International Work

I've been extremely fortunate to have worked and learned in many different countries around the world. Here are some highlights.

Blacksmith Shop, Sedgwick ME

We had the pleasure of working together with Charpentiers Sans Frontieres (Carpenters Without Borders) and Mortise and Tenon Magazine to help organize and execute a nine-day, hand-tool only project to create a timber frame for a blacksmith shop and teaching space. Thirty five carpenters from six countries converged at the… More

Chateau d’Harcourt, Normandy France

In September of 2018 I was part of a crew re-building a timber bridge over a moat surrounding the 12th-century Chateau d’Harcourt in Normandy, France. The job was organized by Charpentiers Sans Frontieres (Carpenters Without Borders), a group of historic timber framing-enthusiasts and professionals who undertake ambitious carpentry projects around… More

Vanaajamaja Course, Estonia

In the spring of 2014 I taught a one-week timber framing course to Estonian carpenters, which was hosted at the workshop of Vanaajama, an Estonian non-profit dedicated to traditional building techniques and historic preservation. We laid out, cut and raised a small pavilion for a local residential school.

Jaruska Covered Bridge, Estonia

In August of 2012 I was invited to north-east Estonia to help lead the construction of the first wooden covered bridge in the country. Over the course of four weeks, an international crew of volunteers fabricated and erected the bridge, clear-spanning 28 meters (92 feet). The bridge replaces an older… More

Gwozdziec Synagogue, Poland

In June 2011, I took vacation from my job in Paris to spend three weeks working as a volunteer on a very special project in southeast Poland. The Timber Framers Guild of North America was in charge of running this all-volunteer jobsite, which lasted from mid-May to July 1, 2011…. More

France

I worked in France for a year in 2010-11, hosted by the centuries-old trades guild, Les Compagnons du Devoir. My first stint was with Ateliers Ferignac, a company specializing in historic restoration based in Hautefort, in the Dordogne region of southwest France. As a member of their structural carpentry crew, I… More

Ghana

In the winter of 2008, I travelled to Ghana to build a residence/painting studio for a good friend, who owns land on the coast in the remote area of Cape Three Points, not far from the border with Ivory Coast. I came up with a design that features a living… More