Way Back

June 10th, 2009

I found a few pics scanned from slides to CD of my formative timber frame years. The snap below is from a barn repair and conversion I collaborated on outside of Columbus, Ohio. The hewn oak swing beam is 12″ thick and 24″ tall at the center. The posts are gunstocked in the direction of the plates and there was an interlocking tie / plate / post joint to bring everything together.

Swing beam - typical of Bent 2 and 3. Hewn white oak.

Swing beam - typical of Bent 2 and 3. Hewn white oak.

Recent Work - Salina, KS

May 29th, 2009

05-15-09-wheaton-48

Private Residence in Salina, KS.
Architect - David Exline
Builder - Bill Davis of Davis and Associates
Timber Frame - Mike Beganyi / New Energy Works
Timber Frame Materials - Douglas Fir and RF Dried Douglas Fir
Photos courtesy of David Exline.

SketchUp for Timber Framers and Designers

May 11th, 2009
SketchUp for Timber Framers and Designers 2008 class photo.

SketchUp for Timber Framers and Designers 2008 class photo.

There are still a few seats remaining for the SketchUp for Timber Framers and Designers at Heartwood May 25-27, 2009. Contact Will (will (at) heartwoodschool (dot) com for more details, or visit the Heartwood website.

Traditional joinery and shop drawings...

Traditional joinery and shop drawings...

...and tricks and tips for modeling compound joinery.

...and tricks and tips for modeling compound joinery.

Interesting Tree - SFO

May 10th, 2009
Spiral trunk.

Spiral trunk...

Interesting tree found on the Land’s End trail in San Francisco. Whipped by the wind and living in the fog it reminds me of another tree that lives in a very different environment back east. Turning north we had a great view to the bridge.

View to the bridge...

View to the bridge...

Roof Carpentry

May 8th, 2009

Found via a link from the Timber Framer’s Guild Design Forum.

Happy Earth Day

April 22nd, 2009
Its the only one we've got...

Its the only one we've got...

Life on Two Wheels

April 6th, 2009
North Light on the Burlington Waterfront.

North Light on the Burlington Waterfront.

A recent snap from one of my early morning rides. Spring is slowly showing itself… life on two wheels returns to form.

Egg Drop

April 2nd, 2009

Rifling through my various portfolios I found slides of work completed by some of my students way back in 1999. I had the pleasure (and challenge) of getting a last minute assignment to teach foundation level design at the Cleveland Institute of Art. I was simultaneously trying to breathe new life into the foundation level wood shop - so I had my hands full as I took time off from graduate school. A mid semester project was to create a device to lower an egg two stories safely to the ground. Typically a high school physics problem - we explored this as conceptual art meets design problem. I placed a heavy focus on ‘craft’ and hands on skill building in my course - be it a student taking on complicated wood and metal working or learning techniques for staging and coordinating their own documentary photography. Concept played a key role in all of the projects - and craft followed as students learned to make their vision a physical reality. Below are a few of my favorites.

A Small Office

March 26th, 2009

A project on the boards for a small office located in Brecksville, Ohio. The building is sited in a flood plain and overlooks a wonderful creek - so we will be creative with the landscaping and what will appear to be a massive native stone foundation. I’m working out a timbered deck for the creek side of the building, and we are discussing solar on the south roof. The building will feature a timber frame core and loft with a series of work rooms under timber trusses. We’re planning a SIP roof and conventionally framed walls with cellulose insultation. Lots of stone and wood on the exterior and a collection of built in furniture and work stations throughout.

I’m working through the bulk of the project in SketchUp in an attempt to integrate as much of the drawing and detailing as I can into the live 3d model of the frame and shell.

A Not so Big House

March 25th, 2009

Greg’s house in Plainfield, VT - a not so big timber frame with a warm and sunlit main living area and two lofts for storage and a home office.

Detail of the center bent and bracing.

Detail of the center bent and bracing.

More images and information to come over at Greg’s little company website - Sticks and Stones.