Timber Framers Guild Forums General U.K. Today Harcourt Arboretum Cruck Frame

Hi,

Those persons interested in traditional cruck frame building might be interested to follow the Harcourt Arboretum Cruck Frame project posted on The Oxfordshire Woodland Group forum. This frame is due to be raised on 29 & 30th June 2013.

Ken Hume
Executive Trustee - The Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Ken, thanks for checking in with a very admirable project, I hope to see more in the future. I'm curious about the layout with plywood templates that I guess are just pegged to the ground. How secure is the method? Do you use a transit or laser to verify position since the lofting "floor" is obstructed and potentially movable?

Hi Roger,

Each plywood spot board is secured to 3 stakes driven into the ground with the tops of these levelled and then the spot board screwed to the stakes. No contact by boots with the spot boards is permitted. I first saw Henry use this method back in 1996 when building the Leigh Woods cruck frame - see :-
Leigh Woods Cruck Frame If you look carefully at the Harcourt photo shots you will see string axes running from apex to centre sill and top of wall plate to wall plate. No transit or laser was harmed in the laying out of all 8 reference boards - just string and measuring tape [KISS].

Next post will be about the footings for the frame which will be staddle stones.

Ken Hume
Executive Trustee - The Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Hi,

Please note that the cruck raising will take place this Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th June 2013 at Harcourt Arboretum, near Oxford, England.

Check out and check back at the Harcourt Arboretum Cruck Raising thread.

Ken Hume
Executive Trustee - Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Hi,

Ruth Goodfellow and Brian Williamson started applying the oak shingle roof covering to the raised cruck frame at Harcourt Arboretum at the beginning of August 2013 and this work is planned to be complete by the middle of August 2013.

Check out the "shingle me timbers" project to follow progress.

Ken Hume

Thanks for posting.