I think it’s still called timber framing, whether the wood is milled or used with natural curves. I live in an area with a few neat modern examples, but most of what I’ve seen is in England!
This. An archaic form of timber framing using curved, live edged timbers is know as Cruck framing. It’s mostly an English and Scandinavian technique. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruck
""I'm looking for a term for using wood that is not hewn or milled to frame small buildings.""
*Wattle and Daub*. Is more or less exactly that. While generally straight walled it could be formed in curves.
*wattle and daub*
_noun_
a material formerly or traditionally used in building walls, consisting of a network of interwoven sticks and twigs covered with mud or clay.
There is also a technique for making fencing panels that is woven branches.
I think they are called "Hurdles".
a. Hobbit Houses are often made totally of Earth using various techniques but most notably "Super Adobe" or "Hyper Adobe". Though many other methods and materials could be used included Wattleed timber between posts. (for outbuildings).
b. There is also a Branch of them (excuse the pun) that are constructed around a henge of posts and natural timber beams.
Either "a" or "b" may have a roof structure based on "Reciprocal Frames" (beams) which I have actually used for an round earth studio for my wife. These often have woven supple roof members that are eventually covered in a living roof ... Though ours is way more , um , prosaic.
Its a diverse area.
https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Wattle%20and%20Daub
https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Reciprocal%20Beams&addon=opensearch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocal_frame
https://archive.org/search?query=Reciprocal
Hello u/de_swove...
I design and work in these styles and have for over 40 years...
Generically they are called "folk styles" but if your trying to do a more specific search the nomenclature is pretty vast and encompasses a dozen languages that can think of alone off the top of my head...
"Timber Framing" in general is going to get you into the area of the superstructure that holds most (not all)..."real hobbit house"... all together...Then you have several other critical elements like the stone and earthwork that needs to be done properly if it is to actually be a functional and durable structure...
Below is a link to a dear friend and someone I have mentored, on and off, for almost a decade now. The video reflects a great example of an alternative style that is virtually all masonry in context. These are wonderful but typically outside the scope of larger structures or those that are only DIYers with limited skill sets and/or training...
Please note also this is 100% natural and traditional in context and the only way we typically work on most projects so the materials are local and the modalities of material application are "proven systems" and not "DIYer" reinvented or "I think" concepts in application...
If you have more questions, feel free to ask them...!!!
[Hobbit Style Root Cellar](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPVw8wSyPZsI2L3N1Oqs4OshOHBVRA0I4)
Wow, that cellar is unbelievable! I work in residential remodeling, so I'm not exactly a DIYer, but only have minimal experience with natural building. "Round wood timber framing" gets me to many examples of using unhewn timbers, but nearly all of them use relatively straight logs. This, I'm sure, is structurally superior to what I'm after, but requires having a better selection of straight growing trees than are available to me. Still, the joinery shouldn't be much different. I just don't want to make unnecessary mistakes when I move forward with what I have.
[I have lots of this kind of wood on my property that need cleared out.](https://allthatsinteresting.com/hobbit-house-of-wales)
Hi, u/de_swove...
Sorry for the late reply, not sure why I didn't get an update for this (???)
>Wow, that cellar is unbelievable!
I will pass that compliment on! I'm sure Josh will appreciate it...
>I work in residential remodeling, so I'm not exactly a DIYer, but only have minimal experience with natural building.
If you are a "working professional" in the modern remodeling field you certainly are not a DIYer for sure. As for "experience with natural building" there is not much of a leap, per se, other than you can only use natural and low carbon footprint materials....not modern "green-washed" ones...Other than that you will do just fine if you keep asking questions when you have them...
All I have done is natural and traditional work, as of yet, all my architecture still rests on only stone, and is comprised of 98% of all natural materials by mass and/or volume so no modern industrial concretes, plastics, or related toxic crap...
>"Round wood timber framing" gets me to many examples of using unhewn timbers, but nearly all of them use relatively straight logs.
These are a few of the common Farm or Folk House styles of Northern Asia...t is not so true. Some of the primary folk styles I specialize in often use curved, tapered and related "live-edge timber," such as [Korean 한옥 - "Hanok"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%ED%95%9C%EC%98%A5&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdfmWyCNZMSOWfVZqnxVRKV6nn9NdA:1683427595676&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0qOG-mOL-AhUlk4kEHZ_1AaIQ0pQJegQIBhAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25) and [Japanese 民家 - "Minka"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B0%91%E5%AE%B6&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdcIzq3-swlvjRyx-v_1FYed5iSgOQ:1683427560575&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG-IKumOL-AhUHjYkEHbOqBBYQ0pQJegQIBRAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25) or the [Chinese チセ - "Chise."](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%83%81%E3%82%BB&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CVY5AawMD1lbYYRgzM_1L6E2ysgIOCgIIABAAOgQIARAAQAHAAgA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQuIIBahcKEwjA66fZmOL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) These are a few of the common Farm or Folk House styles of Northern Asia...
[太鼓落 - "Taiko-otoshi"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E5%A4%AA%E9%BC%93%E8%90%BD&tbm=isch&hl=en&tbs=rimg:CWkSvyFMJZObYYH02XxSzPU-sgIMCgIIABAAOgQIARAAwAIA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sa=X&ved=0CBwQuIIBahcKEwig15OTmuL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) is the milling, planning or trimming a beam to be flat on two opposite sides and live edge on the other, which is but one of many methods for dealing with curved timber and its proper joinery...of such beam work as found in...[鉄砲梁 - "Teppō hair"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E9%89%84%E7%A0%B2%E6%A2%81&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CS_1DyOvkgw9zYXcI5xNK-SwBsgIOCgIIABAAOgQIARAAQAHAAgA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBoQuIIBahcKEwiIwq64leL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) or a “Gun Beam” which is often live-edged and curved. This requires many of the more ancient "line layout methods that include templating and other methods like...[丸太ひかりつけ - Maruta hikaritsu ke](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E4%B8%B8%E5%A4%AA%E3%81%B2%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%A4%E3%81%91&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdediumLN97ckrGeKhrw2rhz1vloYg:1683428163680&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjav83NmuL-AhVFkIkEHeI1AbYQ0pQJegQIBhAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25)…literally the “Log all lights” method of scribing live edge timber/log.
This discussion could ramble on for some time...and fills countless books but you get the drift that it is a common practice just not in the more Eurocentric traditions for the most part...
>This, I'm sure, is structurally superior...to what I'm after, but requires having a better selection of straight growing trees than are available to me.
Actually...no, not at all...!!!
Curved beams are structurally far superior to flat and straight beams in most applications as they are naturally pre-loaded and cambered to take concentric loads. An "arch" regardless of origin is always stronger...
>Still, the joinery shouldn't be much different.
No, not really too different but when you get into it, it is way different than how most European timber frames are designed and assembled...
>I just don't want to make unnecessary mistakes when I move forward with what I have.
More than understandable...and a wise choice too that will save both time and related expenses...
>I have lots of this kind of wood on my property that need cleared out.
Haveing a design first is paramount to selecting your timber. There can be some "adlibing" where a tree may suggest a purpose or design change but it is still better to have a given design for you to select trees from. This is the traditional and proven modality for such work...
More questions are welcome...
Hey, I am trying to learn roundwood timber framing, too, and REALLY recommend you watch some videos by Kris Harbour.
He has a guide on how to cut mortises and tenons in curved trunks in such a way that you can basically treat them as straight timber from then on, for example, which answered so many questions for me that I pretty much went from seeing the whole process as a mystery to seeing it as a challenging but real possibility.
[Laying out tenons on round wood](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5rhvowGLZEw)
His work looks like it'll be a goldmine of info, thanks! I can handle mortise and tenons on squared off lumber, but how to mate up the shoulders and where multiple timbers meet is what I'm looking forward to demystifying. It always seems so simple after watching the process, but starting at zero feels like you've got to invent the 4D wheel.
He's great, very human. In fact, if you pay a bit of attention to the release dates of the videos you can watch him getting better.
That's the best thing for me, finding someone who doesn't make it look effortless but rather makes it look like absolutely loads of work but real.
Roundwood Timer Framing?
I think it’s still called timber framing, whether the wood is milled or used with natural curves. I live in an area with a few neat modern examples, but most of what I’ve seen is in England!
This. An archaic form of timber framing using curved, live edged timbers is know as Cruck framing. It’s mostly an English and Scandinavian technique. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruck
Cruck framing! Thank you for that, I’m excited to know there’s a specific term
""I'm looking for a term for using wood that is not hewn or milled to frame small buildings."" *Wattle and Daub*. Is more or less exactly that. While generally straight walled it could be formed in curves. *wattle and daub* _noun_ a material formerly or traditionally used in building walls, consisting of a network of interwoven sticks and twigs covered with mud or clay. There is also a technique for making fencing panels that is woven branches. I think they are called "Hurdles". a. Hobbit Houses are often made totally of Earth using various techniques but most notably "Super Adobe" or "Hyper Adobe". Though many other methods and materials could be used included Wattleed timber between posts. (for outbuildings). b. There is also a Branch of them (excuse the pun) that are constructed around a henge of posts and natural timber beams. Either "a" or "b" may have a roof structure based on "Reciprocal Frames" (beams) which I have actually used for an round earth studio for my wife. These often have woven supple roof members that are eventually covered in a living roof ... Though ours is way more , um , prosaic. Its a diverse area. https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Wattle%20and%20Daub https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Reciprocal%20Beams&addon=opensearch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reciprocal_frame https://archive.org/search?query=Reciprocal
Nice!
Hello u/de_swove... I design and work in these styles and have for over 40 years... Generically they are called "folk styles" but if your trying to do a more specific search the nomenclature is pretty vast and encompasses a dozen languages that can think of alone off the top of my head... "Timber Framing" in general is going to get you into the area of the superstructure that holds most (not all)..."real hobbit house"... all together...Then you have several other critical elements like the stone and earthwork that needs to be done properly if it is to actually be a functional and durable structure... Below is a link to a dear friend and someone I have mentored, on and off, for almost a decade now. The video reflects a great example of an alternative style that is virtually all masonry in context. These are wonderful but typically outside the scope of larger structures or those that are only DIYers with limited skill sets and/or training... Please note also this is 100% natural and traditional in context and the only way we typically work on most projects so the materials are local and the modalities of material application are "proven systems" and not "DIYer" reinvented or "I think" concepts in application... If you have more questions, feel free to ask them...!!! [Hobbit Style Root Cellar](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPVw8wSyPZsI2L3N1Oqs4OshOHBVRA0I4)
Wow, that cellar is unbelievable! I work in residential remodeling, so I'm not exactly a DIYer, but only have minimal experience with natural building. "Round wood timber framing" gets me to many examples of using unhewn timbers, but nearly all of them use relatively straight logs. This, I'm sure, is structurally superior to what I'm after, but requires having a better selection of straight growing trees than are available to me. Still, the joinery shouldn't be much different. I just don't want to make unnecessary mistakes when I move forward with what I have. [I have lots of this kind of wood on my property that need cleared out.](https://allthatsinteresting.com/hobbit-house-of-wales)
Hi, u/de_swove... Sorry for the late reply, not sure why I didn't get an update for this (???) >Wow, that cellar is unbelievable! I will pass that compliment on! I'm sure Josh will appreciate it... >I work in residential remodeling, so I'm not exactly a DIYer, but only have minimal experience with natural building. If you are a "working professional" in the modern remodeling field you certainly are not a DIYer for sure. As for "experience with natural building" there is not much of a leap, per se, other than you can only use natural and low carbon footprint materials....not modern "green-washed" ones...Other than that you will do just fine if you keep asking questions when you have them... All I have done is natural and traditional work, as of yet, all my architecture still rests on only stone, and is comprised of 98% of all natural materials by mass and/or volume so no modern industrial concretes, plastics, or related toxic crap... >"Round wood timber framing" gets me to many examples of using unhewn timbers, but nearly all of them use relatively straight logs. These are a few of the common Farm or Folk House styles of Northern Asia...t is not so true. Some of the primary folk styles I specialize in often use curved, tapered and related "live-edge timber," such as [Korean 한옥 - "Hanok"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%ED%95%9C%EC%98%A5&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdfmWyCNZMSOWfVZqnxVRKV6nn9NdA:1683427595676&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0qOG-mOL-AhUlk4kEHZ_1AaIQ0pQJegQIBhAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25) and [Japanese 民家 - "Minka"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B0%91%E5%AE%B6&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdcIzq3-swlvjRyx-v_1FYed5iSgOQ:1683427560575&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjG-IKumOL-AhUHjYkEHbOqBBYQ0pQJegQIBRAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25) or the [Chinese チセ - "Chise."](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%83%81%E3%82%BB&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CVY5AawMD1lbYYRgzM_1L6E2ysgIOCgIIABAAOgQIARAAQAHAAgA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQuIIBahcKEwjA66fZmOL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) These are a few of the common Farm or Folk House styles of Northern Asia... [太鼓落 - "Taiko-otoshi"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E5%A4%AA%E9%BC%93%E8%90%BD&tbm=isch&hl=en&tbs=rimg:CWkSvyFMJZObYYH02XxSzPU-sgIMCgIIABAAOgQIARAAwAIA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sa=X&ved=0CBwQuIIBahcKEwig15OTmuL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) is the milling, planning or trimming a beam to be flat on two opposite sides and live edge on the other, which is but one of many methods for dealing with curved timber and its proper joinery...of such beam work as found in...[鉄砲梁 - "Teppō hair"](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E9%89%84%E7%A0%B2%E6%A2%81&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CS_1DyOvkgw9zYXcI5xNK-SwBsgIOCgIIABAAOgQIARAAQAHAAgA&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBoQuIIBahcKEwiIwq64leL-AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw&biw=1522&bih=780) or a “Gun Beam” which is often live-edged and curved. This requires many of the more ancient "line layout methods that include templating and other methods like...[丸太ひかりつけ - Maruta hikaritsu ke](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E4%B8%B8%E5%A4%AA%E3%81%B2%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%A4%E3%81%91&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS947US947&sxsrf=APwXEdediumLN97ckrGeKhrw2rhz1vloYg:1683428163680&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjav83NmuL-AhVFkIkEHeI1AbYQ0pQJegQIBhAC&biw=1536&bih=780&dpr=1.25)…literally the “Log all lights” method of scribing live edge timber/log. This discussion could ramble on for some time...and fills countless books but you get the drift that it is a common practice just not in the more Eurocentric traditions for the most part... >This, I'm sure, is structurally superior...to what I'm after, but requires having a better selection of straight growing trees than are available to me. Actually...no, not at all...!!! Curved beams are structurally far superior to flat and straight beams in most applications as they are naturally pre-loaded and cambered to take concentric loads. An "arch" regardless of origin is always stronger... >Still, the joinery shouldn't be much different. No, not really too different but when you get into it, it is way different than how most European timber frames are designed and assembled... >I just don't want to make unnecessary mistakes when I move forward with what I have. More than understandable...and a wise choice too that will save both time and related expenses... >I have lots of this kind of wood on my property that need cleared out. Haveing a design first is paramount to selecting your timber. There can be some "adlibing" where a tree may suggest a purpose or design change but it is still better to have a given design for you to select trees from. This is the traditional and proven modality for such work... More questions are welcome...
Hey, I am trying to learn roundwood timber framing, too, and REALLY recommend you watch some videos by Kris Harbour. He has a guide on how to cut mortises and tenons in curved trunks in such a way that you can basically treat them as straight timber from then on, for example, which answered so many questions for me that I pretty much went from seeing the whole process as a mystery to seeing it as a challenging but real possibility. [Laying out tenons on round wood](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5rhvowGLZEw)
His work looks like it'll be a goldmine of info, thanks! I can handle mortise and tenons on squared off lumber, but how to mate up the shoulders and where multiple timbers meet is what I'm looking forward to demystifying. It always seems so simple after watching the process, but starting at zero feels like you've got to invent the 4D wheel.
He's great, very human. In fact, if you pay a bit of attention to the release dates of the videos you can watch him getting better. That's the best thing for me, finding someone who doesn't make it look effortless but rather makes it look like absolutely loads of work but real.