Monday 30 April 2012,  9.30am - 5pm

The course

German roof carpentry image 2

 

 

A one-day workshop focussing on the German carpenter's craft of lining out full size and scale drawings showing the plan, and section, of a regular hipped roof.  These drawings are then used to obtain every length and bevel required to cut the roof, before you have even touched a rafter!

 

This method, and variations on it, has been used extensively on the continent since the Rennaissance.  It is used for all shapes and sizes of roof.  This basic workshop aims to set out the fundamental principles that apply to all roofs.  The focus will be in a hipped roof, and students will work out the lengths and bevels associated with a common rafter, hip rafter and jack rafter.  Once these essential principles have been understood they can then, after further practice and instruction be applied to irregular plan roofs, irregular pitch roofs, polygonal roofs etc.  A comprehensive set of notes referring to the workshop content will be given, so the students can both follow the work as it develops and enable them to apply it to their own projects at a later date.

An example of a hexagon symmetrical roof with a pitch of 65 degrees, built using the techniques taught on the course. Hexagonal roof (Small)

The tutor

Christian ap Iago trained and worked in Germany for five and a half years and is a qualified Zimmerermeister (Master Carpenter).  He is passionate about the use of this method to line out and cut roofs and uses it extensively in his work as a carpenter.  He is now based in Wales and more information about him can be found at www.saercoediago.com

Christian Ap Iago (Small)

Participant information

The course will be limited to 8 participants, and is suitable for anybody with an interest in roof carpentry, such as designers, surveyors, engineers, carpenters, home owners, carpentry students etc.

As most of the work will take place in the unheated Gridshell Workshop, warm and practical clothing should be worn and a pair of steel-toe safety boots are required.

Still photography and note taking is encouraged.  Video photography is not permitted.

Please bring with you:
  • a pencil and rubber (mechanical pencil if possible)
  • Scientific calculator with sin, cos and tan functions

 

Fee

£99 per person, for full participation in the workshop. This includes tuition, tools and materials, teas & coffees and a light lunch.

The Museum

The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits.  It is also home to the award winning and innovative Downland Gridshell, which houses a conservation workshop and artefact store, and is also used for many practical courses.  The Museum runs a full programme of courses in historic building conservation and traditional rural trades and crafts, along with MSc programmes in Building Conservation and Timber Building Conservation. Please telephone for further details.

To book, download a form here.  Alternatively, fill in the booking request below.

Make a Booking Request

 
This is an initial booking request form, and does not guarantee a place on the course. The Adult Learning Team will check the availability of the course, and reply to you as soon as possible - usually within one working day.