Hi Sim,
This appears to be a very complicated subject that is probably beyond the reach of most framers and I do wonder at times whether this pursuit of overcomplication is really necessary. For example the hip rafter is more usually set in the plane of the long wall roof -
- with the hip rafters then being the only rafters needing to be cut with birdsmouths.
I have added a link to your blog on the
Harcourt Cruck half hip layout page on the timber framing section of the
Oxfordshire Woodland Group Forum.
Ken Hume
Ken,
Great pictures of the Cruck Frame on your website. I Googled one+ them for other's to see.
Yes, the geometry used at the WorldSkills is complicated and beyond the ability of most carpenters. But I'm guessing that most Timber Framer's study traditional layout/scribe geometry and it should translate easily to the geometry used at the WorldSkills.
The US/Canada needs new young carpenters and if we can get the apprentices here interested in geometry so they can compete in the WorldSkills then maybe Timber Framing wouldn't die out in the next 20 years here, when most of the current Timber Framers retire. Or Pre-manufactured Roof trusses used on all the residential houses here.
Sim
