SCRIBE JOINERY II - FRENCH SCRIBE Aug 16-22, 2026
Overview:
In this class we will be taking a deep dive into French Scribing, a centuries-old technique for laying out joinery with minimal numeric calculation or math. It is particularly useful for joining out-of-square timbers and curved timbers that have been milled with flat faces. (For an introduction to scribing with round logs, you'll want to look into the "Scribe Joinery I" class.)
With the use of a full-scale chalk line drawing on the floor, paired with steady hands and simple tools like a plumb bob, pencil, and straight edge, students will learn to transfer the unique shape of each timber to adjoining members, along with layout for mortise and tenon joinery. This technique lends itself well to working with hand tools since housings and shoulders are often slightly out of square from the timbers.
French scribe fundamentals are covered in the "Fundamentals of Scribing" class, which is highly recommended as a prerequisite. In this class we will be reinforcing those skills and also taking a deeper look into the finer points of scribing with a plumb bob, with the opportunity to cut an entire timber frame using this technique. There are many delicate steps involved with French scribing and we will be working toward a methodical approach that will give students the confidence to tackle any joinery project with twisted, seasoned, out-of-square, or curvy milled or hewn timbers.
This class is a 200-level course and previous experience is recommended. If you have not taken a previous course in scribe joinery, whether at the Heartwood School or some other school, it is recommended that you have previous scribe experience or previous timber framing experience. This course will primarily focus on the premise of French scribe layout. It would be helpful for students to at least have joint cutting experience.
Schedul e
Sunday: 11am - 5:00pm
Monday-Saturday: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Note: Lunch will be provided throughout the course
Instructors:
Adam Miller (see INSTRUCTORS page to view instructor bios
)
Recommended Reading:
(Copies of some of these will be available for download upon registration)
