Southeast Rendezvous

We were excited to host the Timber Framers Guild's Southeast Rendezvous May 9-11, 2025 at our shop in Long Creek. Ben Loveland wrote an accounting of the event that was published in the July/August Scantlings magazine of the Guild.

From Beam Sizing to Barbeque: A Southeast Rendezvous to Remember

The Southeast Rendezvous at MoreSun Timber Frames in Long Creek, South Carolina was a hit. With tons of excitement and over 65 attendees, there was a great mix of old-timers and first-timers. While almost everyone came from somewhere in the southeastern United States, we did have someone come all the way from Australia!

On Friday, folks rolled in and set up camp or checked in to their lodgings. There was time to catch up with old friends and meet new people.

Thanks to our event sponsors, including Log & Timber Connections, Rothoblaas, Productions Unlimited, and Tallahassee Tung Oil, who showcased their products and provided information and were available to answer questions. Jim Rogers also brought an assortment of antique tools for sale.

A hearty thank you also goes out to our additional sponsors: Fire Tower Engineered Timber, Trull Forest Products, Timber Frame HQ, and Mafell.

Joe Miller gave an afternoon presentation on basic engineering and beam sizing. While these discussions often fly over the heads of most of us, Joe did a great job of bringing some practical and easily understood concepts for us to ponder. There were several “aha!” moments among those attending.

Engineering Session with Joe Miller of Fire Tower Engineered Timber

Joe Miller - Fire Tower Engineered Timber

Dinner from the local BBQ joint did not disappoint, and a slideshow and bonfire soon followed the feasting.

After breakfast on Saturday morning, Patrick Moore led a stereotomy session. We all learned about the history of stereotomy, or the art and science of cutting three-dimensional solids into particular shapes, and its significance. Those early practitioners are the giants on whose shoulders we all stand. Everyone broke out into several groups so that as many as we could fit in the shop could take part and try their hand at developing the necessary geometry on paper before translating those lines to wood. When all was said and done, we had three reciprocal table bases assembled. They all turned out beautifully, of course.

Session with Pat Moore from the Professional School of Practical Stereotomy

Pat explaining the techniques used in stereotomy and the completed table bases

For those who did not have the itch for stereotomy, Ben Loveland led a SketchUp demonstration in our back shop. He guided those participating through his design process. After a brief demonstration of some of his favorite program extensions and tricks, Ben facilitated a roundtable discussion where attendees could ask specific questions, and he could answer them and demonstrate how the answers were derived within the model in real-time.

Joint Busting

Joint busting, a perennial favorite, was next. Utilizing a bracket format, the different joints that people had brought for busting were pitted against each other, head-to-head. Both joints were rigged together and to the 6K Lull, one to the forks and one to the body. Once rigged safely together, they were jerked apart until one of them failed. Some of them failed spectacularly. One went to the burn pile, and the other went on to fight again. Our friend and event sponsor, Brian Phillips of Productions Unlimited, cut the last joint standing. His winning joint was a wedged and pegged double through tenon. The wedges and pegs were locust, and the post and plate were southern yellow pine. We didn’t know if there was a piece of equipment nearby that could have damaged that joint. It was quite impressive!

Timber frame joints ready for the competition

Pizza and salad for dinner were followed by homemade ice cream. Another TFG board member, Grigg Mullen III, brought his amazing diesel-powered ice cream maker and treated us to some extremely delicious dessert. It was also quite a fascinating treat to see that machine in operation.

To cap the night, the remnants of the joint busting were stacked in a pyre and set ablaze to the enjoyment of all, but especially the group of kids that attended.

On Sunday morning, we shared shop tricks and techniques. Ben Loveland demonstrated MoreSun’s technique for cutting curves with a jig on the stationary bandsaw. He also led everyone through a demo of a Leica 3D Disto laser scanner. MoreSun uses this tool to map out, to an exacting degree, the roof pitches of existing buildings in order to fabricate trusses that fit perfectly.

Carol Greenberger, also from MoreSun, demonstrated the Shaper Origin, a handheld CNC router that allows them to carve intricate designs in timber for their clients. Grigg also shared a very handy and simple technique for reliably sharpening axes or any other somewhat cumbersome cutting tool.