On July 20, eight high school-aged students from all around Maine and New Hampshire celebrated an impressive feat: they had completed a 10-foot by 20-foot timber frame addition in just four days. The students began a Timber Frame Construction workshop at Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) in Jefferson three days prior as novices, new to many of the tools, and new to the art of building post and beam style. With the guidance of two instructors and plenty of teamwork the students turned logs into a finished frame installed at HVNC.

When asked what his favorite part was one student replied “working with all the different hand tools, and then putting the frame together. I like watching all the pieces fit together.”

Students participated in saw mill and sustainable forestry demonstrations, but the meat of the course is in hands-on building. By the end of the first day students were breaking in groups and using the technical drawings to draw each joint on the beam and then to cut it using power tools, and mallets and chisels. The class was led by Bob Lear, owner/operator of Bob’s Beams in Whitefield along with help from Gary Hayward from HVNC.

By Sunday, day four, this group of young men had built the new addition to HVNC’s education building, HI-Hut. The simple shed-style structure features all timer frame joints using wood harvested as part of HVNC’s ongoing sustainable forestry efforts. The building will be used for firewood and tool storage for years to come. Students and their families celebrated the accomplishment with cookout on the last afternoon.

October 2-5 HVNC will host the last timber frame workshop of the season. It is open to all ages, men and women. It will be a notable workshop because the plan is to build the new lakeside cabin along Little Dyer Pond. Some spaces are still left in the class. More details at www.hvnc.org/registration.The cost of the class is $450 for HVNC and MOFGA members, $500 for non-members. All 2014 timber frame classes are made possible thanks to Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc., Woodmizer Saw Mills, and Hancock Lumber. The high school class had special support from the Oak Grove School Foundation.

For more information about HVNC’s events, or to find out how you can support HVNC visit www.hvnc.org, write to info@hvnc.org, or call 207-200-8840.