Day 1: Mortise & Tenons and Layout

Day 2: Floor Systems

Day 3: Constructing Walls

Day 4: Roof System

Day 5: Assembly & Raising

In this course, students will reconstruct the historic Holten House Privy (ca 1700) using traditional mortise and tenon joinery. Students will work from a full-size drawing on the floor in order to capture the key measurements needed to build the frame. Construction methods cover the use of traditional hand tools such as: chisels, mallets, T-handle Augers, hand- cranked boring machines, in addition to the sharpening techniques for these tools. The evolution of tooling will be discussed, and modern methodologies (such as chainsaw mortisers) will be demonstrated and utilized. Students will also have the opportunity to learn peg making with shaving horses and drawknives.

This class will culminate with a hand raising of the newly built timber frame. With the skills and experience gleaned from participating in the full 5 days of this course, students will have what they need to design and build their own timber framed structures in the future.