Visit Us
873 U.S. Route One
Woolwich, ME 04579
(207) 442-7938
Store Hours
Monday-Friday: 8am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-4pm
Sunday: Closed

Insights from the yesteryear at Shelter Institute

Mortise and tenon, dovetail, lap joint, through-tenon, birdsmouth notch -- posts, beams, braces, roof rafters . . . spend five days with the Shelter Institute staff and learn how to design, layout, cut and assemble a timber frame structure. At the end of the week you will leave with detailed cut sheets for a 24x24 timber frame structure and the knowledge of how to hand-craft a timber frame structure yourself. The next Purely Post and Beam Class begins on Sunday January 24 and runs through Friday January 29, 2010 and there are still a few spaces available. Don’t worry about January weather in Maine because the class is held in a 10,000 square foot heated workshop. You will need a few tools for the class -- you probably have at least some of them but you may need to pick up a few items from our tool list -- the good news is that we have a great selection of timber framing tools in our specialty tools store and the really good news is that we offer a LIFETIME 10 percent discount to our students on top of our already very competitive prices. Below is a slideshow of photos from a recent timber framing class – take a peek and see if this is something that you would enjoy, that you could learn from, that you could apply in the field. If you are a grad -- please post a comment on your experience in our class!
Since 1974, Shelter Institute has crafted hundreds of timber frames while teaching thousands of students sustainable building practices. From courses and quality tools to custom design-build services, we help you think, build, and live well.