Topping Off

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Gabel

Folks sometimes ask why timber framers place an evergreen bough on the peak of the frame after a raising. The short answer--tradition. But I'll take a stab at the long answer, since there isn't much information out there about this tradition.

"Topping off" a new frame is a practice that has been around for hundreds of years. It's the act of placing a bough on the highest peak of a newly completed frame. The bough is always an evergreen. I have used pine, cedar, magnolia, and even a discarded Christmas tree.

Ask ten timber framers about topping off the frame and you'll get ten slightly different answers. But the common thread is that the whetting bush is placed as a symbol of thanksgiving and respect. Some say it gives thanks to the forest for providing timber for a new home. Some say it gives thanks for a safe raising. A few simply say it's "good luck."

Whatever their beliefs are, topping off the frame is a special time for each person. For the folks starting life in a new home, it can be almost like a dedication ceremony. For the carpenters who built the frame, it's a chance to stand back and see the fruit of their labor. For everyone present, it's a moment of celebration.

For me personally, placing a whetting bush is a chance to stop and smell the roses. Finishing a job well done is satisfying on a basic human level. Then there's the appreciation I feel for my trade and my fellow carpenters, and the thankfulness I feel for a safe raising and for our renewable resource of timber.

Tagged: timber frame, timber framing, whetting bush, topping off, timber frame raising, barn raising, traditional timber framing  |  0 comments

The Snap!

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Gabel

The Snap (sometimes called the French Snap) is an old framer's shortcut. The trick is to saw one of your tenon shoulders, roll the stick twice, and saw the end cut down to the same depth as the shoulder cut you just made. Then strike the waste firmly with a heavy mallet or the poll of your axe and it will split the grain along the cheek of the tenon. This saves you from sawing half of the end cut and splitting one tenon cheek.

Tagged: timber frame, timber framing, hand tools, traditional timber framing  |  0 comments

Perhaps the coolest website ever...

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Gabel

I have found a website that everyone who is interested in traditional carptnety should find fascinating. Here's the link.

Carpenters from Europe and Beyond...

And here's a description pulled from the site...

"A new website by France's Ministry of Culture and Communication is devoted to carpenters and their work. The site sketches portraits of about a dozen men and women who, although they came to carpentry via different routes (family tradition, compagnonnage, apprenticeship or by teaching themselves), share the same passion for traditional techniques and hand craftsmanship, as well as an interest in ancient knowledge. A rich collection of multimedia brings together historic documents and contemporary accounts, reveals some of the secrets of France's ancient trade guilds, or compagnonnage, and presents images of carpenters throughout history. This is a living laboratory, based on gestures of the woodworking trade, and one that sketches a portrait of a heritage that is both alive and changing, both physical and ethereal."

Wow. Now that's cool. What if Americans valued this part of our culture to this extent?

Tagged: hand hewing, traditional timber framing, timber framing  |  1 comments

Pit Sawing Videos

Posted on July 09, 2009 by Gabel

Here's a couple of short videos of a variation of pit sawing. The videos were shot at Frame 2006 (the UK Carpenters Fellowship annual meeting) at the Avoncroft Museum. The first video shows Gabel as underdog and Henry as top dog. THe second video shows Gabel as top dog and Pat as underdog.

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Timber Framers Guild Project in North Carolina

Posted on July 07, 2009 by Gabel

We spent a large part of last month in Brasstown, NC where we helped lead a large community timber frame project with the Timber Framers Guild.

Here are some short video teasers from Jesse Knight Productions, a local film crew that captured the action.

Tagged: timber framed barn, timber framers guild  |  0 comments

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