2025 Timber Framers Guild Conference

The Guild will cap off a year of celebration with the 40th anniversary conference in Suquamish, Washington, from October 23–26. Located across the Agate Passage from Bainbridge Island, Suquamish offers many opportunities for stunning views of the Puget Sound and forays into the Olympic National Forest. You can also visit the 2006 Community Building Project, Nidoto Nai Yoni Japanese-American Memorial, only a 15-minute drive from the conference venue. We are privileged to be hosted on the land of the Suquamish People, who have occupied this special place since time immemorial. 

The Conference Committee is meeting regularly, and looks forward to a robust and fascinating lineup of speakers and activities. Check out the Schedule of Events.

Exhibitor and general registration is open now! Individual registration for members is $775, registration for non-members is $925.

Suquamish Pre-Conference Line-up!

TFEC Seminar

Join us for a day of all things related to engineering for timber frame construction. 

Schedule

• Welcome: David Connolly, TFEC Chair (10 a.m.)
• A Brief Introduction to Wood Species Identification: Dick Schmidt
• Will It Truss? Timber Detailing to Truss Behavior: David Connolly
• Lunch (12 p.m.)
• The NEW Beamery - Modernizing the Traditional Timber Frame Shop: Jonathan Orpin & Scott Ratterman
• Pre-Bid Engineering for Timber Frames: Josh Coleman
• Designing Timber Connections - Screws, Hangers, & Codes: MTC staff
• TFEC Member Meeting
• Adjourn (5 p.m.)

We will convene at approximately 10 a.m. with a welcome from TFEC Chair David Connolly. The day will conclude with the TFEC member meeting, after which we will join the trade show mixer and the opening of the main conference at 5 p.m.

Register here: Yes, let's go!

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.

Attend a Pre-Conference Event

Join us for a pre-conference event! Pick up a chisel, visit a shop, learn from experts, or attend an engineering event, it's all HERE!

Pre-Conference Tour to Jay Smith's Anacortes Workshop

Travel to the workshop of wooden boat builder and expert Jay Smith. Over his career spanning 35 years building and repairing wooden boats, Jay Smith has become the nation’s leading expert in Nordic lapstrake boat construction. A master craftsman in his own right, he runs his shop, Aspoya Boats, out of Anacortes, Washington. The name is taken from the place in Norway where he began his career as an apprentice at a small shop run by a distant relation.

Jay later received a grant from the Denmark-America Foundation to work and study traditional Faeorese boatbuilding. When not out in his shop, Jay maintains an extensive library and tool collection, researches Nordic boat-building traditions, and passes on his knowledge via hands-on workshops at the Wooden Boat School in Brooklin, Maine, and the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, Washington.

Tour cost is $50.00. Fee includes ferry ride, continental breakfast, and light snacks at the workshop. We will meet 7-7:30 a.m. in the north tower lobby and enjoy a quick continental breakfast to go. We must leave by 7:45 a.m. to arrive on time to catch the Port Townsend Ferry. Participants are encouraged to purchase lunch on the ferry, as we won't have time to stop along the way, and lunch is not included in your tour fee. We will be driving the scenic Highway 20 up Whidbey Island beyond Oak Harbor and Naval Air Station, Whidbey. Then we will enter Deception Pass State Park, stopping at its base before crossing the historic bridge to Fidalgo Island. 

Tour and talk by Jay Smith from approximately 10:50 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. Jay will provide some drinks and light snacks. 

We'll be arranging a carpool for this adventure! To coordinate please email: Jennifer Anthony

Register here: Yes, let's visit Anacortes!

Join the Trade Show

The Timber Framers Guild invites you to promote your company or organization to timber framers and related professionals from across North America. As always, the conference focuses on engineering, design, the built environment, and sustainability, as well as historic structures and their preservation. It is an excellent opportunity to talk to a uniquely targeted group of decision-makers who are designing and building some of the finest homes and commercial projects. 

Booths include power, a table, and two chairs. One full registration comes with each booth, including access to all programming and meals. Discounted conference registration for additional booth personnel includes access to all programming and meals. 

General Booth Pricing for non-members and individual members: $4,000

Booths are complimentary for TFG Level 2 and 3 Visionary Partners.
Pricing for TFG Company and Visionary Partner Level 1 Members: Contact the office for a discount.
Pricing for non-profit institutions: Contact the office for participation options and pricing.

Set Up Time: Thursday, October 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Trade Show Open:

• Thursday, October 23, 3-7 p.m.
• Friday, October 24, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Saturday, October 25, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Tear Down Time: Saturday, October 25, after 7 p.m., or Sunday, October 26, before 11 a.m.

Any questions can be directed to info@tfguild.org.

Join us for a ‘40 Frames for 40 Years’ small frame build. 

Bring your tools and your know-how to help us build in conjunction with the Suquamish Nation. We'll be building a small frame to help serve the tribe's foodways. The building will be used to teach food preservation, smoking, and other traditional food preparation methods vital to the Suquamish Nation.

Book Accommodations

Reserve a room at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort and get the special Guild Conference rate. You may call the reservations department directly at 866-609-8700 and ask for the Timber Framers Guild Block to receive the contracted rooms and rates. Or, book your reservation online by clicking HERE and use the group code 24482 and password "timberframers" to make your reservation. 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! 

Bringing your camper or RV? Contact the Suquamish Clearwater to reserve an RV spot - the rates are great and the location can't be beat! Call the reservations department directly at 866-609-8700.

Suquamish Clearwater is booking fast! Here are some recommended nearby alternatives: GuestHouse Poulsbo (10 minutes), Poulsbo Inn & Suites (10 minutes), Fairfield Inn (15 minutes), The Point Casino & Hotel (20 minutes). 

Looking for alternative, affordable options for conference accommodations? Check out these camping, glamping, and vacation rental ideas!

Cross-Cut Saw Sharpening and Use with Dolly Chapman!

Join Dolly Chapman on Thursday, October 23, for a free 3-hour mini workshop and demo on cross-cut saws from 2-5 p.m. 

Dolly Chapman worked 30 summers as a “permanent seasonal” trail crew leader for the US Forest Service, mostly in the eastern Sierra Nevada. She continues to work on trails as a volunteer, an instructor, and contractor, privileged to work with many excellent stewardship groups and land management agencies. Her knowledge of the sharpening and use of cross-cut saws is widely known.  As one of the first women to work on professional trail crews in the late 70s, she has faced her fair share of hurdles, but the wilderness evened the playing field. Now she sharpens hundreds of cross-cut saws each year and teaches the upcoming generation and with it, she passes on her immense technical knowledge and deep love for the land.

Dolly stays well-connected with other fans of traditional skills through her business, Chapman’s Sharp Crosscut Saws.  
 

Getting to Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort

The Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort is located on the Kitsap Peninsula. For most conference attendees, the best way to get there from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is to rent a car and catch the Seattle-Bainbridge Island Ferry at the Seattle waterfront. If you have time and the inclination, you can skip the ferry and drive down through the state capitol and up the peninsula to Clearwater (an approximately 2.5-hour drive).

Don't want to rent a car? Catch the light rail at the airport and take it to Pier 54 on the Seattle waterfront. Colman Dock, the ferry terminal for the Bainbridge Island ferry, is located nearby at Pier 52. Let us know if you're coming via ferry, and we can help get you across Bainbridge Island to the conference venue.