Timber Framing Workshop

Join the NTF Class of 2024!

One weekend: April 26-28, 2024
Full days: approx. 8am-4pm

  • No prior construction or woodworking experience is necessary.
  • This class is open to anyone 18 years of age and up. Don’t count yourself out due to age, gender or background; great physical strength is not a requirement – we will have strength in numbers!
  • Tuition includes the 3 day class, additional workshop in June, and culminates with the raising of a timber framed structure in September.
  • Class size is limited to 40 students, so reserve your spot ASAP!

2024 Class Details

Our 3-day workshop is designed to seamlessly blend theory and practice by immersing students in the rich traditions of timber framing through engaging classroom sessions and hands-on experiences. This course covers the fundamentals of timber frame construction using the square rule method, developed in New England during the early 1800's - back when folks thought "logarithm" was just a fancy way to describe a beaver's impressive tree-cutting skills! Whether you're a novice carpenter or a seasoned pro, our workshop promises to be both informative and interactive.

Day 1: Knowledge

Date:
April 26, 2024
Time:
8:00am - 4:00pm
Location: 
The Dudley Farm's Munger Barn
2351 Durham Road
Guilford, CT 06437

The Dudley Farm's Munger Barn was originally constructed in 1890 on the Munger Farm in Madison, CT, but found a new home with The Dudley Foundation in the mid-1990s. After being carefully dismantled and stored at The Dudley Farm Museum, it experienced a revival through an old fashioned barn raising in 2002 by the Northford Timber Framers.

This timber framed gem provides the perfect setting for an immersive day of learning the square rule method, exploring both historic and modern tools, and delving into frame layout and fabrication.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. If you have any specific dietary restrictions or allergies, please inform us and we'll make every effort to accommodate.

As a token of appreciation, each student will receive a complimentary NTF t-shirt and we'd be delighted if you sported it to class on Saturday. See you there!

Days 2+3: The Craft

Date:
April 27 & 28, 2024
Time:
8:00am - 4:00pm
Location:
Cecarellis Harrison Hill Farm
186 Old Post Road
Northford, CT 06472

Cecarellis Harrison Hill Farm is a beautiful family owned farm with over 125 acres of premium crops, offering PYO strawberries and a CSA with the best produce around!

Engage in hands-on fabrication as groups of 2 or 3 students collaborate with our seasoned and skillful volunteer instructors to learn the basics of timber frame design, layout, and cutting of structural mortise and tenon joinery. We will use a combination of antique and modern tools to create timbers anyone would be proud to use.

As with Friday, lunch and refreshments will be provided. If you have any specific dietary restrictions or allergies, please inform us and we'll make every effort to accommodate.

At the end of this 3-day course, students should have a conceptual understanding of the timber frame design, history, and practice methods of cutting and fitting timber frame joinery using the square rule method.

Upon completing the Introduction to Timber Framing class with us, you'll have the opportunity to further refine your new skills and deepen your understanding of this craft at our June 1-2, 2024 Workshop. The course will culminate with the raising of the timber frame barn in Cushing, Maine this September. Details on those two events will be announced soon.

Working with timbers requires participants to utilize their minds along with the rewarding satisfaction of working with their hands.  The process of building a timber frame is as important in the craft as it is in the completed structure.  The best part of timber framing is the spirit of cooperation that comes from a group of people eager to learn and working together toward a common goal.  If you have always dreamed of building a timber framed structure, but just did not know where to begin, we can provide you the opportunity to get started.