OUR OAK FRAMES
Genuinely superior quality. The single most important thing to us as a company is the quality of our oak frames.
The entire frame is cut from high quality grade TH1/D30 beaming oak (with the exception of a hand cut softwood roof, unless otherwise specified). Every frame built uses age-old jointing methods, including mortice-and-tenon, large wedge dovetail, wedge stop splayed, and wedge compound stop splayed scarf joints. Hand made tapered pegs are used in the larger mortice-and-tenon joints to ‘draw’ the joinery together.
Combining the best of traditional and modern woodworking methods, we machine all our posts, tie beams, eve plates, top plates, sole plates, studwork and knee braces out of selected oak. As standard practice, we use traditional mortice-and-tenon joints, making a construction far superior to many others. We also utilise natural bends in the timber to give the wind and roof braces and the tie beams exceptional rigidity and resilience to the effects of weathering and time. Scalloped arches are used behind traditional, handmade ledge-and-braced oak or iroko doors, which are finished using handmade rosehead nails. This looks beautiful and will last generations.
As standard, all of our roofs are hand cut from softwood, which has been clear pressure treated to ensure a long life span. The rafters are over-engineered in order to keep triangulation to a minimum, which creates an open, un-cluttered feel. We also offer hand cut oak roof options.
We very much consider the building’s proposed use, it’s environment, and whether a modern or traditional ‘feel’ is sought. This then guides us on timber proportion, sharpness of cut, and other specific frame details.