I attended the Rocky Mountain Workshops week long square rule course in late August of 2007, and have been meaning to write a review for the Guild forum. The only problem I have writing a review for the course is that I fear I won't be able to do it full justice. I'm not saying this just to be polite. I had spent many, many months building this course up in my head and the expectations were probably unfairly high. This, it turns out, was not a problem for Josh Jackson and Skip Dewhirst, the primary instructors, nor for Peter Haney, the Master of Ceremonies.
You cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for a week of timberframing than the Colorado State University campus at Pingree Park. Located at 9000 feet, it is an absolutely stunning area of streams, forests, meadows and mountains. I had the opportunity to take my wife and 2 year old son with me and they had an absolutely fantastic time exploring the area while I was carving away with the class. Accommodations came in the form of cozy and comfortable rustic cabins with common showers, however there was the opportunity to stay in the more modern dormitories for those who prefer a more civilized arrangement.
SUNDAY:
Sunday was the day of arrival. The drive up Poudre Canyon and climb to Pingree Park was spectacular. We signed in with the campus staff and were assigned our cabin. After dinner, we met in one of the classrooms and introduced ourselves in an around-the-room fashion. Peter had decked out the classroom with what had to be 200 books on timber framing, wood, tools, and structures. It was simply an amazing collection, and the ability to peruse these volumes for a week would have been worth the price of admission in itself.
I know it sounds ridiculous to experienced TF'ers, but when Josh pulled out that first example mortise and tenon, I was completely in awe. I'd previously completed some small TF projects (bunk bed and potting shed), but there in front of me was a full sized, beefy joint and I was stoked. We discussed the Square Rule, basic joinery and the project we were to work on. The enthusiasm of the instructors really set the tone for the workshop and everyone was very eager to get busy. Off to bed and an early start on Monday
MONDAY:
Another great thing about Pingree Park is the chow hall. The food was good, but the atmosphere was great. The walls of the facility are covered with pictures, plaques and tools from a hundred years of forestry. Great stuff and a hearty breakfast there surrounded by such history really put you in the mood!
We started the day back in the classroom, discussing the plans and then it was off to the work site. The work site was about a 10 minute walk from the cabins and consisted of a large covered work area, as well as numerous tables and sawhorses. The timbers also awaited us there. I have to admit, when I first saw the timbers, I was a bit shocked. These were not the finely smoothed, beautiful timbers one finds in the books, nor were they character-rich hand hewn sticks. Instead, they were roughsawn as roughsawn gets. Remember, I am a total greenhorn, so I had no idea what these furry creatures would become within the week.
Josh and Skip demonstrated the first mortise and tenon, and I began to see what could be accomplished even with the furry sticks. I also began to understand that the precisely dimensioned tenons I'd seen in Sobon's books were not imaginary, and all that was needed was a straight edge, a sharp chisel and a sharper pencil.
TUESDAY:
We worked on the floor system on Tuesday, and I this is the day I fell in love. The joists were dressed with a swoop and I could tell when I first picked up the adz that I was going to enjoy working with this tool. I love pretty much everything about it, the motion, the effectiveness and the beautiful texture it left on the wood. The only thing I didn't like was being hunched over and discovering my "ancestry muscles" If it were up to me, I'd dress as closely as I could to the line with the adz and call it good, but there was another new tool in my future, the spokeshave. It seems to me that the spokeshave is as individual a tool as you're likely to find. Despite them being, for the most part, visually similar, I discovered that each spokeshave required very different handling to be effective. Some of the models we had at our disposal just didn't agree with me at all and I never was able to use them properly. After a little practice, though, I really started enjoying using a couple particular models and appreciated the fine finish they could bring the wood to. I definitely consider the spokeshave "the-tool-which-I-hated-the-most-but-which-I-came-to-really-really-like."
The instructors moved from person to person, dedicating just the right amount of time with each individual to help us refine (or find) our abilities. They were full of good advice and were able to deliver it in a way that didn't make you feel like a complete idiot. I can't say enough about these guys!
WEDNESDAY:
At some point we finished the floor system and put it together. Quite the sense of accomplishment, I must say. On Wednesday we received more field instruction on the wedged dovetail joint. It was a little intimidating, but with continuous feedback from the instructors, I don't think there were any real problems. Peter was kind enough to set up a sharpening station and throughout the week pulled each one of us off to the side to instruct us in the ways of the water stone. We all got at least 1/2 hour of one-on-one instruction on the sharpening process and he really has a knack for putting that edge on.
At night we would all gather in the classroom and not drink beer, since it wasn't allowed on the school campus. While not drinking beer, we would be treated to more lectures from Josh and Skip on everything from Larsen Trusses to Masonry Stoves, and there was also plenty of time allotted to address individual topics which we had brought up on day 1. Josh also delivered a tremendous lecture on timber frame engineering, which everyone followed seamlessly due to the quantities of beer which we were not drinking.
THURSDAY:
Work continued on Thursday and we began to carve out the rafters. The rafter layout was conducted by Josh from the bed of our work pickup and was an orchestra of tape, chalk, squares and graphite. Once the layout was complete, we began to cut them, and again I was able to work on some swoops. Love those swoops.... (sweeps? swoops? whatever they're called, I love them)
At night we were also treated to slide shows of various projects that the instructors had worked on. Josh's included his parent's place, which is an amazing structure with more forks than a elementary school cafeteria. We also saw his latest digs and an awesome picture of his wife skidding some logs with a Clydesdale. Skip's presentation centered on natural building materials and his work with bamboo in Central America. It's amazing what can be done with some raw materials, imagination and a lack of building codes. We were also treated to pictures of his handmade furniture, which should probably be in a museum somewhere.
FRIDAY:
Last full day. BUMMER! With the raising on Saturday morning, we were..well, not rushing...but definitely moving with a purpose to finish all the sticks. Of course, we wouldn't want the out-of-staters to leave without experiencing a Colorado afternoon thundershower, so Mother Nature came down upon us in all her glory. We all huddled under the roof and managed to work around each other without removing any fingers or toes. We managed to finish the week with no major injuries, quite an accomplishment considering the sharpness of the blades and the gusto with which we went about our work. Actually, I enjoyed the rain.
That night we were honored to be visited by a number of real, live timberframers from the Fort Collins area. Several of them were accomplished itinerants who graciously fielded questions from the peanut gallery (including one who just recently posted some great pics in this very forum). Also there was Adrian Jones, owner of Frameworks Timber. He brought a lot to the table regarding the TF business and particularly it's place in the green movement. If you haven't checked out his website you should. There was a particularly large amount of beer not being drunk during this gathering and by the time we wrapped things up, I knew I was going to not have any trouble at all getting up the next morning.
SATURDAY:
I don't recall exactly who the brave souls were, but several of the students managed to pry themselves from their racks early Saturday morning and head up the hill to finish the frame. I was feeling better than expected, except for the slight beer-headache which I most definitely didn't have. The raising was a very bittersweet event. Knowing that this fantastic week was coming to an end was a complete bummer, but seeing our building go up was absolutely fantastic. Skip orchestrated the raising and while there was a joint or two which needed some addressing, we were able to put it together with minimal additional effort. I particularly enjoyed hanging out in the rafters and putting those up. There were lots of folks (TF'ers and otherwise) who had arrived to watch the raising and many of them were absolutely amazed at what could be done without 2x4's and nails. After all the sticks were in place we sat for the cameras. What an awesome time. I met some great guys up there and my family and I couldn't have asked for a better week. In particular, I loved how Peter and my son bonded and I'll always cherish the "ice cream" picture.



EPILOGUE:
Since the workshop, there have been emails floating throughout the group and I've been able to see some of the projects my comrades have been working on. Skip, Josh and Peter's work was not in vain, I'll tell you. I had to get on the road rather hastily after the workshop and haven't had a chance to do much woodworking. After coming home last week I had to address a leak in our rental house, but from here on out my time is MY time and I'm planning on starting out with a refresher TF project in the way of a mailbox post. After that I haven't decided, but there is a garage and an entryway in my future...

Rocky Mountain Workshops: http://www.rockymountainworkshops.com/
Frameworks Timber: http://www.frameworkstimber.com/index.shtml
Pingree Park Campus: http://www.housing.colostate.edu/pingree/index.htm