2008 Projects

The Timber Framers Guild hosted a five-day workshop to build one of the three winning timber and log designs in the Silver Park Design Competition. The Silver Park Design Competition was a contest to create three small log and/or timber shelters, with benches, in Missoula's Silver Park. Formerly a mill site, Silver Park is a 14.5-acre public space situated along the Clark River across from downtown Missoula.

The Bonin design, shown below, gave participants an excellent opportunity for honing their skills in compound joinery. This shelter, plus the other two winning designs that were cut at local shops, were raised in their eventual home in Silver Park, which is adjacent to Osprey Stadium where the workshop was held.

Joel McCarty's Update

Silver Park Shelters are up! We had a great time in Montana, on a project that was so popular that we had to turn people away. Thanks to our precutting crew, led by Mark Gannt and Caleb Larson, we were able to focus on the scribe/square rule techniques that the Bonin design demanded. Our leadership team of Curtis Milton, Rocco Bellebuono, Alicia Hammarlund, Isaac McCoy-Sulentic, and Dave Kaplan strived every day (and most nights) to allow everyone to practice scribing on salvaged timber. We raised all three whimsical structures in the midst of what promises to be a handsome urban park.

Thanks to Our Sponsors & Volunteers

Dennis Hambruch of Mafell North America deserves special mention, as he came all the way from Buffalo with a wondrous collection of specialized tooling for us to use.

Thank You to These Generous Sponsors
GRK Fasteners Tom Haanen, Hilti Group LandArk Wood Finishes	Denny Hambruch, Mafell North America Northcott Woodturning TimberLinx
Thank You to These Volunteers

The Missoula Downtown Association organized meal donations for the participants through Colleen Rudio. Local hospitality was delivered with many smiles, with special thanks to her and Suzie Orr for food and housing. Thanks, too, to Missoula residents Ellen Buchanon and Geoff Badenoch for logistics and fundraising.

Our limitless gratitude is reserved for Local TFG member Jennifer Anthony of Fearless Engineers; she and her family outdid themselves in making this happen. Jennifer has worked tirelessly with the Missoula community to generate interest in the project and has also donated her engineering time. She obtained funding from MRA to secure materials salvaged from an old mill site as well as sinker logs salvaged upstream at the Blackfoot River, to be used for this project. Caleb Larson and Mark Gantt also volunteered their time and expertise to organize the pre-cutting of some of the frame pieces.

Thanks to Home Resource for their fiscal help. Home Resource is a non-profit organization that collects and sells re-usable building materials to reduce waste, help build healthier communities, and promote a more vibrant and sustainable local economy.

We had such a great time, and got so many people excited about timber framing and community-service building projects that we are planning another project in Missoula in 2009 and 2010 for major projects and more fun. Thanks to everyone for a successful project!

Bonin design winner. Scarpa/Nia design winner. Stahlecker design winner.