Instructor Mike Beganyi has posted a series of videos on his website that give a good preview of what you’ll learn during our SketchUp course offered from May 30–June 1, 2013. You can access the videos here.
Roof framing in SketchUp
In the Spring Heartwood will be updating some of its shop equipment and woodworking machines, and we’ll be looking for a good home for our trusty Delta Unisaw. This is a precision cabinetmaking saw in excellent condition, about twelve years old but used only occasionally during our woodworking courses.
Features:
Asking price: $1000 (this package would be around $3500 if bought new). Buyer must pickup in western Massachusetts. More photos available on request.
If interested, contact us at 413-623-6677 or request@heartwoodschool.com.
We recently posted a short video of Jack Sobon demonstrating hewing as part of our Converting Trees to Timber course. Check it out here.
Heartwood’s 2013 workshop schedule is now online here
One of our courses makes a great Christmas surprise
…or give Michele’s cookbook Lunches at Heartwood as a stocking stuffer.
In other news, Will Beemer talks this month about wood species on Timber Frame HQ Radio
Our upcoming 36th season includes our established collection of timber framing, woodworking and housebuilding courses, and we’re offering a few for the first time.
The new “Build Your Own” series offers workshops where you take home your project, whether it be a workbench, Windsor Chair, shavehorse, pole lathe or heirloom toolchest. In our long-running Cabinetmaking course, each student creates their own Shaker-style floor cabinet. Debuting this year will be the Advanced Concrete Countertops course involving casting multi-dimensional objects such as sinks and tubs, and we’re bringing back our challenging housed-stringer Stairbuilding course.
In response to suggestions from our graduates, we’re offering some weekend (Saturday & Sunday) workshops for the first time, and have condensed our popular Timber Frame Design and Joinery Decisions course to three days instead of five to make it easier for some folks to attend.
It’s another full season at Heartwood, with more courses than ever, and we hope you’ll find something you like and will join us in the beautiful Berkshires!
2013 Workshop Schedule
Comprehensive Housebuilding:
July 15 – 26 (2-weeks)
One week workshops:
Fundamentals of Woodworking:
April 15-19, Oct. 7-11
Cabinetmaking:
April 22-26, Oct. 14-18
Build Your Own Workbench:
April 29-May 3
Build Your Own Country Windsor Chair:
June 10-14
Build Your Own Shavehorse:
June 17-21
Timber Framing:
June 24-28, Aug. 19-23
Converting Trees to Timber:
July 8-12
Carpentry for Women:
July 29-Aug. 2
Finish Carpentry:
Aug. 12-16
Scribed Timber Framing:
Aug. 26-30
Compound Roof Framing:
Sept. 9-13
Build Your Own Pole Lathe:
Sept. 16-20
Build Your Own Heirloom Dovetail Toolchest:
Sept. 23-27
Stairbuilding:
Sept. 30-Oct.4
Home Design for Owners & Builders:
Oct. 21-25
2-day & 3-day workshops:
SketchUp for Timber Framers:
May 30-June 1
Basic Concrete Countertops:
June 1-2
Advanced Concrete Countertops:
June 7-9
The History of Timber Framing:
June 22-23
Build a Skin-on-frame Canoe:
July 5-6
Timber Frame Design & Joinery Decisions:
Sept. 5-7
There are still spaces available in the following fall one-week courses; please click on the link to find our more about each class:
Compound Roof Framing, with Will Beemer, September 10-14. WORKSHOP STARTS IN 8 DAYS!
This course is based on Will’s five-part series titled “When Roofs Collide” that appeared in Timber Framing, the quarterly journal of the Timber Framers Guild. The course is useful for more than just timber framing; regular carpenters will find the mysteries of hip and valley roof systems clarified and the lessons learned directly applicable to light framing as well.
Traditional Country Woodcraft: Build Your Own Pole Lathe, with Kevin Kiwak (shown above), October 1-5
Cabinetmaking, with Kirk Fox, October 15-19
We’ve been doing a lot of scribed timber frame projects this year, including a cabin using reclaimed (and very twisted) materials and a sign frame using round cherry trees that were projects in our just completed Scribing course. In early July the three Heartwood apprentice got their first taste of scribing by building the information kiosk shown below for Project Native, a local non-profit that is dedicated to preserving and promoting plant species that are native to the Berkshires. A number of years ago an early 1800′s barn was dismantled on the property and many timbers stockpiled for future use. Under a grant to establish walking trails and this kiosk, Heartwood was sponsored to build it using timbers from the old barn and a locust fenceline. It was quite a challenge just finding good timber to use from the pile, and then design and scribe a kiosk that could provide some shelter and be moved if need be. Good job, boys!
Project Native kiosk
23 French apprentices and master timber framers from the Compagnons du Devoir trade guild came to Heartwood in mid-July for a one-week visit. We worked on four different timber frame projects alongside our Heartwood apprentices and the crews at David E. Lanoue Co. and the partnership of Heartwood instructors Dave Bowman and Neil Godden. Previously the French group had spent a week at Bensonwood homes in New Hampshire. After their Berkshires visit the Heartwood crew accompanied them to Vermont for a week of working with numerous timber framers including Josh Jackson (TimberHome LLC), Jan Lewandoski and the crews at The Wooden House Company and the Garland Mill. All told it was a successful, if exhausting, whirlwind tour of New England history and timber framing.
A photo essay of the entire trip appears in the September issue of Timber Framing, the quarterly journal of the Timber Framers Guild.
One of the most memorable parts of the Heartwood experience is the delicious lunch Michele prepares each day. Now her cookbook Lunches at Heartwood is available to order and includes over 60 recipes for soups, sandwich fillings, salads, spreads and desserts. Lemon Bars? Blueberry Buckle? Easy Onion Soup? They’re all there.
You can get your copy by sending $20 (includes $5 shipping and handling) to Michele Beemer, 148 Middlefield Rd., Washington MA 01223. Checks should be made out to “Michele Beemer”
We still have room in most of courses coming up in late Summer and Fall, except for:
Carpentry for Women: FULL
Finish Carpentry: 1 space left
Scribing (Scribe Rule Timber Framing): 2 spaces left
Homebuilding (2-week course): 2 spaces left
Heartwood's Picasa Photo Gallery
Heartwood's YouTube video channel