Heavy Timber Carpentry ​​​​​​Inspired by 19th Century, Early American Building Traditions
Timber Frame Houses, Dovetail Log Cabins, Timber Frame Pavilions, Horse Barns.
Welcome to Square Peg Timber Joinery, located in the Trumbull County area of northeast Ohio, where I’ve chosen to focus my business on the time-honored building traditions of a much simpler time in early America: constructing truly handcrafted, rustic, traditional timber frame structures and dovetail corner-notched log cabins. These two diverse, yet interwoven building styles from our American pioneering past are linked by a common thread that binds both crafts; wood-to-wood timber joinery, joinery that is crafted with the same hand tools of long ago, under the watchful eyes and patient hands of the craftsman.
Everyone approaches their craft/trade a bit differently, and those in the world of timber framing and log building are no different. There are some that believe in contemporary designs and use a more modern, mechanized approach, with an eye on high production. And there are those that choose to align their building philosophy more closely to the historical roots of early American heavy timber carpentry. I proudly fall within this latter group. The 200 year old structures of the past have left a lasting imprint on the building philosophy that I bring to each and every project, strongly rooted in the designs, hand tools and joinery inherent in the vernacular frameworks common to 18th & 19th century American settlement areas.
The same hand-tools that crafted the mortise & tenon joints in the timbers of an old barn, and shaped the dovetail notches in an early settlers log cabin, are some of the same tools that fill my shop and craft timber joinery: antique & restored Disston handsaws, 150 yr old timber framing chisels, an 1870's handcrank beam drill, wooden planes, draw-knives, auger-bits, and axes, all at one time owned, cared-for, and utilized by a proud craftsman of long ago.
You will see the words "traditional" and "handcrafted" pop up quite often on this website, and as they relate to my work, have these core elements in common: a) skeletal timber-framework designs and log wall profiles replicating those of 18th-19th century America, b) timbers fastened together with mortise & tenon pegged wooden joinery strongly rooted in historical precedent, with same criteria applying to log wall corner notching methods, and c) wood joinery crafted with hand-tools.
During the time it takes me to craft your timber frame or dovetail log cabin, two issues are ever-present in the work-ethic that I bring to each and every project: attention-to-detail, and craftsmanship. The required time frame allotments (per project) allow me to spend the quality time during joinery layout and then with the hand tools that I believe is absolutely necessary in upholding the standards and concepts of a truly handcrafted dovetail log cabin or timber frame.
I realize that people who are simply shopping for the least cost and quickest turn-around time, or perhaps a contemporary timber design may not be interested in my building methods and traditional structures. But I also believe that there are folks out there who truly appreciate and value the craftsmanship inherent in a traditionally joined framework, one that will separate them from the mainstream timber frames and manufactured log structures that dot the suburban landscape. One where traditional designs, the same hand-tools that shaped timbers 150 years ago, and the historic timber-joinery details are just as important to you as the end result.
So if you're looking for an "old-fashioned" timber frame structure or dovetail log cabin that will be crafted using "old-fashioned" tools and methods, one that is a rustic alternative to the upscale/modern designs featured in the magazines, I sincerely hope that you will consider Square Peg Timber Joinery for that special building project that you've been planning!
Thank you for your interest.
     Ron Mansour / Square Peg Timber Joinery LLC
             [email protected]
Follow me on Instagram @ronsptj for pics of recent projects!
