TFG Events & Workshops

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Mark your calendar and plan to join us in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 2024 Timber Framers Guild Conference. We look forward to robust conversations, connections with new friends and colleagues, excellent sessions, and fun events! We convene in Ann Arbor this October 17-20, with pre-conference events beginning October 15. The 2024 TFG Conference schedule is available now! 

Contact the Guild office to learn how you can get involved or for more information: info@tfguild.org or 833-862-7376.

Become a Conference Sponsor

Guild conferences, which often draw 200-300 timber framers, suppliers, engineers, and enthusiasts, are a great way to spread the word about your product or service to potential clients while also supporting the Timber Framers Guild and its educational mission. Click HERE to check out sponsor opportunities and sign up today! You are more than welcome to sponsor multiple events or get creative and come up with your own special sponsorship category that fits your budget. Any questions can be directed to info@tfguild.org.

Pre-Conference Event: TFEC Symposium

We are looking forward to the TFEC Symposium, hosted this year at the JST Detroit Engineering Center in Farmington Hills (about 30 minutes from the Conference venue). Rocky Mountain Joinery Center is the timber frame company working on all wood elements of the project, which is still in progress. We will have a full day of symposium sessions on Wednesday, October 16, and return Thursday morning for a tour of the facility with Guild member Will Denton IV.

Space is limited for this symposium, sign up soon for a full day of presentations from industry professionals who will cover a wide range of wood engineering topics, and earn continuing education credits from this AIA-approved event. Whether you are a practicing structural engineer, an architect or designer, a timber framer, or a wood enthusiast, this popular event is an excellent opportunity to increase your knowledge of wood and network with colleagues from around the country. Learn more.

Check out the agenda and presentation lineup!

Fees: $250 per person with conference registration, or $350 without conference registration.

There's still space in this event! Register to join us!

Join Us for a Pre-Conference Event!

Crane Signaling Certification

Join us on Tuesday, October 15, for a one-day crane signaling certification! This program will be offered on-site at the facility in Farmington Hills. This daylong course includes classroom and practical sessions, and lunch is included. Space is limited to 10 people each day, but we may have an additional session, so join the waitlist if you don't get in! Cost: $400 per person.

Forklift Certification

Join us for a one-day forklift certification on Wednesday, October 16. Spend some time in the classroom, then head out to play and gain practical experience! This daylong course includes lunch. Space is limited to 10 people each day. Cost: $250 per person.

Bundle & Save! Take both the Crane Signaling Certification and the Forklift Certification and save $100! 

Registration open now!

Just Added: Garden Shed Workshop

Join Chris Newman to build a timber frame garden shed for a local non-profit organization. We will gather at the Sheraton in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, October 16, to learn and laugh together while we build this small structure to benefit a food-insecure community that grows its own produce. Space is limited to 10 people. Cost: $0!  

Recently Added: Cadwork Workshop

Are you a timber framer who wants to up your modeling game? During this workshop, you will learn how to create detailed 3D and extract all the data needed to bring your project to life, from list to dimensioned drawings. With a basic timber frame exercise, you will learn how to start a project in cadwork 3D, adding new elements as complex as hip and valley rafters using the roof module, and manage complex connections (wood-to-wood connections, fasteners, etc.). Once the model is complete, we will see how to extract data to bill of materials and cut lists and then finish with a shop drawing export, allowing you to quickly generate auto-dimensioned drawings for each component. This workshop takes place on Wednesday, October 16, and on the morning of October 17, and will be followed by a 2-month trial. During this trial, you will also have access to tutorial videos should you wish to learn more about cadwork, and access to the support service during that period (10 hours max). A complimentary lunch will be served on Wednesday during the workshop. Space is limited to 8 people. Learn more HERE.

Join us for a Post-Con Tour!

Visit the Greenfield Village Farmers Market with tour guides Rudy Christian and Laura Saeger. They'll discuss the deconstruction, repairs, and raising. Ben Brungraber from Fire Tower Engineered Timber will be on hand as well to discuss the engineering aspects of the project. 

Visit the JST Detroit Engineering Center, with Will Denton IV as your guide. This is an opportunity to explore the spaces in this new facility, designed by Ryuichi Ashizawa Architects of Osaka. 

Learn More!

Conference Competitions

Design Competition
The Design Competition is back again in 2024 - in Keystone last year, we had some great entries in our design competition, a Guild tradition we've revived to showcase member work. Submit your projects for this year's competition! Find details HERE.

NOTE: We have added a category "Tiny homes (built or unbuilt)"!  

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Friday, October 11.

Joint Busting
This is your opportunity for a little fame and fortune (most likely very little of each), but you will gain some ad hoc education on the structural behavior of wood, which is priceless! We want to test your best (or worst?) scarf joint design, so get prepping and bring them to the conference, where the gang from Fire Tower Engineered Timber will bend them until they break. Learn more HERE. 

Beards & Axes
Join us for some fun and games! Bask in the glory of victory (and the envy of your competitors) when you win the beard competition or the axe throwing. Details coming soon, but start growing your beards now, and sharpening your axe throwing skills!

Book a Room

Reserve a room at the Sheraton Ann Arbor and get the special Guild Conference rate. This rate is good for Monday, October 14, to Monday, October 21. Your last day to book at the group rate is Wednesday, September 25. Book a room at the conference venue and be automatically entered to win a free room night, gift card, Guild swag, or other great prizes! Click HERE to reserve your room today!

2024 Conference Fees

2024 Conference registration rates below. Limited scholarships are available to those who find cost a barrier to participation; find more information and apply HERE. Hotel and accommodations fees are not included.

Click below to register today!

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