This is a thorough and profusely illustrated guide to building a timber-frame house. Grounded in ancient tradition, timber-frame construction is admirably suited to fulfill today's need for durable, energy-efficient housing and other building needs. First published in 1977, this book is now in its ninth printing and is established as a classic in the field.

The first guide to timber framing written specifically for beginners! Expert Will Beemer takes you through the entire process from start to finish, beginning with timber sourcing and ending with a finished building. Using full-color photos, detailed drawings, and clear step-by-step instructions, Beemer shows you exactly how to build one small (12ʹ x 16ʹ) timber-frame structure — suitable for use as a cabin, workshop, or studio. He also explains how to modify the structure to suit your needs and location by adding a loft, moving doors or windows, changing the roof pitch, or making the frame larger or smaller. You’ll end up with a beautiful building as well as solid timber-framing skills that you can use for a lifetime.

This definitive manual marks the birth of a new vernacular for the 21st century. Over 400 color photographs and step-by-step instructions guide you through the building of anything from a garden shed to your own woodland house. This practical how to book will unquestionably be a benchmark for sustainable building using renewable local resources and evolving traditional skills to create durable, ecological, and beautiful buildings.

All those of us without traditional skills need to know to build with timber framing Many natural building methods rely upon the use of post and beam frame structures that are then in-filled with straw, cob, cordwood, or more conventional wall materials. But traditional timber framing employs the use of finely crafted jointing and wooden pegs, requiring a high degree of craftsmanship and training, as well as much time and expense. However, there is another way... Timber Framing for the Rest of Us describes the timber framing methods used by most contractors, farmers, and owner-builders, methods that use modern metal fasteners, special screws, and common sense building principles to accomplish the same goal in much less time. And while there are many good books on traditional timber framing, this is the first to describe in depth these more common fastening methods. The book includes everything an owner-builder needs to know about building strong and beautiful structural frames from heavy timbers, including: the historical background of timber framing crucial design and structural considerations procuring timbers-including different woods, and recycled materials foundations, roofs, and in-filling consdierations the common fasteners. A detailed case study of a timber frame project from start to finish completes this practical and comprehensive guide, along with a useful appendix of span tables and a bibliography. Highly illustrated, this book enables 'the rest of us' to build like the professionals and will appeal to owner-builders, contractors and architects alike.

Summary: Chappell presents a comprehensive treatise on the history and construction of compound timber frame roof system. Beginning with the history and elements of natural design, he unfolds the process of designing and building joined hip and valley timber frame roof systems from the design and theory through layout and execution. Using geometry and math, mixed with harmonics and musical overtones, this is the most complete work ever on the art and design of compound timber frame joinery.--COVER.

"Portions of the manual are updated, expanded, and edited versions of articles which have previously appeared in Joiners' quarterly"--T.p. verso.

Discover the satisfaction of making your own durable, economical, and environmentally friendly timber frame structures. Covering all aspects of timber frame construction, this practical guide is filled with easy-to-understand instructions, clear illustrations, and helpful photographs. With expert advice on selecting appropriate timber, necessary tools, safety considerations, joinery techniques, assembly, and raising, Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder encourage beginners by offering complete plans for a small toolshed. Turn your dream of a timber frame house into a reality.

Hand Hewn is a gorgeous celebration of the traditions and artistry of timber-frame building, a 7,000-year-old craft that holds an enduring attraction for its simple elegance and resilience. Internationally renowned timber-frame architect and craftsman Jack A. Sobon offers a fascinating look at how the natural, organic forms of trees become the framework for a home, with profiles of the classic tools he uses to hand hew and shape each timber, and explanations of the engineering of the wooden joinery that connects the timbers without a single nail. Inspiring photos of Sobon’s original interior home designs, as well as historical examples of long-lived structures in Europe and North America, make this a compelling tribute to the lasting value of artisanal craftsmanship and a thoughtful, deliberate approach to designing buildings.

Second Edition

A comprehensive book that covers all aspects of timber framing and hewn log construction. The book covers information on design, tree selection, tool selection, hewing, and framing. The author sequentially guides the builder through the process, revealing various options for every aspect of framing. The book is profusely illustrated, relying on pictures to convey the process. Whether one wishes to learn how to hew a timber, cut mortise and tenon joinery, create a King post truss or raise a timber frame by hand or with a crane, it is covered in this book.