Oxfordshire Woodland Group

Wanted

A small team of traditional timber-frame carpenters to undertake a woodland based cruck timber-framed building project in South Oxfordshire.

The cruck frame design is based on typical local vernacular cruck framed buildings.

In the past elm, oak and poplar timber would have been used for the main frame components however today the principal elements proposed to be used for this woodland cruck frame will employ European Larch and Douglas Fir timbers felled in the woodland and converted either by hand hewing, Alaskan chainsaw mill and / or Lucas mill. Hewers are particularly welcome especially to undertake cruck blade conversion.

The Oxfordshire Woodland Group would welcome the formation of a Men's Shed group to both participate in the building project and to operate from this location thereafter.

For further details please contact :-

trustees@oxfordshirewoodlandgroup.co.uk

Ken Hume

The same cruck log (No 5) as shown above with one side hewn ready to roll into the hogged position (hump up) requiring additional propping in the centre to facilitate hewing down the length of the log. This log has pronounced spiral grain especially affecting the outer fibres and so it will no longer be suitable for frame sawing to produce a bookmatched pair of crucks.

The effects of spiral grain are clear to see in that the lower part of the log has been hewn with the axe cutting through the wood fibres to producing a nice smooth surface whereas the top fibres have pulled the axe head into the log causing tearing of the grain along the log top surface.

The second side will now require quite heavy removal of wood in order to produce a simliar scantling thickness as that produced on the first 4 cruck blades.

Ken Hume OWG