Women’s Timber Framing
Women’s Timber Framing Workshop: Building Without Nails
No timberframing experience required: This course is accessible from beginners with little experience to builders who want to learn the craft of timber framing.
The timber frame being built during this course is a 7′ x 9′ bath house, to serve the ongoing needs of the Canelo Project.
Women make up less than 5% of US carpenters by trade. The purpose of this course is to provide a supportive learning environment for women to work with their hands, using traditional and modern tools to learn the craft of timber frame building. The women who take this class may use these skills to pursue personal building projects or continue to develop their skills in pursuit of a career working with wood.
LOGISTICS
- Dates: This course begins with orientation and dinner Saturday evening 6pm, Nov 16, and ends Friday, Nov 22, at 5pm. Dinner that final evening and breakfast the following morning will be provided.
- Tools – This course will primarily utilize hand tools for both layout and cutting of timber frame joinery. The most frequently used tools will be a tape measure, framing square, hand saw, chisel and mallet. A recommended list of tools will be shared with students. Students are not required to bring tools, but are welcome to do so.
- Meals: All meals are included in the workshop price.
- Accommodations: Camping and bunkroom beds are available and included in the worshop. We have a few private rooms available for an extra cost.
- Deposit – A $400 deposit is required to register for this workshop
Read more as you register on our General Workshop Info
Daily Workshop Schedule
- Arrival previous evening, dinner at 7pm, introductions 8pm
- Day 1 – Introduction to timber framing history and practice, and design
- Beginning square rule layout
- Joinery introduction
- Intro to tools
- Sharpening tools
- Using hand tools to cut tenons
- Intro to cutting mortises
- Laying out and cutting mortises & tenons
- Introduction to power tools
- Laying out and cutting wind braces
- Blacksmithing demo
- Students finalize their individual pieces
- Assemble them to prepare for raising.
- Canelo Tour
- Milling demo
- Evening discussion of raising day logistics and preparation
- Assembly of the frame and community raising celebration
Instructors
Jenna Pollard discovered timber framing in 2010 while studying homestead skills in southeastern Minnesota. Since then, she’s assisted on numerous timber frame projects and raisings, built herself an off-grid cabin in rural South Dakota, and started teaching workshops to share these skills with others.
Her passion for teaching has led her to offer women’s timber framing courses as a way to grow the number of women in the trades and provide a supportive learning environment for other women. She currently resides in Finland, MN, and offers timber framing workshops throughout the year.
Maggie Kloote’s journey as a civil engineer began amidst the rolling landscapes and vibrant communities of Great Lakes, Michigan. She received a Master’s degree in civil & structural engineering from Michigan Technological University. After which she embarked on a career path in the field of structural design for high-end residential homes in the stunning Tahoe region.
Despite this success, Maggie found herself craving a more adventurous lifestyle. Fueled by her urge to get her hands dirty, she decided to explore timber framing and sustainable construction. This led her to met her partner Oso Steen and the Steen family. Maggie embraced natural building as a way to integrate all her passions – architectural design, building, engineering and teaching – into a fulfilling lifestyle.
Today, Maggie is executing her own natural building designs on private projects with her partner Oso. She is passionate about empowering others to embark on their own natural building journeys.