Port Townsend School of Woodworking
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Timber Framing 2025

 

Spring 2025
June 23-28

Timber Framing

6 Days, Open to all

This six-day course covers the fundamentals of timber frame construction using the square rule method developed in New England in the early 1800s. You will learn the basics of design, layout, and cutting of structural mortise and tenon joinery under the guidance of Tom Fellenosa and Paul Dennison, of Porchlight Woodworks, a local timber frame design/build company. A conceptual understanding of the timber frame design, history, and building process will be reinforced by the hands-on experience of cutting and raising a small timber-framed building as a team. 

The sixth day of the course will include the raising of the frame off-site from PTSW’s campus. The site will be within Jefferson County. 

What is timber framing? Before the advent of structural hardware, nails, and processed kiln-dried lumber, structural members of a building were joined with mortise and tenon joints fastened with wooden pegs. Joinery design and layout methods accommodate green and inconsistent material. There are many timber framing traditions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. We will focus on the New England style of framing.

 
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Tom Fenollosa
Tom Fenollosa

Timber Framing

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Paul Denison
Paul Denison

Timber Framing

 

At the end of this six-day course, you will gain experience laying out and cutting timber frame joints using hand tools culminating in the raising of a structure on the last day of the program.

You will learn basic timber frame joinery, history, and design. You will also understand and practice the methods of cutting and fitting timber frame joinery as a team.

Tools

There are many options when it comes to timber framing tools. Some of the questions to ask yourself: what scale of work will you do after the course? Do you want to stick with only Western tools, only Japanese tools, or a mix of the two? What kind of budget are you working with? We put together the following list so that it would be useful for a wide range of applications. If you have any questions please email info@ptwoodschool.org.

Required Tools

  • 1 ½’’ framing chisel (if this is a barrier, the school has some loaners available) 

  • Mallet 

  • 25’ tape measure

  • Framing Square

  • Utility Knife

  • Sun and weather protective gear. You will be working outside. 

Recommended

  • Personal protective equipment

Prerequisites

Open to all. Students should be aware of the physical demands of the course; we are lifting heavy timbers and heavy tools all day long. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns about this at info@ptwoodschool.org. PTSW is committed to access and making reasonable accommodations to all types of learners. 

Course Information and Registration

Class runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday in Building 315 at Fort Worden. Map
Please read our What to Expect page for general information about the school.
Please also read our Registration Policy.

Class size: 12
Tuition: $1,130
Materials: $0