Green oak roof frame at Orchard Barn


 

This roof frame was constructed in 2010 by students under the professional tuition of Rick Lewis. Most of the green oak was grown in the adjacent parish of Battisford.

YouTube video

Many of the trees were hand-cut along the length of the tree and used to form a truss. Students learnt how to use a two-handled cross cut saw, and got fitter at the same time. The benefits of hand-cutting were that we could follow the natural shapes of the tree and make best use of what was available. Using one tree to construct a truss means that  the weight and size are matched, as is the visual appearance. Rafters are pegged at the apex, purlin and onto the wallplate using seasoned oak pegs.

Our hand-cut roof frame replaced the shallower 1940's softwood frame. With the help of the building historian (who attended the first roof course) we were able to calculate and replicate the exact pitch of the the 17th century barn. We may have even sourced the materials from the same woodland as the original.

We ran 4 courses in 2021 to construct the roof for the 1580 Long House reinstatement.

More photos available in  Hand-cut Roof Frame album on Facebook.

   Green oak roof frame at Orchard Barn