TIMBER FRAME FINISHING - DECORATIVE PLANING, CHAMFERS, & BEADING

Photo credit Cummings, A. L. The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1626-1725 . Belknap Press, 1979.

Available dates appear at the bottom of the page

OVERVIEW:

This 5 day hands-on course builds on Heartwood’s trade-focused approach to timber framing and finish carpentry. The class emphasizes practical skills, traditional techniques, and informed decision-making for decorative planing and detailing on exposed structural timbers.

Students will work with both hand and power tools to produce clean, consistent planed surfaces suitable for finished work. Instruction includes sharpening and tuning hand planes irons, efficient power planing strategies, and hand planing for final surface quality. Decorative detailing will focus on wide stop chamfers on posts, including the layout and execution of lamb’s tongues and other traditional stop details, as well as beading details on floor joists.

In keeping with Heartwood’s emphasis on understanding tools and processes, students will fabricate simple beading tools from old saw stock, gaining insight into tool geometry, customization, and maintenance. The course concludes with an overview of oil finishes commonly used on timber frames, including hands-on application of Heritage Natural Finishes.

The goal of the course is to expose students to a range of decorative chamfer, beading, and planed-finish options, and to develop the skills and judgment needed to select and execute appropriate details in real-world timber framing and high-end wood construction projects.

Who this course is for:

Timber framers, carpenters, woodworkers, and owner-builders with basic tool familiarity who want to refine finish work skills and expand their decorative detailing vocabulary.

INSTRUCTOR :

Seth Kelley (see INSTRUCTORS page to view instructor bios).

AVAILABLE DATES :