Thanks so much for checking out my company, Woodpecker LLC!
Allow me to introduce myself.
I’m Ariel.
I grew up in the Hudson River Valley in New York State with aspirations of being an architect, tirelessly obsessed with Knex and Lego projects. I would go on to study structural engineering at Brown University and then become a timber frame carpenter. I enjoy that this trade engages my mind and my hands at the same time.
My carpentry path ultimately led me to central Vermont, where I have lived and practiced timber framing for over a decade.
Timber framing is the historic craft of joining solid wood posts and beams together into an interlocking structural frame. I have long been attracted to the dignity in this work: in utilizing simple, local, natural materials to meet our needs for shelter; in the use of hand tools and simple technologies to create beauty; in cultivating skill and character in the carpenter.
What is Timber Framing?
One of the most profound features of timber framing is that it’s really hard to do this work alone - even a garden shed or tiny house frame needs a team to raise it. Interlocking timber in a hand-crafted frame is an expression of relationship-building, mutual aid, and interdependence.
When we build together using traditional skills, “we find ourselves embedded more deeply in one another’s lives - joined together more securely.”
-Joshua Klein, Editor of Mortise and Tenon Magazine
I specialize in a few niche topics in timber framing:
is a 2D hand-drawing technique that physically computes complex 3D geometry using only lines, projection, and proportion. It is a calculation system that manipulates shapes instead of crunching numbers, and those shapes are physically transferred to the wood instead of using numeric measurement.
is the process of mapping one shape onto another shape without the use of measurement. It is similar to stereotomy in that it is physical rather than numeric. It can be employed broadly as a layout system, and is especially useful in working with round logs or curvy timbers.
Scribing
See the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge or the First Light Pavilion to check out some examples of scribing work.
I am a proud member of the Timber Framer’s Guild.
