Jacob is a skilled furniture designer with a strong foundation from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he studied furniture design. He expanded his expertise through a wood-turning course at Arrowmont with Beth Ireland and a furniture-intensive program at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship.
This summer, he joined us as our first apprentice, spending four weeks immersed in hands-on learning. He started with a timber framing course at Heartwood School, where Nick was teaching, before working with us on various projects. During his time here, Jacob raised a frame, ventured into the forest to fell trees, milled timber, and contributed to a barn project, deepening his practical skills and understanding of traditional woodworking techniques.
Let's dive into his interview! Enjoy the photos at the bottom too.
Tell us about your woodworking experience, educational background, and your current school. What sparked your interest in timber framing?
My dad is a woodturner so my experience really started in front of a lathe at 6 or 7 years old. I didn’t take it seriously but always relished in having some skill in a wood shop. I was in engineering school unsatisfied by the lack of hands-on work and spending hours in the small woodshop turning and thinking about craft. Over time my engineering books looked less like class notes and more like a sketch book.My dad took me to a week long turning intensive in Tennessee taught by Beth Ireland and it was in conversations with her I realized this was something to pursue. I’ve spent time on construction sites and in craft schools and countless hours in my garage shop but I’ve found my space at Savannah Collage of Art and Design, where I study Furniture Design.
What do you hope to do in the future with woodworking?
I just want to keep learning. I want to learn enough to where I can comfortably teach and keep learning after that.
We strongly believe in professional development at our firm. Yearly our members attend the Heartwood School to continue developing skills. You received a TPTF scholarship to attend the Timber Framing course taught by Nick at the Heartwood School prior to starting the apprenticeship. Please share your experience at the course.
I had a great time at Heartwood! It was amazing to have a grasp on the basics before I showed up to Tall Pine. The community was fabulous and made for a great low-stakes environment to mess up in. Also, coming out of a city, the camping was extremely refreshing.
Tell us about the projects you are working on during your summer apprenticeship at TPTF. What new skills have you acquired?
I started with a raising which I’m really glad we could get in as its always the last step of a project. Starting a new project with the team was really insightful. Even the thought put into unloading and stacking timbers was really advanced and informative. Production was hard. 2 rafters a day for 8 days was daunting, but the satisfaction of a finished stack is unbeaten. Green woodworking is a new skill for me. The Ax and Adze are new to me as well as marking, which is a huge skill to acquire.
During your apprenticeship, you were involved in many tasks that cover the diverse scope of work required when designing and building timber frames. Which part did you enjoy the most and why?
I enjoyed surveying the forest. That experience felt very unique and mindful with the project. I loved the briefings on a new timber layout and smoothing sweeps with a spokeshave.
TPTF is a forest to frame firm. What was your experience and sentiment about this approach to sourcing materials, design, and working with natural materials. Did anything change about your relationship with natural materials in the time you were at TPTF?
This was my first time milling. Before, this wood just kind of showed up as planks in a lumber yard. It's easy to forget that the wood you are shaping has value before it reaches your hands. Seeing the tree before the timber only adds depth to your work and brings the craftsperson that much closer to their craft.
Please describe the shop culture/overall feeling of working at TPTF.
It’s not a place where you’re told to work. It's a place where you work because you see the rafter you’re working on is better than the one you just finished. You work because Andy just showed you a new technique and you want to try it on your next sweep. You work to hear your freshly honed chisel pare across the grain. The pride that comes with being skilled and better than machines is shared by everyone in the shop. The romanticization of old jobs holds true when there's no dust flying from a table saw or no screams from a skill saw, just the tapping from maletts on chisels.
Would you consider another apprenticeship with TPTF?
My relationship with timber framing and the TPTF is far from over. I would love to come back to help cut joints, I’d love to see some felling and still need to experience scribe work. And i’ve got to see the forest in the winter.
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