Sorry Roger but you are beginning to stray off topic. This thread is about new books and not about old art.

Respectfully

Ken Hume

Hello, all, and Happy New Year!
In regards to books for winter reading, I will suggest again a series that I have promoted in the past - The Foxfire series.
When the lights go out on our current lifestyles, some of the stuff in these books just may save yer butt.
Peace
Kristina

Hi TG

I have read these Foxfire series of books a few moons ago, they were really good reading , I still go back to them from time to time

NH

Hi NH
Yeah, that's the really nice thing about having the books - you can keep going back to them. There's so many projects to tinker with, or at the least give you ideas. Unfortunately, I don't have access to our family set right now, but I'm going to look for them @ the local library, as I can sense winter boredom setting in! Maybe make a banjo....

We had some apple trees tip over this fall, the squeezins seem to have soured after the addition of yeast. It was raining last week and after a refresher from Foxfire, I'm not sure if its fit for man or motor but it sure burns blue. Making some white oak charcoal in the woodstove this morning.

We're having a blizzard now, I've lit the stove in the shop but it just ain't fitting out there so I've been googling some old buildings, here's a couple of links from this mornings reading;

http://www.vag.org.uk/VAarticles/earlyaisledbuildings.htm

http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWe...channelOid=null

Looks like I've effectively killed another one.
I've been reading a pdf on cruck frames, good stuff. I'll have to review but I recall some good info on Ken's website as well.

There's a neat gin pole and winch setup in the section titled "The Carpentry of Crucks"

http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/cba/rr42.cfm

If you like the crucks. Check out F.W.B.Charles, Conservation of Timber Buildings. I bet Ken knows this well. Wealth of knowledge.

I sure would like to find some good trees and scribe some blades.....

Hi Mo,

I do indeed have a copy of Freddie and Mary's book. It is rather an expensive book for the beginner but probably essential reading for the serious timber framing student especially since it provides a snap shot in time of timber building conservation practice that sprang up in the UK in the late 1960's - 70's which was born out of the wholesale destruction of our UK building heritage that was happening at that time - maybe in a similar veign to what appears to be happening today in the US (ref. Will Truax recent reports).

Richard Harris (my Masters teacher) started his career in Freddie's architectural office and so I have had a reasonable insight into Freddie's practice. This book contains good quality illustrations and photographs and probably still forms the basis for present day timber frame conservation and repair in the UK.

Regarding cruck blades - you might be surprised to discover just how many cruck blades are cut out of relatively straight trees. If you check out the Survey and Recording page on my website http://www.kfhume.freeserve.co.uk/pages/surveyandrecordingpages/surveyandrecordingframe.htm you will see a photograph of the gable end of a late 1300's truncated cruck framed cottage. Pay particular attention to the line of the pith and the branches that spring from same which demonstrate that these are halved trees (matched pair) but then notice just now close the pith deviates towards the outside of the blades demonstrating that these curves are not completely natural and that the blades are standing upside down. Unfortunately this level of historic construction detail is not shown in Freddie's book but is well known to the likes of Jack Sobon.

Regards

Ken Hume

Mo, how about that, the section that had caught my eye was written by him. I'll have to check interlibrary loan, it is a bit pricey.

I didn't know that Ken, I had assumed the curves were naturals. While discussing this over a bonfire and brew last weekend with one of my areas best roofcutters we were standing by an old dottard (remember dote (rot) Mo? :)) that had to be taken down. It contained and I mentioned wanting to incorporate some natural arches into some work. He countered and I had to agree that it would be full of reaction wood and likely would keep moving, alot. Do you see more movement in the naturals than in straight that is then curved? The loggers across the mountain here are getting into some nice sized old chesnut oak, (the previous deed to that property was signed by your king at the time). It's our only "leaky" white oak and typically grows with poor form. This might be a better and higher use than it normally finds.

Hi Don,

The movement of timber after conversion is universal and applies equally to anything that is growing this side of the pond.

I seem to recall that Henry Russell authored an interesting article on cruck blade movements and deformations that was published in Mortice and Tenon quite some time ago where he explained the various layout options open to the carpenter cutting cruck frames. In rude cruck construction the timbers used tend to be bent and are mainly boxed heart so internal stresses are kept under control whereas if the tree is halved then the in built stresses will be released and hence will most certainly result in a degree of movement. I will research my back issues of M&T and get back to you.

Re cutting straight timbers to curved and especially in relation to making curved braces this is very bad practice since the fibres are effectively cut through and the overall working depth of the section is greatly reduced and really for no great structural advantage. The curve that can seen in natural braces (as opposed to brackets) tends to be gentle and these braces are not necessarily formed out of branch wood but more probably small irregular woodland thining tree trunks. Oak branch wood does not necessarily convert sap wood into heart wood as quickly as happens in the trunk and I confirmed this recently in our woodland when a large 100 year old horizontal branch snapped off and fell to the ground. It had almost no heart wood and would thus be useless material for brace construction but was exceedingly good firewood. When using curved materials a period of drying is beneficial to help reduce the effects of in situ drying shrinkage and to allow any reaction wood splitting to happen and be consigned to the firewood pile.

Regards

Ken Hume