Big Beams Timber Frames

09/24/2026

Our high school students unloaded and stacked our first load of timbers today. They did a great job and are already working as a team.

09/18/2026

We are thrilled to announce that our High School Timber Framing class will be building this spectacular frame for the Wayland Free Library with a raising date of May 18, 2027. This unique frame features a dramatic Gothic center truss, King Post Trusses, and Jerkinhead Roof detail. This frame will be our 12th Community Frame Project and should provide a challenging experience for our students. Stay tuned for updates as the school year continues.

09/13/2026

I worked with the FLT Alley Cat Trail Crew this weekend to assemble this timber framed Lean-To on the trail near Rushford NY. This is the 7th timber framed lean-to that I have designed and cut for the trail as a volunteer all with different designs/proportions. The crew is made up of a large number of folks who return every year to volunteer their time to build shelters, re-route trail sections, clear trail, arrange for permission, arrange lodging, and prepare meals. It’s always great to get to work with these extraordinary, community-minded people. The world needs more of this.

09/10/2026

Got this small Lean-to frame loaded as the sun was setting. Raising starts Saturday so stay tuned.

08/08/2026

We just completed our Adult Classes and raised the project frame today. This frame was cut over the past two weeks in our shop. It is a pond-side pavilion built for a wonderful family not far from our shop. We had the pleasure of teaming up with Dan Flinn of Quarry View Timber Works on this project and it was truly great to share thoughts and approaches. Turns out we have a tremendous amount in common and shared many long talks and deep laughs. We even spent some time sailing on Keuka Lake in a 28 ft whaling boat built by my great friend Craig. This frame features two king post bents, a modified center sling brace bent, two styles of English Tying Joint (both dovetail and cog), and walnut gunstocks at the middle bent. I think our students did an exceptional job on this one. “Whether we built it or not, it would have taken the same time.”

07/15/2026

A few weeks ago, our founder and lead instructor was interviewed by a former student who, among other things besides being a podcaster with his lovely wife, is also a retired Green Beret Special Operator, former Army Drill Sergeant of the year, motivational speaker, and author. The podcast touches on a wide variety of topics including the craft of connecting with students, Rob’s personal journey as a self-taught craftsman, leadership development, the gestalt of timber framing, maple syrup making, and the meaning of life. There’s even a little quantum entanglement tossed in for good measure. Best of all you get a sense of the person you will be learning directly from at our Adult Classes. We still have a few openings for our TF Boot Camp class in Western NY July 27-Aug 1 as well as our Expanded TF class Aug 3-8.

The best teachers don't just teach subjects, they change lives.In...

07/06/2026

We still have openings in both our Boot Camp class and Expanded TF class. We will be cutting a unique frame with a wide variety of traditional joinery including king post trusses and English Tying Joints. Shoot us an email at [email protected] with any questions.

05/21/2026

Here are a number of photos from our 2026 High School Timber Frame class, culminating in the raising of our frame at The Vincent House on May 19, 2026. Please note that all photos have descriptive captions. They paint an incomplete picture of how our students have grown as craftsmen and craftswomen over the past 10 months.

05/20/2026

Link to the Time Lapse of our Student Frame Raising on May 19, 2026

Here is a Time Lapse of the High School Timber Frame Class Raising at the Vincent House in Wayland, NY May 19, 2026.

05/19/2026

Although I will post photos of today’s High School Student-cut Frame Raising in a little while, I thought I’d share this drone movie taken by Elizabeth Kreppel Fovel as it really captures the beauty and significant complexity of their work. Do Hard Things!