Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 Carpentry Competition

How does one get an introduction to all of this geometry? SBE, I've visited your blog, but for the uninitiated, it's like walking into a movie just before the end. Thanks.

Dave,

Here's a link to a list of books that I have on traditional roof framing geometry that is used in the WorldSkills Competition.

Traditional Layout Geometry Books

Sim

Tony McGartland was awarded the Excellence in Construction Training. You can see why he was given this award after looking at the pictures of the task models by one of his apprentice carpentry students that he trained for the WorldSkills.

More information on Tony at my Blog

Sim

Tony McGartland sent me this task model of the 2010 UK Team. I needed a break from programming on my Macbook Pro computer. Writing the programming code for my Rafter Tools app on the Iphones using Xcode is like hitting your finger with a hammer once an hour. Ouch,ouch, ouch...etc.

Here's a link to the task model drawings.

2010 UK Team Redcar task model

Sim

Hi Ken and others

I must say those pictures of the French roof frame are fantastic, and I might add the timbers appear to have rough hewn surfaces requiring a great deal of extra thought when the carpenter was creating the cuts--could you comment on this aspect Ken

NH

Hi Richard et al,

It wouldn't be correct to think that there is only one way to convert a log to suit a specific application.

I have retrieved a digi pic from the Hume & Son photo archive taken of the rear face of an elm cruck blade (circa 1350-90) taken in Blewbury, South Oxfordshire (formerly Berkshire).



This picture demonstrates that the cruck blade was hewn from a relatively small tree with the direction of hewing showing that it was positioned with both foot and apex facing upwards and hence possibly supported across two trestles. It would be important to recognise that the rear face of this cruck blade is not a reference or jointing face but it was part of the open cruck truss that was seen by the occupant from the high end of the hall and so would have required a reasonably good finish in order not to offend him.

For more on how to make a cruck frame check out the recently completed Harcourt Cruck Frame.

Ken Hume