that particular school, but being a little cynical, it seems a lot of money to spend or sacrifice for what will probably give you a good quantity of written info (available elsewhere for less money), some lecture time (info available in a number of good books) and some hands on on one or two projects where you're sharing time with other students. And you'll probably be given the opportunity to buy some Fox Maple tools.
And timber framing or not, you still need to understand some basic carpentry math and other aspects of carpentry and bldg construction.
Knowing in the beginning what I know now, and with no one locally available to teach me, I would buy a few good books:
"The Craft of Log Building" by Hermann Phleps
Some of Ted Bensons earlier Timber frame books
"Timber Frame Construction" by Jack Sobon (This is actually my favorite, although I don't have it in front of me so the title may be a little off).
There are a host of others, but, like any instruction books, some are better than others and each will have some unique idea or tip.
The first structure I built was a small shool bus stop shed, built of 4 X 4's and 4X 6's and I used every notch and mortise I could incorporate into that one small bldg. I dovetailed the floor joists into the sills, cut gunstock posts, mortise and tenoned and pegged all the rest...let in and mortised the corner knee braces...etc. I then did my shop and used bigger sticks...had scarf the top plates...dovetailed all the roof purlins (it takes dedication (or idiocy)to exert the effort to construct nice tight joints that will be covered up!)
And you don't need a lot of tools to start out, but some of the ones you do need are a little spendy, like 2 or three big framing chisels, a good mallet (I use a urethane 2 lb carvers mallet), a bruzz or corner chisel, some good augers and a good drill motor, a good circ. saw, some handsaws and planes, along with some hones and files and stuff to keep things very sharp.
I would also take some of your $10K and spend a week in the northeast (Vermont, NH, Maine, etc.) and look at some of the old buildings and chase down some small Timber Framers to shoot the bull with. Most are pretty decent people and like to share their knowledge.
As you get a handle on the craft (it's actually not rocket science) build a gate arch or pergola in your yard and people will start wanting you to build them stuff.
Thanks for the advice. And the book titles. I don't know of anyone in my area ( Palo Alto CA) doing much traditional joinery. Not sure if the seismic thing is a big factor of if it is a design thing, or if I am not in the right circle of builders. I would love to apprentice under someone but my own little company has started to take wings. So I thought I would try to get some info on the school thing.
Anyone else want to weigh in on timber framing classes or training???
Thanks