Building on the Past
The Roanoke Times - Mar 18, 2001

Amid the high-tech businesses moving into the New River Valley there is a company specializing in the the ancient craft of timber framing.

Its Elliston shop is filled with row after row of massive timbers, the beginnings of a new home for a North Carolina family. Single timber pieces are as thick and long as telephone poles. Ten or so men work on the wood, first marking the timbers, then making precision cuts so that every piece can be joined together, without nails. The smell of sawdust permeates the air, combining with a citrus aroma from a natural wood finish applied to the timbers."We really approach it like we're building a huge piece of furniture," said Blue Ridge Timberwrights President and owner, Sandy Bennett.

Bennett described Blue Ridge Timberwrights as one of America's foremost manufacturers of residential and commercial timber frame structures. Timber framing is the craft of building with wood that is custom cut and carefully joined with oak pegs, like the post and beam construction found inside old barns. Frames built by Blue Ridge Timberwrights are so crafted so that the interiors are intentionally exposed, not covered with drywall or plaster. Metal fasteners are rarely used. "The mortise and tenon joint is pretty much the backbone of timber framing," Bennett said.

Blue Ridge Timberwrights has done hundreds of projects around the country and abroad, no two alike. Bennett said the company had four jobs in Japan and is speaking seriously with a client in Israel. It also completed a house project for race car driver Terry Labonte.

Nearby examples of Blue Ridge Timberwrights' work include the gazebo at Virginia Tech's duck pond, the steeple on Christiansburg Presbyterian Church and a 30,000-square-foot building at the Chateau Morrisette Winery.

The winery structure was built with 170,000 board feet of timber, all salvaged Douglas fir - 75 percent of the wood used in the company's creations is salvaged and reclaimed timbers. As with every timber framed structure, each timber piece was given a unique label and had a unique place. More than 1,200 pieces were used at Chateau Morrisette, all joined together like a puzzle. Bennett believes it is the largest timber frame structure in the country.

The financial success of Blue Ridge Timberwrights is remarkable considering its history. Blue Ridge Timber Frame was having financial difficulties just seven years ago. Bennett, who had just sold his interests in a Michigan timber framing business, was encouraged by fellow members of the Timber Framers Guild to come back to work after taking time off to spend with his family.

In 1994 he bought the business' assets and reorganized the company. Blue Ridge Timberwrights has been profitable ever since. Bennett said company revenue has increased 300 percent. However, the business has not reached its goal of $3 million in gross receipts. Bennett added that business has plateaued over the past few years.

Bennett attributes the recent slow growth to not having enough skilled employees. "We could sell much more of than we can produce," he said. Bennett employs 25 people, including in-house design staff. Their project backlog is three to four months.

Today's timber framing industry is relatively young. Between about 1850 and 1970 few timber frame structures were built anywhere in the world. Bennett was introduced to timber framing in the late 1970s when the craft was regaining popularity.

"I always got great pleasure from crafting with my hands and wood," he said. "It's a very rewarding thing to do." Bennett and a college classmate started their own timber framing business. "It was virtually a lost craft at that time," he recalled.

Timber framing dates back to ancient civilizations. The craft evolved over the centuries and was practiced extensively in early America. Building techniques changed during the Industrial Revolution when sawmills began cutting smaller dimensional lumber products and machines could mass produce nails and other fastening devices. Building a home with materials like two-by-fours and common nails was faster and less expensive than timber framing. Furthermore, the job could be done with fewer, less skilled workers.

While timber framing is gaining popularity with architects and commercial developers, the industry is still largely unknown or misunderstood. "We have an identity crisis," Bennett admitted. When he tries to explain timber framing, "Invariably they say, 'Oh, you build log cabins'." Timber framing is quite different. There are a few hundred small timber framing businesses throughout the country. Most have less than 10 employees. The largest have 60-70. Only a few can boast of a portfolio like Blue Ridge Timberwrights'

Blue Ridge Timberwrights has kept busy while emphasizing product over profit. "It's really not a profit motive that keeps us going," Bennett said. He explained that the company could improve productivity by automating some of its processes.

Timber framers are part of a strong community of craftsmen. They are serious about their creations being handmade and still use traditional tools including a mallet and chisel. Traditional values are carefully balanced with modern construction practices.

Dugspur resident Margaret Rasco is enjoying Blue Ridge Timberwrights' craftsmanship first hand. She and her husband Ron had part of their house built with timber framing. "We like the rustic look," she said. Rasco said it was interesting to watch Blue Ridge Timberwrights' craftsmen assemble her timber frame home.

Bennett said the raising of the timber frame is a special occasion, cranes hoist the timbers into place and the oak pegs are driven into the joints to bind them together tightly. He hopes to raise his own timber frame structure soon when Blue Ridge Timberwrights moves to a new shop in the Christiansburg Industrial Park later this year.