Well, I've finished a week long workshop here in Kansas at the University (KU). We had a great event and lots of great students.
When I got here I found a great workshop space and some nice timbers stacked up:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150831_071729.jpg)
Next to the stock Professor Burke and his students had made up some horses and ponies for us to use:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150831_071725.jpg)
He also, borrowed from a friend a great shaving horse for us to use to make the pegs we'd need:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150831_071721.jpg)
I made up a test board with a 3/4" hole through it for us to use to test each peg to make sure we made them the right size.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150901_085407.jpg)
Each student was required to make two pegs that would fit the test board.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150904_114115.jpg)
We began our week learning how to make tenons:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150831_104204.jpg)
Above is Professor Burke and student Courtney using a "rip saw" to cut the cheek cut on a tenon.
She did a good job on that:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150831_170350.jpg)
Some, if not most, of the students didn't have any experience with power tools. Here student Sam is using a power saw making some practice cuts to gain the skill to follow a line drawn on the timber.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150901_085844.jpg)
This was a standard thing we did with each student who wanted to use the power tools.
Professor Burke purchased a boring machine for us to use on the mortises and we did use that for many of them.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150901_102927.jpg)
Unfortunately that machine didn't stand up to the boring of locust timbers and had a minor break down, that forces us to go to plan "B". Which wasn't the best plan, so we moved on to plan "C" which was a good solution to the boring problem.
We ended up using a drill press on hand in the work room.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150903_134517.jpg)
Each student learned how to clean out a mortise and cut a housing.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150904_114111.jpg)
After almost all the joints were cut on two post, and all the joints were done on one tie beam and two braces we put together bent #1 on top of the horses.
This is when the students learned "fit up" to ensure the joints would go together on raising day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150904_144048.jpg)
Being that this space/work area is also used for metal sculpture there is an overhead crane. We used that to raise the bent and hold it up for a set of photos.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150904_144908.jpg)
During this event, Professor Burke had a photographer come and take pictures, videos and time lapse camera of the week's event.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150904_144829.jpg)
That means there will be more to see and share with you all later on once that they share them with me.
I'm off this morning to Nebraska to meet a new group of students and some former ones as well.
Jim Rogers
Nice work Jim! ;D
Thanks for sharing. Look forward to more photos. :D
what school department hosted the workshop? Art school? engineering department? Just curious.. I am teaching sculpture at an Art college now, and wonder how a timber framing workshop would go over with the students interested in '3D design'.
Thanks for sharing, Jim!
Here is a story about my visit at KU.
http://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/timber-framer-jim-rogers-serves-as-visiting-lecturer-as-part/article_21ca3d04-5348-11e5-a5e8-5bfcdb4ff31d.html#.VetVMyxDkSo.email (http://www.kansan.com/arts_and_culture/timber-framer-jim-rogers-serves-as-visiting-lecturer-as-part/article_21ca3d04-5348-11e5-a5e8-5bfcdb4ff31d.html#.VetVMyxDkSo.email)
If the above link doesn't work for you please let me know.
It was in the Department of Visual Art
Specifically Art, Sculpture
Wood sculpture department.
(I think I have the right department, but I'll check and update this if I have it wrong).
Jim Rogers
nice article, thanks for posting. I hope other colleges follow this example.. this kind of workshop would make a great cross listing between art, architecture, and engineering.
As an aside, a friend of mine is shop teacher of the neighboring town. With a bit of advice from me, he had the kids cut a little 12'x16' TF shed. He plans to do it again this year. It's pretty cool to see a bunch of 9th and 10th graders working on that sort of project. I think it really opens some minds as to the cool stuff that is really out there in the world, under the surface. The kids really had a lot of pride in it, and you just never know what could change someone's course in life. The same goes for something like Jim's workshop. I'll bet some minds were blown for sure!
The Professor asked the students to think back about their experiences with learning timber framing over the week long event.
Here are some of the comments they have shared:
"It took me a bit to get acclimated with the vocabulary."
"We worked slowly, I was doing one thing for an hour and it was annoying, but when I was finished it was very rewarding."
"Jim allowed us to work along side of him and watch the techniques up close."
"Jim was patient and paced at a good speed."
"Experts can sometimes not remember what it's like to be a beginner, Jim was not like that at all."
"Jim made sure not to make it a 'boy's club'. He went out of his way to talk about women timber framers and carpenters. That made a real difference for me."
Jim Rogers
It was raining here a bit yesterday, so I put on my newest head protection:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10095/20150910_142320.jpg)
The professor said I'd get a lot of recognition with this, but I haven't had any yet.
Jim Rogers