Pilot Course At Fort Ware Kwadacha Nation
Totem Timber Frames piloted our first course at Fort Ware. Through government funding and community financing the community took on this contract. Using the funding Bernie purchased all the tools required for the course as well as future projects. Each member was paid their work wage and received their own book and a tool box with their own tools. The bigger machine tools were purchased for to the community to share on future projects.
Using Kwadacha Natural Resources mill the community harvested their own logs and produced all the timbers necessary for the project. André Kennedy using James Mitchell’s book from the Island School of Building Arts built a curriculum to teach six community members how to build a one story 24’x40’ post and beam timber frame home.
Through the month the team learned tenon and mortise joinery that would all be fastened with oak pegs. This technique allows them to build without needing metal using the wood available in their communities. Week 1 they did an overview on timber framing, tool safety, building concepts and produced all the knee-braces for the structure.
This was the first process in learning timber prep, layout and cutting tenons with precision. Week 2 they began building the posts which taught them how to prep, orient, layout and cut tenons as well as mortises. Week 3 they began building beams learning how to layout multiple way points for a diversity of joinery.
In addition to learning tenon and mortise work, the team learned how to make half laps joints for building corners, splines for extending beam span and dovetail joints for making the tie beam. Week 4 we test fit all the joinery, fixing any mistakes and then prepped the site for raising day on the final day of our course.
In four weeks André led six community members teaching them the skills of using tools safely and precisely, how to measure with accuracy and learning the process of timber frame joinery (prep, layout, cutting, fitting and finally frame raising). He ran demos and then supported each member on laying out and cutting with hands on learning. The frame awaits to be used to provide Kwadacha with a home and the tools continued to be use as the team went on to construct another frame through the winter after Andrés departure.
