Review
Among owner-builders, the traditional timber frame has been held as a pinnacle of achievement--for its rich history, unsurpassed beauty, and the sense of accomplishment it can offer. As founder and director of Fox Maple School of Traditional Building, Steve Chappell--author of A Timber Framer's Workshop/i>--is in a unique position to share the knowledge he's aquired over the past 30 years. The title page says this book has been a work in progress for 15 years. The detail offered in illustrations and explanations supports that completely. Design and engineering make up a good part of this bookbut it also includes an essential introduction, a section on tools, wood characteristics, and joint details, among many other subjects. The point is, Chappell's 256-page book should not be overlooked if you are serious about timber framing. -- Back Home Magazine, Sept/Oct 1999
Thank you for A Timber Framer's Workshop. I have been wanting to add a book like this to Earthwood's Book Catalog for years. Other books in the field are either glossy coffee table fare (pretty to look at, but lacking in hard-core info) or they are not particularly user-friendly. It's great to see a timber framing book which is logically organized for easy extraction of the essential information. We are pleased to add your crisply written textbook to our list. --Rob Roy, Director, Earthwood Building School, October 1999
Throughout the book, Chappell shares an infectious love of the art of timber framing. A journeyman carpenter would be able to cut a timber frame with the information presented in this book...His comprehensive 'Joinery Design', 'Tension Joinery', and 'Roof Framing & Truss Design' sections are technical enough to hand to your engineer, but also comprehendable by the layman --Fine Homebuilding
About the Author
Steve Chappell began his timber framing career in 1970 and has been building, teaching and writing about the craft ever since. As the editor & publisher of
Joiners Quarterly, The Journal of Timber Framing & Traditional Building, Chappell was an early and prominent advocate of timber framing and traditional building during the early days of the revival. The Journal represented the most comprehensive source for timber framing and traditional building information available at that time. Through his calls to unite in
JQ, the seeds of a guild were laid, and in 1984 co-founded the Timber Framers Guild. As a way of bringing the written information into more tangible use, Chappell founded Fox Maple School of Traditional Building in 1983. The schools campus, in West Brownfield, Maine, currently conducts courses in timber framing and traditional building methods, including traditional clay infill, thatching and progressive natural building systems.
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