hey-

i started woodworking a few years ago and am really enjoying it. i am mostly into neanderthal woodworking. when looking at the furniture that i have designed and built, timber framing comes to mind.
i am buying a house soon and will probably need to build my workshop. i really would like to build it up tf using mostly non-tailed tools. i have read through a couple of books from the library and have a good start but i need more.

-what are the minimum tools needed?

-what are the best books available?

i hope this is the right place for this...
not many tf- forums.

i would also like to find other tfers in my area.

thanks,
ryan
eugene, or

Jim Rogers has a good tool list, I believe it is in a thread in the tools section. For books, as always, I recommend Jack Sobons "Timber Frame Construction" and "Build a Classic Timber Frame House" There are more good books, and I am sure someone will be along in a minute to give you the titles.


Dave

Scroll down to the Tool forum and read the post Timber framing tools, there are several good list in there. Welcome to the forum, by the way.


Dave

thanks dave!

i think 'timber frame construction' is one of the books that i read through from the library. i will look at buying both of sobons books.

looks like i have quite a few of the tools needed. i should get a few more chisels though. and a boring machine.

would a stanley #10 be the right plane for cleaning up tenons of this scale?

what advantages does a slick have over a tf chisel? i have a couple of vintage 2-3" ovb chisels. whould a slick be that nessessary?

any way thanks again! i am really looking forward to making this happen.

cheers,
ryan

You don't even need a slick or a plane. A sharp 2 inch framing chisel will do you well. The mallet you use is important to, to prevent fatigue. I don't think any book will really give you what you need to get going in timberframeing. I'd advise you to take an intro course. There are a number of schools. I attended the Foxmaple.com school and it was great. I learned alot. It was worth the cost for sure. It gave me the confidence to know I could design and build my own timberframe. A class also allows you to ask questions as they come up as you are building a frame in the workshop. You can also get on the spot demos for technique etc. The instructor told us that that we got in that one class what took him 25 years to learn (as there were no classes and few timberframers when he started in the early 70's). Books help more after the class as reference material and you'll then have a better understanding and perspective for what's in the books.

In awe, Just remember that all these posts have their writer with their own opinion. Some things should be taken with a grain of salt. I work wood and always, always have a plane.

Each woodworker needs to establish his/her own style of woodworking and use the tools that he has on hand or the ones he's most comfortable with.
There are many ways to do the same thing, with many different tools. None of them are wrong as long as the job gets done. Some ways can be easier or faster than others.
Learning new ways to do the same thing using different tools can add to your personal education of woodworking methods and procedures.

I, personally, like to have a slick and a plane handy. I would suggest trolling "junk shops", garage sales, or you might even have a store that carries used woodworking equipment. A used Stanley #3 or #4, shouldn't cost much, and is a better plane than a brand new one, unless you are going to spend big money for a Lie Nielsen. The L-N planes are awesome, though.;) I have a Stanley No. 10, it is from 1887, which is kinda cool, it is a good plane for cleaning right up to a shoulder. You can also use a wooden rabbet, I have a 3/4" and 1". I enjoy using these as well. There are members that have used tools for sale in the tool forum as well. One often overlooked set of tools is sharpening equipment, if your tools aren't sharp, they will not be any fun to use and you will get frustrated. I second taking a workshop, I learned a lot from the one I took. Good luck and keep asking questions.


Dave

dont know how old that was but I just moved to springfield(from newport originally) and did my apprenticeship in Germany so ive got tools if you wanna know what youll need you can check em out I'm using them on this old house I bought presently timber framing it from the inside out drop me a reply if youre still in the area I would like to pick a locals brain..
typsygipsy@gmail.com
til then

If you are using a boring machine get a corner chisel, you wouldn't use it if you are using a chain morticer. I would be very lost with out my slick, so much so I would cry if it was lost. Some shops would knock you in the head if you used an axe, I would if you didn't. Become a Sobonite. And Jim's tools are for sale you can get just about everything there.

Tim