For sure it was a very tough design for a starter project, but in hindsight I wouldn't have done it any other way. It's just what I wanted. The nice thing about the size (about 9x12' at the posts) is it was just small enough to do about everything myself; moving around members, fitting, and so forth. I was even able to raise the roof on my own. I really like that every bit of the frame is wood; no steel or plastic used for joinery. I also did about everything with just a chisel, hand saw and drill. I'll fit it out with a clay tile roof and leichtlehm walls. While this first framing experience was invaluable, there's much more to learn and I have more frames to build there.
In case anyone is contemplating timber framing, as a newbie I will tell you it is factors tougher than anything else I have done with wood. There are constant mental and physical challenges to solve. You really want 1/32nd precision in everything you do and you can't tolerate even small mistakes. The people doing timber framing are very, very good craftsmen and have machine like skills. I was lucky to have timberwrestler be my Jedi master for a brief, but crucial level 1 apprenticeship.
