The guys are up early and off for the 30 minute drive to the workshop (with very loud heavy metal to wake us up at 7:00). The apprentices each take their places working on shaping the pentagonal posts alongside the master timber framers, Jack and Luke and their two dogs that run around the workshop. I made the mistake of beginning a never-ending game of fetch with the dogs with some of the scrap wood.

A view down from the break area to teh workshop.

Matt is working on one strategy to shape the pentagonal posts. They began testing through trial and error a few different methods to most efficiently achieve the desired shape.

Billy works on sanding the upper ring beam into which all of the arched braces will be housed.

The precise process of setting out and checking each bay in the workshop is a time consuming process with the complex geometry.

Billy, Matt and Tom mark out the top plate on the ground using pointed weights on a string so that we can look at the size and shape of the braces.

Tom, Jason and John work with Jack and Luke on forming the octagonal shape of the pavilion.