Timber Framing Workshop

Timber Framing 101

Have you ever looked at a timber frame structure and wondered how it was built? This course is for you! Designed for beginners with little or no prior experience, Timber Framing 101 gives you hands-on instruction in the fundamental techniques of this centuries-old craft.

Two-day workshop

April 24th, 8 am to 4 pm

April 25th, 8 am to 4 pm

Over two full days in Merck Forest's timber frame shop, you'll learn to read timber frame plans, handle traditional tools with confidence, and cut joinery, including mortises and tenons, using green wood harvested here. You'll build a mailbox post to take home. Each post is unique, shaped by the timber's natural character. Explore the Merck Forest landscape and see how thoughtful timber harvesting supports both skilled craft and a healthy forest. Whether you're drawn to traditional building, woodworking, or simply want to get your hands on the tools and materials, this course offers a grounded, memorable introduction to an enduring building tradition.

You'll Learn to:

• Read and interpret timber frame plans to confidently lay out your timbers

• Understand the properties of green wood and common timber species

• Use timber framing tools safely and effectively

• Cut fundamental joinery, including mortises and tenons, using traditional techniques

• Understand the scribe rule method for fitting knee braces

• Appreciate the relationship between sustainable forest management and the craft of timber framing

What to Bring

• Tape measure

• Pencil

• Safety glasses and hearing protection

• Close-toed shoes (required)

• Lunch and snacks

• Any personal tools you enjoy working with

All primary tools, chisels, mallets, auger bits, squares, hand saws, and more, are provided.

Meet Your Instructors

Dylan Durkee

Dylan's fascination with timber framing began in his teenage years on his family's dairy farm in Vermont, where an old timber frame barn caught his eye and never let go. What started as admiration grew into a lifelong commitment to understanding and carrying on this historic craft.

Dylan formalized his training by taking a square rule timber frame course with the Northford Timber Framers in Connecticut — an experience that laid the technical foundation for everything that followed. He went on to become an instructor for that same course, sharpening his ability to teach as well as build. Dylan is a member of the Timber Framers Guild, as is Merck Forest & Farmland Center, reflecting a shared commitment to preserving and promoting the tradition.

To date, Dylan has built 14 timber frame structures, and several of them stand here at Merck Forest, including the timber frame shop itself — the space where this course takes place. Dylan brings deep technical knowledge and enthusiasm for teaching beginners, and hopes to pass on the skills and appreciation for timber framing to the next generation of builders.

Ryan Warner

Ryan enrolled in a basic timber framing course on a whim in 2022, and came away with a passion that has shaped the years since. Ryan sought out Merck Forest & Farmland Center as a place to learn and grow his timber framing skills. He spent a year volunteering here before joining the team, immersing himself in hands-on work on several significant projects, including the small animal barn, which he helped design. Ryan recently traveled to Japan as part of the Timber Framers Guild's Scantlings program — a rare opportunity to study some of the world's oldest surviving timber frame structures . The trip offered an extraordinary perspective on the precision, ingenuity, and endurance of this building tradition, and it continues to inform how Ryan thinks about and teaches the craft.

He brings enthusiasm and a learner's humility to his teachin

g, and is especially skilled at making technical concepts accessible to those who are starting out.

Participants:  12 students  | Open to ages 12 and up (participants 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult)

Please bring your own lunch and snacks. Light breakfast items (coffee, yogurt, muffins) provided each morning.

Lodging:  Rustic on-site cabins available; local hotels and Airbnbs nearby.