Apply for a course
Cost: 2350, Euros - includes everything in-country: tuition, accommodation, all meals, organized field-trips. Participants are responsible for their own international transport, travel insurance, and extra-curricular costs. Half (50% deposit) of the courses cost should be paid after online registration (via Pay Pal or Credit/Debit card) and the remaining 50% - 1 month before the start of the course.
Conditions for cancelling your participation in the course: if you cancel the participation 3 months before the starting date, we give back 75% of the deposit, if you cancel it 2 months before the start of the course, we return 50%, if you cancel later, we do not return the money.
Age limitation: 14+
Woodworking experience: Participants are not expected to have any log building or timber framing experience, but any woodworking experience is appreciated.
Training site: The course will be held in Gauja River National Park at the beautiful old manor of Ratnieki.
Full lodging and 3 local organic food meals (per day) is provided from the day of arrival till the departure. In the evening of arrival will be provided dinner at 7pm.
Language: The course will be held in English.
All students will learn traditional timber framing and full scribe log building. They will be working/studying in two groups - acquiring one craft for 5 days and the other also 5 days.
Log building students will learn:
* Understanding and using different traditional carpenters hand tools (17. - 20.ct) from different cultures - French, German, English, American, Japanese, Scandinavian (chisels, axes, planes, rip and cross cut saws, draw knives, augers - their history, sharpening and techniques using them.
* Introduction in different historical log notch joinery from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Baltics
* Hewing - turning logs into square timbers using different axes
* Full scribe log building technique building a real log cabin
* Sliding dovetail notch joinery with wind lock key
* Window and door frame making in a log house
* Forgotten forestry – making super wood - injuring and scaring growing trees. Knowledge about preserving growing wood making the wood last hundreds of years. Importance of moon phases for felling the trees and correct time of year for harvesting timber for log buildings and timber frames.
Timber framing students will learn:
* Traditional timber framing turning trees into houses and nature into the culture using ancient hand tools and techniques
* Understanding and using different traditional carpenters hand tools (17. - 20.ct) from different cultures - French, German, English, American, Japanese, Scandinavian (chisels, axes, planes, rip and cross cut saws, draw knives, augers - their history, sharpening and techniques using them.
* Hewing - turning logs into square timbers using different axes
* Medieval carpentry/timber framing and plumb bob (Fil à plomb) or “French” scribing technique
* French and Japanese centre line axial layout system. Learning the lay out principles for hewn, reclaimed, twisted, crooked and rough sawn timber.
* Introduction into traditional Japanese carpentry hand tools and their usage - Japanese hewing axe Ono (斧) (masa-kari) , Kanna pull planes, Japanese adze, Kobiki Nokogiri and Temagari Nokogiri - Timber Saws, Ryoba saws, Whale back saw - Maebiki oga 前挽大鋸 and Japanese chisels
* Traditional timber framing (building without nails) joinery - mortice and tenon joint, dovetail joints, birds mouth joinery, rafter layout, European and Japanese scarf joints, draw boring peg holes, interlocked mortice and tenon joint, king’s post structure, shouldered mortice and tenon joint, brace mortice and tenon joint, tongue & fork rafter joint.
* Forgotten forestry – making super wood - injuring and scaring growing trees. Knowledge about preserving growing wood making the wood last hundreds of years. Importance of moon phases for felling the trees and correct time of year for harvesting timber for log buildings and timber frames.
We will divide our course schedule between the morning- daytime hands-on learning of woodworking skills as we cut our frame and logs, and the evening free sessions, where we will view slides and discuss a variety of topics relating to timber frame design and construction, log building, lifestyle and enjoying being together. So does live acoustic music on the barn stage in some special evenings and 5 excursions.