Carpenter’s tools at Westonbirt, on the site of the Tree Management Centre
Westonbirt. Carpenter’s Tools
Westonbirt Tree Management Centre Progress
Progress on the new Tree Management Centre at Westonbirt Arboretum – the 20m trusses from green Corsican Pine grown on site are well underway. The bottom chords use the natural curvature of the tree, and the members were all hewn by hand on site by volunteers. The scale of the members is really only apparent when compared with the size of a person – and then their sheer scale becomes apparent. Charley Brentnall is leading the build, and a 130 ton crane will be required for the lift.
Westonbirt – Carpenters’ Tools
The superstructure for our new Tree Management Centre at Westonbirt Arboretum is underway. It’s an extraordinary process of construction – where trees are taken from Westonbirt’s own forest and filled on site. The most remarkable thing is the site of the vast 20 metre (finished length) timbers being worked into trusses by hand by Charley Brentnall’s team.
Westonbirt Arboretum – Substructure
The groundworks for our new Tree Management Centre at Westonbirt Arboretum are well underway and likely to be complete in February with superstructure starting soon afterwards.
Westonbirt: Timber Milling
On the day the tenders for the substructures were returned, we visited Westonbirt to see the milling for the superstructure. It’s a joy, as ever, to be using timber grown on site – and even better in this case to be using 20m clear span members. These are too long for the mobile saw, and will be hewn by hand and used in continuous lengths for the bottom chords of the main trusses. We’re working once again with Charley Brentnall, who knows more about timber than almost anyone else, and also the renowned engineers Buro Happold who have an extraordinary wealth of knowledge of timber engineering. Charley has been carrying out a hewing workshop on site, with students from the Carpenter’s Fellowship..