Traditional Oak Frame Buildings

We employ various construction techniques with our oak frames, and complete builds, which all depend on a variety of factors, such as planning permission requirements, building regulations, and most importantly, our clients' wishes.

Carpentry

As the beams used tend to be on the large side, the tools required to machine it are large too. Largely unchanged for centuries, our carpenters use specialist framing chisels, slicks, froes, spokeshaves and drawknifes, alongside modern day electric tools such as chainmorticers, band saws and rip saws, all "oversized", to cope with the tasks they have to undertake.

The space required to make your frame also needs to be big. We work out of our work shop in the heart of the Forest of Dean, and space is not a problem!

Jointing

We use a variety of joints to make a frame, primarily large mortice and tenon joints, complimented with half laps, scarf joints, bridal and spline joints and more...Each "plane" of a frame is laid out, over-laid and scribed, allowing for each beam to fit perfectly with each other. As each frame is built, every joint is individual to itself. No two joints are the same. So we can identify which piece goes where on site erection, each half of the joint is identified with a carpentersmark. Sometimes these are referred to as marriage marks.