My Introduction to Timber Framing

 

The first building that you come to along the driveway is a stone springhouse standing next to a heritage apple tree.  When we first saw the farm, the rustic charm of this stone building helped us fall in love with the entire property.  The roof, at the time was nearly disintegrated, however, and the structure was without a door.  A few more New York winters and this was sure to become a pile of fence stone.   But given that this was the smallest of the buildings and that everything but the roof seemed salvageable, we designated this as our first undertaking.

 

 

 

 

Other buildings on the property had grown my love for timber framing.  Something about the mass and conceptual integrity of framing with timbers using ancient joinery skills really appeals to me.  Of course, I am not a skilled craftsman and I know few people who would put down their air nailer in favor of a handsaw and chisels.  So I did what most "would be" apprentices of heritage skills do today - I bought some books and watched a load of youtube videos. 

 

The most useful and easily understood information came from  Timber Frame Construction , written by Jack Sobon and Roger Schroeder.  In it, the authors give detailed instructions for  building and assembling a 12x16 garden shed.  I modified the dimensions and assembled the sills as plates directly on the stone building.  I utilized the step-lapped rafter seat on the plates and open mortise  and tenon joints on the rafter peaks (both described in detail in the book). 

 

 All of the joinery was cut in my garage over the course of the winter months using a combination of hand tools and power tools.  As I worked, my love for hand tools grew.  As I learn more about keeping keen edges on my tools, I will certainly use them more often and enjoy the serenity that comes from working with them.

 

Currently, the springhouse is serving as a storage place for hog feed.  When it's cleaned out, I'll add some pictures of the inside including the joinery.  Next year we hope to have it in operation as a springhouse once again.  But oh the list of "next year" projects is forever growing.  We'll have to wait and see.  For now, I am thankful to have been able to save the stone structure and to have learned something in the process.

Heritage Farm History

General Store & Cider Press Building

                         

     Sitting atop a hill in central upstate New York are the remnants of one farmer’s dream to give life to local agricultural history by presenting the simplicity and beauty of a late 19th century homestead.  Miles Barber's vision, nearly four decades ago, was  ahead of it’s time with respect to agritourism, small farm diversification and community building.  This was  the Pompey Heritage Farm - a living history site for country fairs and community gatherings.  The 100+ acre site was home to a period authentic farmhouse and barns which were set apart from a small village consisting of a school, cider mill, general store, woodwright's shop, and blacksmith's shop all built by the Barber family and friends.  Future plans had included the building of several small buildings to be used as guest residences.  Two of the buildings were built and used to present willow basketry and herbal crafts.  Today, all of the buildings belie their age of  thirty-some years.  Weathered wood, faltering foundations and encroaching wildness give one the sense that here is a true relic of pre-industrial rural life.   

 The untimely death of Mr. Barber, unfortunately, stole momentum from the project and left his surviving family with the difficult responsibility of maintaining buildings, equipment, grounds and community involvement. In 2010, the family decided to sell the remaining 58 acres containing all the buildings and what was left of the heritage equipment.

This is where this blog begins. My family was fortunate enough to be able to purchase this property four years ago.  Our interest in the property was unique in that we wished to maintain some of the vision that was originally given to Miles Barber. Not so much the tourism aspect as much as the small farm sustainability and community building aspects.  Instead of tearing down buildings and "starting over" as many had advised, we desired to embrace what was left of the simplicity and sustainability of  a "not so distant" past. 

Yes, there is a lot of work to do.  Some has been done in these past few years. Mostly repairs to buildings in an effort to keep them standing.  Much has been done with regard to landscape design - orchard plantings, pond construction and pasture layout.  The bulk of  the work still lies ahead, however.  And that, I suppose, is great fodder for blog posts. Each time I find an old tool tucked in the corner of a workshop or, worse, rusted and half buried in the ground,  I am compelled to learn what it is and how it was used.  I have found without fail that each heritage tool connects to a skill which infuses the user with a sense of freedom.  

 Where this journey leads - I simply do not know.  As with everything, I'll continue to submit it to the Lord in prayer. But what I do know is that producing nourishing food for my family in a simple and sustainable way is at the heart of what I do.  If we are blessed with surplus, then sharing with the local community seems the right thing to do.  When we learn new skills - especially those skills that allow people to produce what they need independent of the industrial marketplace, then sharing those skills with  all who are interested seems the right thing to do.  I hope to have you follow along.