Hey everyone,

I'm new to this forum - was directed here by a few timber framers.
I've just finished five years of architecture school, and have spent enough time around the subject to realise that my interests lay in traditional timber framing and the conservation/restoration/adaption of heritage buildings. My family, up until my generation has been rooted in New England since 1683, however I largely grew up in California, Colorado and New Zealand, so I have been around and fascinated by the cabins of the mid-west and the houses and barns of the East Coast since I was little (as far as I am aware NZ has few to no post and beam type constructed buildings although some mortise and tenon joinery was used in the typical colonial villa). I also spent a year in England teaching rugby, swimming, soccer etc after I left highschool and fell in love with the old timber frame buildings there. I don't have any real desire to go work in a contemporary architecture firm, and will do what I can to avoid that for as long as I can - understanding that in this economic climate and with limited experience behind me, I can hardly be picky...

Right! Now that the introduction is out of the way:
My ideal job would be to produce shop drawings/ design concepts with Sketchup and Layout for traditionally framed timber structures. However I have a couple of questions to ask:
Firstly, are separate designers even employed to design timber structures, or does a separate architecture firm simply provide the drawings for the client and liaise with the timber framer? - I guess what I am asking is if there is any need for someone like me who wants to work with and design for a traditional timber frame company?

Secondly, although I have five years experience in Sketchup and general building terminology and processes (in an academic sense) etc, the only knowledge I have about timber framing is from what I have read in books, the theoretical projects I have set myself (such as the design of a traditional Romanian church piece by piece in Sketchup - still in progress) and what I have learned from my father (a retired carpenter). Is this something I would be able to learn more about on the job, or would it be necessary to attend some workshops first before considering employment? I have often thought about doing an apprenticeship, but perhaps that would be overkill?

Ultimately, I would like to be a designer who is adept in both designing and using software (sketchup or other) as well as in the knowledge of traditional timber framing, so that I can make informed design decisions. I am very eager to learn, and enjoy hands-on practical work as well as working out aesthetics of design.

If you've managed to make it this far, thanks for taking the time to read it, any advice would be much appreciated!

Auz

Well Auz, I don't know much about the historical/restoration work in timber framing. Where I work there are very few buildings built before balloon framing came along and they were usually log. But, as for design work timber framing, there seems to be a niche. In the places I've worked there have been both frames designed in house and out of house. I'm currently working on a frame that a designer was hired for. I can think of 2 main routes you can go. The first is designing houses directly for clients. The second is getting a job with a timber frame company.

I've worked for a hand cut company that had a full time designer. He wasn't an architect, in Ontario I was told you they offer a home design course. What that company did is they would design the frame provide the blueprints, cut it, and raise it and sometimes install SIP's for it. All other work was done by a general contractor in the area.

I think the CNC companies do something similar, except they might limit thier scope to just the design of the frame, shipping it a finished product to be installed. They do a larger volume so you would have exposure to more frames.

If at all possible spend some time working in the shop with your hands, it will enhance your design understanding and hopefully contribute to the project at hand. Check out this clip from Trillium Dell, and Curtis pointing out some things that went wrong due to the lack of understanding of the designers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s_NFDaGf-0&feature=g-all-c&context=G242c6a9FAAAAAAAABAA

I agree with Tim's advice that you need to cut at least one frame in order to help you to understand how to design one.

You can draw something that can't be put together. There are classes and courses you can take to help you to understand these things.

Good luck with your research.

Jim Rogers

Thanks guys for the responses, I really appreciate it.
I would really like to take some of these courses, and get my hands dirty but as far as I know there is nothing here in NZ where I currently reside. Timberworksnz would like to start workshops but haven't got around to it yet unfortunately and are unlikely to before the end of the year. I think the next closest one is in Australia and after the workshops fees and travel expenses will probably set me back a couple grand - but may well be worth it.

In an ideal world I could find a job at a timber framing company as a designer and also be trained in the manual craft, that would take care of my financial woes! If I had the space, I would buy some timber and teach myself in the yard. Seems I am in the wrong place at the wrong time! I already have 'Build a classic timber-framed house' by Jack Sobon, and have read methodically English Heritage's new technical handbook on timber. Are there any other books I can get my hands on that might teach me a thing or two about framing?

Thanks again

auz

Hello,

Not long ago here on the Timber Framers Guild forum , as I recall it, there was someone also from New Zealand on the look out for green oak timbers or something. That would indicate to me that there is some sort of timber framing building activity in that place. Maybe someone to track down near you. But yeah, you're not anywhere timber framing Mecca, to many veracious wood eating termites down there.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Get the new book "Timber framing fundamentals" from the guild.
It has a collection of 40 articles about timber framing.
I just finished reading it and it was a great re-fresher for me.
I did read all the articles previously published in the magazine but reading them again, I learned even more.

Good luck with your search.

Jim Rogers

PS. the guild has a lot of books worth reading.

I found a post on another forum where I posted my list of books I had read on the subject.
This list was from 2003.
And I have read many more since then.

But here is that list:

Here is my book list:
The first is Steve Chappell's book: "A Timber Framer's Workshop", I know him personally. I took one of his courses. And I've been to many of his raisings of his frames built by his students. I'm going to another one in September.

Then I've read both Jack Sobon's books; 'Timber Frame Construction', and 'Build a Classic Timber-Framed House'. I also know Jack personally; I took a course that he taught. This Dutch style house/shed/barn frame that I had in my yard is the style we, as students, built at the workshop. I see or talk to him every couple of months. I went out to the workshop raising a while ago with my wife and daughter to see the students raise another frame. That one was different and won't be taken apart and shipped out. That's what we did. We put it together and it stood there for two hours and we took it apart and shipped it out.

Also, I've read Tedd Benson's 'Building the Timber Frame House' with help from James Gruber. This book was very good on how to use templates and laying out timbers and order of making cuts.

Also, Fine Home Building's Great Houses, Timber-Frame Houses. This is a collection of articles that were published in Fine Home Buildings magazine, so there is no one author. The ISBN number is 1-56158-150-x put out by Taunton Books and Videos, Tauton product number 070279. You should be able to find it with all those numbers.

Another one of my favorites is 'Home building and Woodworking in Colonial America' by C. Keith Wilbur. Put out by The Globe Pequot Press; ISBN 1-56440-019-0.

Also, there is one more that I have read, sold by the Timber Framer's Guild store. It's a book of articles written by different authors and it called 'Timber Frame Joinery & Design Workbook'. I've read this one and it's got a lot of information in it.

And just recently I got and read "The Timber Framing Book" by Stewart Elliot and Eugenie Wallas. This book was ok, and I've heard from others that some parts of his work is incorrect and either different or wrong. I heard this before I read it and was curious to see what he said compared to others. As I can see the only thing I don't like is the way he connects plates and or girts and tie beams on top of posts.

Another I just read last spring was Discovering Timber-Framed Buildings by Richard Harris. This is a small paper back book published in England, and is about all the different types of English style timber frames and why they were built the way they were. It’s very interesting in regard to the history of timber framing. It has some pictures of timber framed houses still standing in England as well as drawings of very old style joints that are still used today.

Now the list of un-read books on hand: 'Timber Construction for Architects and Builders' by Eliot W. Goldstein, sold by the Timber Framers Guild. Well that's it for the list of technical books.

I did get last Christmas and just finished reading a book called "Barns" (sub title: Their history, preservation, and restoration) by Charles Klamkin. This book is mostly a picture book and has little to do with timber framing. Although some parts were interesting about how or why certain barns were built the way they were.

I also got for Christmas last year a book about outhouses. But it's very interesting about the history of out houses and how they were built. It is mostly a picture book, but there are some interesting drawings in there also.
Well that's it about books. :P

Jim

PS. I just saw another one in my stack of books, by Jack Sobon. It's the "History American Timber Joinery" A Graphic Guide. This book is a collection of articles written by Jack for the Timber Framers Journal magazine showing all types of joints used in timber framing. You can get it from the guild online store for $10. If you are a member of the guild you can download it for free from their web site (I believe).

Any book you can get by Cecil A. Hewitt is good as well.

That list should take you a while to read.

Jim Rogers

Firstly, are separate designers even employed to design timber structures, or does a separate architecture firm simply provide the drawings for the client and liaise with the timber framer? - I guess what I am asking is if there is any need for someone like me who wants to work with and design for a traditional timber frame company?

Thanks Jim!

Shameem - not sure I understand your post? Did you mean to comment on the extract you copied?