annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Learn to Timber Frame is a very well organized and understandable tutorial guide for planning and building timber framed structures written by Will Beemer. Originally released in 2016, this reformat and re-release is due out 21st Jan 2025 from Hachette on their Storey imprint. It's 192 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. (Other earlier edition available in hardcover).
Especially during and after covid, given the frenetic pace under which most of us are forced to live our lives, reconnecting with handwork and having something tangible to show for our efforts is a huge and important source of mental and physical health. This author really *gets* that, and does a great job of making the theory and process of timber framing a basic structure accessible to most readers. It's full of information and people with some "handy" experience should be able to create a small timber framed structure with the information and illustrations contained in the book.
The author does a good job of presenting the basics: design, tools, safety, layout systems, cutting and layout, a *full* step by step tutorial to a small build, variations on the design, raising a frame, and foundations & enclosing the building frame.
The author and publisher have also included an abbreviated resources and links list (slanted toward readers in North America), as well as a glossary, bibliography, and cross referenced index. The book is beautifully photographed in color throughout.
Five stars. It would make an excellent choice for public or secondary school library acquisition, for a handyperson's reference library, or possibly for activity or community gardening/self sufficiency groups.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.