The focus of our Timber Framing program is centered on creating the academic environment necessary to produce multidimensional educated artisans. In order to provide this unique educational experience our students complete an intensive, integrated liberal arts curriculum. This curriculum has been developed in such a way that all courses, both academic and artistry, build upon each other and missing any portion of the curriculum provides an incomplete education. This integrated approach creates a highly focused learning environment which students find both challenging and rewarding.

Historically, timber framing has evolved from constructing basic wood structures to the high art of the vast vaulted ceilings seen in many structures around the world. The artisans who work these large timbers still use the same methods and tools developed over hundreds of years. Modern techniques and tools have made the process of working wood easier by speeding up precision and productivity, but it still takes great effort and skill to create these highly engineered interlocking structures. If you have a disposition to work with hand and power tools making wood joinery to a degree of precision akin to furniture, timber framing is an ideal trade. You must also be able to work within a team to create these structures and use geometry, trigonometry, and be adept at technical drawing. It is essential for an individual entering this trade to go through detailed training before they can become a fine worker of large timbers and wood. Timber Framing has been on the increase in this country during the last 15 years because of the renewed interest in durable, quality wooden structures and preservation.

Timber Framing is a rewarding but demanding trade. The work can be divided into two main categories: 1) working wood in a yard or workshop using hand and power tools, and 2) assembling and raising timber structures on site. This physically demanding trade requires patience, organizational skills and a keen sense of how components fit together. It is a very social trade where each individual must rely on the skills and judgment of their co-workers to accomplish the final result.

All college preparatory courses are desirable (see College Catalog), as well as courses in woodworking, shop, mechanical drawing and mathematics. Manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, physical fitness, and a good sense of balance are important. The ability to solve mathematical problems quickly and accurately is an advantage.

Timber framers may be employed as new construction timber framers, preservation timber framers, project managers, technical designers of structures, and business owners.

The timber framing curriculum consists of eight semesters that will prepare students for a career as a timber specialist. The course is designed to give a broad overview of the skills required to work in all aspects of the modern American wood construction industry. The program will specialize in two main fields: 1) cutting and working wood, and 2) assembling and raising buildings.

The course of study is designed with two distinct stages. During the first two years students develop the basic skills required to work wood and put this material into use as an architectural form on either historic or contemporary buildings. Upon completion they will receive an Associates degree and be able to competently begin working as an apprentice to a master craftsman. Students who choose and are selected to continue into the Bachelors program will complete two more years of intensive training -- honing their practical skills and techniques. They will advance their study into theoretical aspects of the timber framing industry, conservation work and business management. Students finishing the full four year curriculum will receive the education and skills needed to become a business owner and master artisan.

The student who applies for this course should have a high level of practical skills. Their background should include a determination to succeed in a field which has a fine tradition. Timber framing is a very rewarding trade which gives practitioners much satisfaction. This curriculum will teach the student the deep history of timbered building and give them the skills to continue this tradition.

An emphasis throughout the course will be on workshop and on site practice where repetition will lay the foundation for high skill levels. Initially the courses will focus on hand skills/techniques for drawing and fitting timber and the theoretical knowledge needed to apply them. These skills will lay the foundation for later workshops which extend the initial knowledge beyond practice and into accomplished work. During the third and fourth year, students will specialize in the craft by continuing to improve their skills. With repetition of process engrained within the student, they will be able to concentrate fully on the craft rather than the process. This approach will leave students with a solid background, preparing them for the rigors of working as a commercial artisan/practitioner.

Areas of study within the course will be: conservation, craft and architecture history, drawing, design and geometry, English, information technology, general wood construction, math, management and professional practice. Classes in many of these subjects will be complemented by lectures and instruction from master artisans brought in to teach specific specialties.