Notre Dame roof reconstruction

[Kevin Jenness]

My son Miles is in Normandy until August working on a crew fabricating trusses and other elements for the nave and choir of the cathedral. He is one of a half dozen American timber framers working on the project, which is being undertaken by two French companies https://www.remy-desmonts.com/ and http://ateliersperrault.com/ I believe there are 66 principal and secondary trusses 42 ft wide to be built for the nave and choir by Remy Desmonts, Miles' employer.

There is a large stock of oak logs 39 to 45 ft long and around 18" diameter at the small end to work with, all sourced in France. Apparently the working drawings are complex (and in progress) as each truss is slightly different due to vagaries in the wall layout. I believe the logs are to be sawn on two sides and hewn on the remaining two. The work will be done with a mix of power and hand tools.

I hope to be able to post some photos as the project progresses, but am not sure what the protocol will be. As well, my wife and I hope to visit in the spring - the opportunity is hard to pass up.

[derek labian]

How exciting, for timber framing, that's like the Superbowl.


I hope to be able to post some photos as the project progresses, but am not sure what the protocol will be.

Looking forward to seeing it.

[Tom M King]

Thanks for posting that!!

[Joe Calhoon]

That’s exciting for your son Kevin! Thanks for posting.

[Michael Drew]

I watched a documentary on this reconstruction project not too long ago. It was amazing to see the amount of work they are doing. They went through the process of sourcing timber for the trusses too. There was months of haz waste clean up performed, temporary roof construction, scaffold, etc. I can't seem to find the link for the video, but it was on YouTube. Definitely worth watching.

[John TenEyck]

I saw the documentary, too. Amazing what they've done just to get to this point. So how did your son land that job, Kevin? He must have some real cred. to have landed a job for that project. If you've never been to Paris I can think of no better reason to go. I look forward to updates along the way. Thanks.

John

[Mark Hennebury]

Once in a lifetime opportunity for your son! You must be quite proud. thanks for posting and I look forward to the updates.

[Kevin Jenness]

So how did your son land that job, Kevin?

He has worked on several projects with a group called Carpenters Without Frontiers https://www.charpentiers-sans-frontieres.com/, and I imagine he got into that through the Timber Framers Guild. On the first one in Maine a group of 20 or so French and American craftsmen started with a load of logs and built a blacksmith's shop frame in a week using only hand tools. One of the Frenchmen, Loic, came for a visit afterward, and as it turns out is a principal in Remy Desmonts. I'm not sure how the Americans on the project were chosen but I do know that they all have experience in historic preservation, which is the main focus of Miles' work. He has a crew of three working here so he will be quite busy between overseeing their projects and working his day job in France. Some of his work can be seen on Instagram under vtheavytimber.

[brent stanley]

He has worked on several projects with a group called Carpenters Without Frontiers https://www.charpentiers-sans-frontieres.com/, and I imagine he got into that through the Timber Framers Guild. On the first one in Maine a group of 20 or so French and American craftsmen started with a load of logs and built a blacksmith's shop frame in a week using only hand tools. One of the Frenchmen, Loic, came for a visit afterward, and as it turns out is a principal in Remy Desmonts. I'm not sure how the Americans on the project were chosen but I do know that they all have experience in historic preservation, which is the main focus of Miles' work. He has a crew of three working here so he will be quite busy between overseeing their projects and working his day job in France. Some of his work can be seen on Instagram under vtheavytimber.

Very cool, and a great experience. Timberframing is one of the things I do for a living so this has been a really heartwarming experience to see such a collaborative, international process to repair an amazing piece of history. I've been to Paris a few times, but never managed to see ND up close.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That is pretty cool! Good on your son!

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Wow! looking forward to pictures. Any chance Dad will get to go over?

[Kevin Jenness]

Here's a Nova /PBS program on the overall restoration project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4_a-3FO8Fw

[Erik Loza]

Kevin, that is an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. My wife and I were in Paris in 2013 and happened to wander by the Notre Dame while some sort of interactive event with fire dancers (ironic?) was going on. Great memories and I’m looking forward to following this story.

Erik

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[Kevin Jenness]

One interesting aspect of the work is the use of the "scribe rule" as opposed to the "square rule" typically used in modern timber framing in this country. Square rule is mainly measurement based and rests on the idea that there is an ideal square timber inside each actual workpiece to reference the joinery and joints are laid out largely with a steel square. Scribe rule is adapted to irregular timbers and relies on actually stacking up related parts and transferring dimensions using plumb bobs, levels, scribes and so forth. They each seem to have strengths in different situations.

I'm not a timber framer so perhaps someone who is will offer a better description. In my cabinet and furniture work I almost always work with milled material. On the rare occasions when rough or organic shapes are part of the design I usually devise some sort of cradle to allow for machining joinery, but the scribe rule offers a different approach for someone using that sort of material on a smaller scale than a cathedral.

Here's a description with some photos of the scribe rule process.https://www.jrosecarpentry.co.uk/aofscribe-rule.php

A brief discussion of the two systems:



Are the majority of Europeans still using the scribe rule? What was their reaction to square rule framing?



vtheavytimber (https://www.instagram.com/vtheavytimber/)

@huckleberryhillfarmvt (https://www.instagram.com/huckleberryhillfarmvt/) They are. They thought it was interesting, and could see the upsides of it, but it wouldn’t work with how they build there. With square rule you have to do a really nice job hewing, or saw the timbers so as to have straight, planar reference faces. With what they do, the hewing needs to be much less accurate. I’m not saying their hewing isn’t very very good, but scribe rule doesn’t need square timbers, so they don’t have to mess with making sure the timber sits perfectly while it is hewn, and they don’t have to worry as much about spring in the wood. They also work with less of an absolute fascination of rectilinear shapes as we do. The curve is embraced. I think if one was to just use hewn timber, scribe would easier. Once you go to sawn timber, you might as well use square rule. <— This may cause some argument!https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/271908578_296358602536067_5498662810996859447_n.jp g?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=111&_nc_ohc=oDuq0VOgnD4AX_tN887&edm=AFDWGO4BAAAA&ccb=7-5&oh=00_AfA22UETDV-TZrHUWjQtfhwmMv1YrMRI3QVy3hHVtRJ37Q&oe=63BF2899&_nc_sid=2ea7f4 (https://www.instagram.com/meulienbenoit/)

meulienbenoit (https://www.instagram.com/meulienbenoit/)

@huckleberryhillfarmvt (https://www.instagram.com/huckleberryhillfarmvt/) as a french timber framer , i don’t think we have to oppose scribe and square rule. None is better but each one is adapted to the architecture of the country and also the size of the beams. Square rule will be faster for american timber frame with mostly posts beams and braves but if you build european half-timbered houses or complexes trusses scribe is the way. I use the best of both world because each one has pros and cons. Each time i see scribe rule by americans it’s mostly for curved braces. Take a look at french « charpente traditionnelle » or uk’s Green oak timber frame and you will see that square rule is almost impossible to use or just for some parts of the frame. I hope my english is good enough. « Carpenters without borders » is perfect for sharing techniques.

[Mark Hennebury]

Interesting to see the differences and makes sense, reminds me a little of doing interior boatwork and plotting everything with plumbobs and squares all off of a single stringline from stem to stern.

[Kevin Jenness]

Interesting to see the differences and makes sense, reminds me a little of doing interior boatwork and plotting everything with plumbobs and squares all off of a single stringline from stem to stern.

I recently met a cabinetmaker from Maine who said that he does interior yacht fitments in his shop using a layout generated by a 3d laser system.

[Mark Hennebury]

How things have changed in such a short time. I worked on boats back in the seventies, did a lofting course, marked measured and mapped everything long before computers arrived. We built plugs and molds and made fibreglass hulls for fishing boats, later worked on outfitting a few sailboats. It was all quite interesting, good for the brain, learning to see things in 3D with no flat surfaces for reference, nothing is square or plumb all compound curve surfaces. I am happy to have started off working in those times, much as it would be nice to use layout generated by a 3D laser.


I recently met a cabinetmaker from Maine who said that he does interior yacht fitments in his shop using a layout generated by a 3d laser system.

[Kevin Jenness]

Yes, that's great training, and all the measurements needed to do that intricate lofting and functional sculpture derived from a single straight line plus plumb bobs and squares. Lasers and the like can save a lot of time but the fundamentals don't change.

[Ronald Blue]

What a privilege to be included in that project. An honor and also obviously well respected for his skills to be on that short list of craftsmen. Good thing he finished your bridge before he left. I'm sure your shirt buttons are popping with pride knowing your son is part of this huge undertaking.

[Kevin Jenness]

My wife and I just returned from Normandy where we were able to see some of the truss fabrication for the nave happening at SARL Desmonts in Perriers le Campagne. It's a small company started by 63 y/o Remy Desmonts as a cabinet/carpentry shop. Their primary focus now is on timber framing and restoration. Remy is "retired" but works at the shop every day, while his 24 y/o son Loic is running the show now.

They have about 20 people currently involved in the Notre Dame project. About 5 are permanent full time employees, some are members of the Compagnons de Devoir, an ancient guild with a traditional apprentice/journeyman/master system, some are students or graduates of state technical schools, some are trainees changing from other careers, some are independent French craftsmen rung in for this job and there are four Americans, all members of the Timber Framers Guild. There are two other Amis working at Ateliers Perreault an hour away on the choir roof and two more working in eastern France on the spire.

The workshop has one fully enclosed area with cabinet machinery around the perimeter, a large free span enclosed unheated space and a smaller open one, a bandmill and a sizeable log yard. A heavy duty telehandler, a forklift and a couple of small self-propelled stackers help with all the material handling. There is space to set up three trusses at once, and a borrowed bay in a warehouse a couple of doors down for overflow space. The office is in a small building in the yard and there is a communal kitchen/dining room where the workers who don't go home for the 1.5 hr lunch break take turns cooking.

There is a huge tent, visible for miles from the surrounding farm fields in which the trusses will be fully assembled prior to disassemby and shipment to the jobsite, which is supposed to start in September with the erection finished in December. With at least four separate outfits working on various parts of the roof frame accurate planning and coordination are essential to a successful project.

The schedule seems aspirational as the finished working drawings started to trickle in from Perrault's drafting office only about a month ago. There are 11 principal trusses connected with transverse frames and 45 simpler secondary trusses, all slightly different as the floor plan is slightly curved and the walls are neither perfectly parallel nor level, plus the pitch changes as the trusses approach the spire, a 19th century addition which involved modifying the original trusses to some degree. The drawings are based mainly on a laser scan done about 20 years ago and a fortuitously commissioned architectural survey done more recently. Very few fragments of the original roof remain, so there is a certain amount of conjecture as to the joinery details, but the intent is to copy the original work as closely as possible, down to inscribing historical witness marks on the parts. I actually was allowed to chop in one line of unknown meaning so I guess I can claim to have worked on the project.

While waiting on drawings the crew worked on preparing parts. The timbers are sawn on two faces on the big bandmill, then kerfed and hewn to a line on the other two faces and finished all around with broadaxes of various designs. Power tools are used for time savings but the finished surfaces are hand tooled for authenticity and to keep the craft alive. The shop has a collection of saws and axes and other tools and the various crafts people have their own favorites. I caught myself from using "craftsmen" as there are three women on the crew.

When we arrived the first secondary truss had been assembled and was being photographed in the cabinet shop, while the base chords of the primary trusses were being stockpiled after being mortised on their top faces by the square rule method. The next day another secondary truss was set up for scribing. The first primary truss was being set up in another space while the second one was being laid out on the floor of the largest shed. Miles and a helper were working down the road on one of the "consoles", auxiliary supports like corbels under the primary trusses.

Most of the joinery is marked out by scribe rule, so the layout lines are snapped on the concrete floor and the timbers are laid out above on horses and the intersections pulled from the floor lines using plumb bobs. Scribing the lateral frames to the primary trusses will be particularly tricky as the plan curves and the truss faces will not be parallel. The trial assembly in the big tent should confirm all the work before it gets on site and assembled in public. Apparently the site in Paris is so tight that the trusses will be assembled on staging before being craned into place while work goes on underneath.

All in all a very ambitious undertaking and wonderful to see the level of skill and commitment to rebuilding one part of a national religious monument. The fact that Loic, at 24, is able to manage this part of the project is quite impressive. He recently bid on the reconstruction of a Norman longboat (similar to the Viking boats) to be built using only hand tools and had Miles split out and hew an oak log into planks in order 500861to get an accurate labor estimate. I don't think there are many limits to what these people can accomplish given world enough and time.500843500844500845500846500841500842500863

One of these days I will figure out how to arrange text and pictures properly. Until then, wysiwyg.

[Kevin Jenness]

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[Kevin Jenness]

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[Tom M King]

Many thanks for posting that Kevin!!!

[Bill Dufour]

There is a famous unfinished Greek Temple, maybe in Africa. They chisel the layout for roof and column swell on the floor using string etc. After it was built the marble floor would be polished and flat so only that one temple , shows how they laid it out.
Bill D

https://www.jstor.org/stable/24967878

[John TenEyck]

Thanks very much Kevin. Amazing undertaking. The photo with the log inventory and another with one of the main trusses being worked on gives a hint of what a massive undertaking it is. I saw a lot of drying cracks in one of the beams. I wonder how the continued drying will affect the joints when they go to reassemble the trusses on site. I guess people who do timber framing have that figured out.

Sure must have been fun to spend time there.

John

[Kevin Jenness]

I saw a lot of drying cracks in one of the beams. I wonder how the continued drying will affect the joints when they go to reassemble the trusses on site. I guess people who do timber framing have that figured out.

Sure must have been fun to spend time there.

John

Drying checks are part of the deal. I know Miles typically paints joints with a wax/oil mix for storage on his own work to slow down moisture transfer, but I didn't see that here. I believe they will start assembling sections as soon as they have a pair of principal trusses and all the included parts ready, and leave them assembled in the big tent until they are transported in order to minimize warpage during that time. I think it's assumed that if the joints went together initially they can be persuaded to do so again when the time comes, though there must inevitably be a bit of tuneup here and there after storage.

I would have been happy to sit in a corner for a week to see just how the tricks are done but I fear I would have worn out my welcome.

Miles will be coming back here for several weeks in June to help his crew with a difficult install. When I said, "I hope it goes well," he reached to touch wood and explained the French turn of phrase for that. The apprentices are called "lapins" or rabbits and the masters "singes" or monkeys. When someone makes a wish as I did the apprehensive recipient must reach out and "touch a monkey."

Normandy is quite picturesque with many small farms and villages, each one with its church and graveyard. There is highly decorative half-timber and masonry work in even the most utilitarian buildings, and many clusters of wind turbines scattered about. Several of the American woodworkers live here part-time or are thinking of doing so, and they all referenced the different pace of life. It's not easy to find shops open outside of certain restricted hours in the smaller towns, and the care lavished on the buildings suggests that their balance of time and money tips in a different direction.

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[Joe Calhoon]

Thanks for posting Kevin, very interesting!

[Dave Zellers]

This is off the chart cool-wise. What a thing to be part of for your son. He will be part of your family lore forever.

Plus those sawhorses are a thing of beauty. So simple, so strong.

[Mark Hennebury]

Fascinating! thanks.

[Bradley Gray]

Thanks, Kevin!

[Mark Gibney]

Great thread. Looking forward to seeing more from this.
Going to look up your son's instagram page too.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Resurrecting this thread. NPR just broadcast a segment on this process, including interviewing an American.

Cool bit. You can go to NPR site - Morning Edition - for a replay and/or read later this morning.

[Kevin Jenness]

The carpenter interviewed here was quoted on Morning Edition this morning. The full-length interview is well worth listening to, an in-depth discussion of the process. https://wtip.org/wtip-speaks-with-peter-henrikson-about-notre-dame-timber-framing-restoration/ Everything here jibes with what I've heard from my son. I heard a short clip on NPR last week which gave the impression that all the work was being done with hand tools but this interview confirms that the other participants in the project are using a mix of modern and traditional kit except for the hand-hewn finished surfaces.

Miles is home for a visit and to oversee the start of one of his own projects in Scranton. He'll head back to Normandy from mid June until August, and hopes to return in November to participate in the roof erection in Paris. He said that the fabrication is going on schedule despite the delay in drawing production and that the installation crew will start setting the plates on the stone walls in July.

[Kevin Jenness]

Here's an NPR article with photos on the work being done at Ateliers Perrault in Normandy, an expanded version of the radio piece mentioned by Kent. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/11/1179648233/notre-dame-paris-fire-rebuild-roof The first picture shows how the transverse frames connect the principal trusses and support the chords of the secondary trusses. Others show parts set up for scribing and the memorial plumb bobs given out to all the carpenters working on the project.

I was initially a bit surprised that the Perrault and Desmonts have no mention of the project, but they and all the participants are bound by non-disclosure agr

[Kevin Jenness]

An article from a VT weekly paper on one of the American team members. https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/a-lincoln-carpenter-landed-a-plumb-position-rebuilding-notre-dame-cathedral-in-paris/Content?oid=38642526&_ga=2.69533584.1076362939.1689365618-1928587152.1688329329

[alan weinberg]

Let’s see an update. Fascinating thread. It’s my favorite building in the world, Notre Dame cathedral.

[Keith Christopher]

Way cool. We were just in Paris in early June and visited the cathedral, So amazing to think that it took ~300 years to complete construction.

[Kevin Jenness]

Sooner than I had expected, the first trusses are in place, hoisted by crane from a barge on the Seine . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHnUHlFBzHs https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/11/its-amazing-to-see-notre-dame-cathedrals-new-roof-arrives-by-barge?fbclid=IwAR1bpwsk3GTYC-1FCMzfCfH-eYOptyTXiFT_JPAaiqSQbDOpzYziGi4FAw8

Here's a short video narrated by an American carpenter working at Ateliers Perrault on the project, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNgoSmgB3nQ
If you look closely at the hewing process you can see that two sides are sawn out on a mill before the other two are kerfed and hewn, as at Remy Desmonts.

Another video showing work in progress at both the Perreault and Desmonts shops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QDMBE_O44c At 6:11 you can see my son Miles at the back/top of the group, with Loic Desmonts front and center.

And some action shots and brief interview with Will Gusakov of Lincoln, VT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn5y1iFKI-0

[Joe Calhoon]

Thanks Kevin, very interesting! Great that your son was able to take part!

[Mark Hennebury]

great stuff! thanks.

[andrew whicker]

I just went down a small rabbit hole of that twisted spire. For those who also find it interesting, here are a few more photos:

Twisted spire

Place: Offrenville / Pays de Caux
Church: Saint Ouen

This one is hard to Google because there is a HUGE church w/ the same saint that gets all the press. Found some more photos though:

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Here's another neat spire that came up - St Ouen church in Duranville:

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And another cool spire in Bournainville-Faverolles:

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This is an awesome thread and I much appreciate all the cool info and photos! Love in the inspiration. Keep the updates coming.

[Kevin Jenness]

They are quite cool for sure. Wikipedia lists 70 in France, and over a hundred in total in various countries. We stumbled across the ones in Bures-en-Bray and Offrenville quite by accident. Framing a plumb steeple is a feat in itself, a spiral one something else indeed.

[Mike Null]

What a wonderful thread! I've had the good fortune to visit Notre Dame a few times. It is a remarkable structure but for me the windows are the highlight. Some time back I saw a documentary and in it they said that they discounted steel as a structural replacement for the beams as it would have been inferior and would not last as long as timbers assuming they could source the timbers.

I bet your son can't wait to go to work every day.

Thanks for posting!

[Kevin Jenness]

Here's a recent aerial video of the cathedral. Doesn't really show any action but it does give an idea of the building's scale and setting and one can make out the recently installed trusses camouflaged by a forest of staging. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/aerial-footage-shows-progression-of-the-notre-dame-cathedral-reconstruction-1.6485905

[Christian Hawkshaw]

I think this is a new coverage:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/notre-dame-cathedral-reconstruction-project-takes-a-big-leap-forward/

[Kent A Bathurst]

Here's a recent aerial video of the cathedral. Doesn't really show any action but it does give an idea of the building's scale and setting and one can make out the recently installed trusses camouflaged by a forest of staging. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/aerial-footage-shows-progression-of-the-notre-dame-cathedral-reconstruction-1.6485905

Very cool - thanks for the updates

I "get" how the original gang went about making square-ish beams with hand tools 6 - 8 centuries ago.

Then I watch the video of the tower crane used in the lift - and nope. Don't get that at all. Did they hoist the truss/rafter components and assemble up on top? Doesn't seem like they could hoist a finished rafter into place. But then - Stonehenge.

Fascinating. I'm good without knowing how stuff was done eons ago.

[Kevin Jenness]

Kent, I believe the original builders would have assembled the trusses on the ground and lifted them into place with a crane powered by a walking wheel (like a hamster wheel for humans). I saw one used for hoisting well water in an 11th century chateau, about 13" in diameter. David MacAuley's Cathedral is a good illustrated reference. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=medieval+cathedral+roof+hoist&qpvt=medieval+cathedral+roof+hoist&form=IGRE&first=1

[Kevin Jenness]

Some footage from Remy Desmonts' workshop in June https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9bLO58VT_c and some more from Briey where the steeple is being fabricated https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4BUvrMlYFc

Miles called my mother a few days ago from up in the cathedral where he was attending a lead hazmat training (the original roof was lead and there is residual contamination from the fire). He will be coming home in a couple of weeks, then returning in November to assist with the truss installation.

I see I had a Spinal Tap moment in the post above this one - the walking wheel hoist at the Chateau d'Harcourt is more or less 13' in diameter, not 13"!

[Brian Deakin]

This is n example of a twisted spire about 30 miles from where I live in the Uk

https://matthewjonesphotography.co.uk/crooked-spire-chesterfield/

[Joe Calhoon]

The massive staging to build the spire is overwhelming!
thanks for keeping us up on this Kevin.

[Kevin Jenness]

My daughter-in-law came by today and said Miles had facetimed her from Paris earlier in the week, gone walkabout after his hazmat training in the staging forest, following hidden staircases and frolicking among the gargoyles. I would have liked to see that. Said he had dreamed of exploring the attic since he visited the cathedral at age 10. Living large!

From Miles' Instagram account:



https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/11881575_397363047126586_355064130_a.jpg?_nc_ht=sc ontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=110&_nc_ohc=oDECvXV-wJgAX87l1-Z&edm=AEF8tYYBAAAA&ccb=7-5&oh=00_AfDREUTuGMQCxDPMUqftZKluIGnkIOMUROWgwXFM4rxO yg&oe=64DD8095&_nc_sid=1e20d2 (https://www.instagram.com/alexandergorlinarchitects/)


alexandergorlinarchitects (https://www.instagram.com/alexandergorlinarchitects/)

Pretty weird to have to sign an NDA to rebuild a medieval cathedral ! What’s the secret?




vtheavytimber (https://www.instagram.com/vtheavytimber/)


]@alexandergorlinarchitects (https://www.instagram.com/alexandergorlinarchitects/) I think it’s understandable. This is a project where the client is the French government, and the French people themselves, and they’d like to be able to control the narrative. It’s very rare that someone would turn down the chance to work on a unesco world heritage project just because of the nda, so there’s really no downside for them.
https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/11881575_397363047126586_355064130_a.jpg?_nc_ht=sc ontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=110&_nc_ohc=oDECvXV-wJgAX87l1-Z&edm=AEF8tYYBAAAA&ccb=7-5&oh=00_AfDREUTuGMQCxDPMUqftZKluIGnkIOMUROWgwXFM4rxO yg&oe=64DD8095&_nc_sid=1e20d2 (https://www.instagram.com/alexandergorlinarchitects/)


alexandergorlinarchitects (https://www.instagram.com/alexandergorlinarchitects/)


Perhaps but the entire process is being watched by the world and the specific techniques of reconstruction will be documented along the way, especially as it’s a UNESCO monument as well as a holy place. What secrets are being held ?
https://scontent-lga3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/26301048_1829913600360937_7139792391208173568_n.jp g?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=101&_nc_ohc=ovrbinLu8sgAX_z4aKe&edm=AFDWGO4BAAAA&ccb=7-5&oh=00_AfDg0FlT13rv6D3guUrGKlQboNLIcXVA_8DmJcHf8UNB 2Q&oe=64DD7AEB&_nc_sid=7b9ede (https://www.instagram.com/vtheavytimber/)


vtheavytimber (https://www.instagram.com/vtheavytimber/)

lol. Per the NDA, any secrets will remain such. I’ll never tell about the hidden passageways and secret tunnels that the knights Templar have instructed us to build. Only one craftsperson can work on them at a time, and that person only knows about the small section that is in their purview.

[Mark Gibney]

Oak is reputedly a difficult wood to dry.
How do they fell the selected trees and construct the trusses with the lumber so quickly?

[Kevin Jenness]

Most timber framing is done with green wood, and this project is no exception.

[Mark Gibney]

Okay, thanks.

[Kevin Jenness]

An interesting pan view of the formwork used to support the new vaulting filling in where the falling spire crashed through the original masonry ceiling of the cathedral https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoK8c8H8rtE and a video of the "poultice" work being done on the remaining vaulting that was damaged by water infiltration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y354cdTN5Y

On another note, Miles has been home for three weeks but will be returning in November for several months to work on installing the roof trusses until that work is complete.

[Kevin Jenness]

Craning a principal truss into place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geBbUBA8dLE Given how fast they are moving along they may be done before Miles' expected return in November.

[Kevin Jenness]

The party is over for Miles, as his crew has completed their installation work on the nave trusses. I think he was disappointed not to get in on that phase but he certainly had a good run in the shop from January through August. He is in Paris now as he had to pick up a couple of axes he had commissioned and collect his new work visa, good for 4 years, in person. His boss has arranged a tour of the jobsite as the choir and spire work are still going on. Quite the experience, and it seems likely he will go back over time to work on other projects. Having put a lot of effort into several ephemeral projects over the years that were ripped out due to a change in fashion I envy him helping to rejuvenate a building that may well last another 800 years.

[Kevin Jenness]

For anyone interested, there is a Youtube video on this project by a participant. Josh Jackson, a Vermont builder who worked on the nave trusses at the Desmonts shop, gave a lengthy slide presentation at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum last week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHBPdg8h6es

The roof framing was completed in January according to this article. https://www.osvnews.com/2024/01/22/carpenters-hail-end-of-notre-dame-roof-reconstruction-rector-calls-it-a-work-of-joseph-and-jesus/

[Christian Hawkshaw]

Fascinating information….

[Kevin Jenness]

A New York Times article on Hank Silver, one of the expatriate carpenters on the project. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/29/world/europe/notre-dame-restoration-carpenter.html

[Bill Dufour]

I did not read it all. As I understand it the wood is all coming from France or maybe nearby countries. I would think Catholics world wide would be proud to donate a few living oak trees to the cause. Does Quebec have good oaks?
Bill D

[Kevin Jenness]

I believe all the logs were cut in France. No doubt suitable timber could have been found elsewhere, but logistics, authenticity and national pride were on the side of local sourcing. According to this article https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/content/oaks-felled-notre-dameat least some of the trees cut were Quercus Petraea or sessile oak native to Europe, whereas Quercus Alba or white oak is commonly used in North American timber framing. I do know that the logs were tracked through the sawing and joinery process so that every piece of wood incorporated into the trusses should be traceable to its point of origin.

[Bill Dufour]

When the Washington Monument was built various countries donated foundation stones quarried in their country. I believe one even came from the UK.
Bill D

https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/02/16/the-lost-gift-stones-of-the-washington-monument/

[Mel Fulks]

Bill , that is right , but the U.S. States also gave stones with pics of their STATES doing interesting stuff , those are on inside
The exterior stone came from at least two States , and there is a line toward the lower part that shows the 2 sources…
don’t match. But few notice it , it’s the guides that blab about it ! I’m currently making an Obolisk for my yard. Will be 6 or 7 feet tall.
City won’t let me go higher. Oblusklie , I would like to go higher.