Services

As professional Timber Framers, we offer you our skills in building with timber and reclaimed wood. We will build your timber frame from reclaimed wood or new wood, from originally hand hewn to re-sawn, it's your choice. We can also help with the design of your project.

• Traditional mortise and tenon joinery
• Custom hand hewing with broadaxe and adze.
• Custom sawmilling to your specifications, from large dimension timber to the smallest boards.
• Custom planing and kiln-drying.
• Chinking and re-chinking for log structures using traditional lime mortar or the more modern PermaChink™.

About these terms:

Traditional Joinery

This is an ancient craft of joining large timbers one to the other. It is the essence of framing with timber or timber framing, as it is commonly known. Where one timber is intended to meet another, a rectangular hole or mortise is fashioned in one piece using chiselsand it's mate has a tongue or tenon carved onto the end in such a way that they marry or fit together perfectly, till death do them part. But just in case they should change their minds and want to part, a 1 inch dowel will seal the deal. There is a myriad of variations to this joint depending on the application of loads and stresses. See our list of books to read for more details on this.

Custom Hand Hewing

While it's true we deal in authentic hewn timber, occasionally we get request for a dimension that was not common in 'the old days'. The old hewn timbers were squared to dimensions that were… well, square! So, when we get an architect or designer who has to spec. a 6" x 12" timber for their client we can offer to hew it square the old fashioned way, with a broadaxe and an adze. Sawing it to those dimensions just doesn't cut it! Our clients come to us for the real McCoy - hand hewn.

Kiln Drying

it is very important for wood to be at a constant moisture content before installing it in your home, particularly flooring. If it is too high, which means that the cells of the wood contain water, your floor will develop spaces between boards as they naturally dry out in your home. We offer kiln drying under careful conditions to ensure that your wood arrives at it's desired moisture content at a rate that will not harm the wood- slower is best!

Chinking

This is the mortar or plaster that you see in between logs in a log cabin. Its purpose is to keep cold air and rain outside where it belongs, keeping it's occupants inside warm and dry. A proper mix will contract and expand with the logs as the moisture in the air changes from season to season. The proper application is designed to shed water away from the logs like a shingle on your roof. While the modern PermaChink™ products come in a wide variety of colors, we still prefer the old way.

Straw Bale Construction

Although we are still new to this area of 'Green Building', what we do know is that we believe in this new 'old way' of creating a natural insulative building envelope that allows your home to breathe while it's plaster skin sheds the elements. It is a system that has been in continuous use for millennia, and for good reason- it works! We will be offering workshops here where you can come and get your hands dirty and learn how to do it yourself. We will be building our own new home using straw bale this summer 2004, we hope!

Rustic Furniture

We will soon be carrying a whole line of hand-made rustic furniture made right here in our shop using reclaimed wood salvaged from century-old barns found here in Ontario.

We can create sturdy harvest tables, jelly cupboards, bedside tables and four-poster beds with a rugged look of yesteryear. If you have an idea or a design, please let us quote the job to build it for you.

Policies, Shipping & NAFTA

   Back