Hand Hewn

A gorgeous celebration of the artistry, design, and traditional craftsmanship of timber-frame buildings, from an internationally renowned architect and contemporary practitioner of the craft.

Hand Hewn is a gorgeous celebration of the traditions and artistry of timber-frame building, a 7,000-year-old craft that holds an enduring attraction for its simple elegance, resilience, and the warmth of the wood. Internationally renowned timber-frame architect and craftsman Jack A. Sobon offers a fascinating look at how the natural, organic forms of trees become the framework for a home, with profiles of the classic tools he uses to hand hew and shape each timber and explanations of the clever engineering of the wooden joinery connecting the timbers, without a single nail. Inspiring photos of Sobon's original interior home designs, as well as historical examples of long-lived structures in Europe and North America, make this a compelling tribute to the lasting value of artisanal craftsmanship and a thoughtful, deliberate approach to designing buildings.

Book Features:

• Rich visual tribute to a traditional building method that has endured for thousands of years. The simple elegance of the buildings and the artfulness of the technique are explored and celebrated through photography and text.
• Contemporary craftsman's personal story of his passion for timber framing. Jack A. Sobon is internationally renowned for his knowledge and dedication to preserving and carrying on the traditional craft using only hand tools. Through evocative vignettes and personal stories, he shares his deep connection to the forest, his relationship to his hand tools and his appreciation for historic timber-frame buildings.
• Features historical as well as contemporary examples from around the world. The author provides a curated tour of timber-framed buildings located in different countries and crafted through the ages, along with his personal observations about the techniques, the designs and the skill and preferences of individual builders as reflected in the finished structures.

Full-colour photographs and illustrations throughout

About the Author

Jack A. Sobon is an architect and builder specializing in timber-framed buildings. A founding director of the Timber Framer's Guild of North America and founder of the Traditional Timber Frame Research and Advisory Group, Sobon has devoted his 38-year career to understanding the craft of timber framing. Using only traditional hand tools, he has framed and erected over 50 structures. He is the author of Build a Classic Timber Frame Home and coauthor of Timber Frame Construction. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Sobon teaches and consults nationally on traditional building structures and timber-framing techniques.