timberrrr
timberrrr
timber framing is going splendidly. weve cut about seventeen pieces of the frame, mostly braces. three posts are complete, one of them the most complicated in the frame. it took me a full day to cut it.
more or less, except for tuesdays, i will be at destiny for the next month. so, reports here may come in only once a week.
its wonderful living and working on the land. dhammiboo has prepared fantastic lunches and dinners, though he claims no expertise! we gather in the morning over breakfast, talk about the days tasks, plan trips into town when we need to, and then get to work. under our large work tent weve got three sets of sawhorses supporting three workstations. we keep collective tools on the stack of 2x4s drying next to the workstations. each person usually has a piece thats theirs to finish. everyone works at their own pace and we help each other out when its needed. most days include teaching someone new how to work a chisel.
the magic of timberframing, for me anyway, is the joinery. ive said a couple times to folks when showing them chiselwork: "youre not just whittling away here, youre creating a relationship!" you spend the day, sometimes longer, chipping away at a timber, working your way down to some lines that dont necessarily make any sense to you. you do your best to create the smoothest most accurate work you can, often betrayed by eagerness and impatience. the wood works with you sometimes, against you others. each cut is a new challenge asking you to be present and attentive. at times the workplace is silent except for the sound of tools. at others its raucous with jokes, laughter and stories. and, eventually, when youre all done and your back is a bit sore and your palms are calloused from the thousand whacks of the chisel that you put into your piece, you stand back and you see youve created a beauty despite all your "learning." then, my favorite moment happens. you try your piece with its companion. theres nothing like the look of wonder and accomplishment when people first see how the piece theyve worked fits with its mate. without fail its a moment of clarity that induces exlamations of "i get it!" and waxings about the simple profundity of the work theyve done.
timberrrr
