Lines — of — Separation
Introduction
Many folks (including myself) love the look of an old barn framed with heavy timbers, joined with handcrafted mortise & tenon joinery and drawn together with handmade wooden pegs, or a rustic log cabin, with the massive log walls featuring traditional chink-lines and distinctive hand-cut dovetail corner notches.
For those of you reading this, hopefully you too have a deep appreciation for historic structures such as these, along with placing a high level of value & significance on the methods involved in the handcrafting of the various types of joinery inherent in heavy timbered structures such as these.
Not to be excluded is the vast time investment required in producing a truly handcrafted timbered structure, while also factoring in the non-production (but still job-related) tasks that take place behind the scenes.
Therefore, I’d like to place a bit more emphasis on this subject matter, to give folks a better insight into my own process and methods of how their framework is crafted.
After all, whoever you end up choosing to fabricate your timber frame or log cabin, the “process and methods” will play a large part in what you will ultimately be purchasing too, so this aspect will be a vital component in your decision-making also.
A few different philosophies and methods have evolved within the world of timber framing & log building since the revival of timber framing in the early 1980’s.
Various “new” timber joints have been introduced to accommodate the modern designs that have sprung up as well, while still others produce “post & beam” structures masquerading as “timber frames”, incorporating gusset-plated/bolted together/flush cut timbers, with any wood-to-wood joinery nonexistent.
In the world of log building, the modern “D-log” profile with its “butt & pass” corners that many log home companies offer today has taken up residence in the landscape of suburban America as to what most folks perceive a log structure to really look like.
But are you really getting truly handcrafted timberwork?
And more importantly, to what extent does this matter to you?
Would you be satisfied with merely the illusion of craftsmanship……?
There are those that are simply content with the visual impact of large timbers within their framework. It matters little to them regarding the method of attachment to one another, whether the timbers are joined with traditional mortise & tenon pegged joinery, butted/bolted together, or gusset plated.
Nor is it important to them whether any timber joinery is machine-produced or hand-cut with the tools of a long-gone era. And that is all fine, as this is an individual preference.
But to others, the traditional wood-to-wood, pegged timber joinery, the structures they unify, and the detail-oriented ideals of craftsmanship represent a connection to a now lost, much simpler time in our country’s past.
These two varying approaches to timber carpentry and the differences between them are what I feel makes my process and methods rather distinct in today’s world, separates my business from most others, and allows me to craft tradition, uniqueness, and extraordinary value into your framework.
The term “handcrafting”, I suppose, can be interpreted a few different ways. All too often, I see it referenced in today’s advertising much too casually.
In my opinion, it has become misrepresented and diluted to the point that the true meanings of the concepts behind the word have been lost in the eyes of the general public.
To my way of thinking, and as I apply it to the crafts of timber framing and log building, it is a tradition-based methodology; a triangular bond creating a personal link between the craftsman, the wood, and his hand tools.
A parallel issue that relates to the above subject matter is the widespread pervasiveness, acceptance, and even admiration in our modern culture of how fast a given task can be accomplished.
From cooking 10-minute meals to completing a turnkey, suburban-tract house in a few months, our instant-gratification-based society has gradually moved away from placing value and appreciation on the process and methods of how a product is created. We’ve re-directed that value and admiration to the speed with which a given task is completed or product produced.
Handcrafted timberwork is simply not conducive to that type of mindset. This awareness, understanding and (hopefully) appreciation on your part will play a big part in the successful completion of your project.
With all this being said, I also do not wish to leave you with the impression that my approach to heavy timber carpentry translates to a more costly framework.
Since I operate as a one-man-business with no employees, no expensive heavy machinery to purchase and maintain, and no other external expenses that are common to other similar businesses that create “overhead” and are passed on to you, I have put myself in a much better position to offer you a uniquely-crafted product displaying truly handcrafted wood-to-wood joinery that is a one-of-a-kind timber-framework at a very affordable price.
I go into greater detail concerning how I view a potential business relationship in my 13-page contract, in which I explain my very-traditional, non-conventional business philosophy, an approach where every labor & material charge is transparent and identified.