Kookaburra Carpentry

Kookaburra Carpentry Complete carpentry services. Specialising in bespoke hand made oak framed buildings.

03/04/2026

Two lovely Douglas fir timber frames all finished in this garden ready for summer.

It's a real pleasure to build such lovely structures for nice people. We quite often end up discussing how we'd like one ourselves!

It's also so nice to have clients that appreciate the work and craft that goes into making bespoke buildings, listening to their ideas and needs and styles and then creating something from a pile of wood that they love and exceeds their expectations.

Looking forward to popping back to this one for a beer and a BBQ in the summer!

30/03/2026

Two bay oak frame garage collected, delivered installed.

Fair bit more work to do on this one but nice to have the frame up and together with no framing issues.

😎

Two frames and a bench. I rather lovely job in some much needed spring sunshine. Two Douglas fir timber frames with cust...
20/03/2026

Two frames and a bench.

I rather lovely job in some much needed spring sunshine.

Two Douglas fir timber frames with custom shaped braces and a cedar bench seat to fit.

A complete garden makeover has taken place with my client having a clear vision for a timber framed gazebo in this awkward corner.

Budget and style and some tricky angles meant we decided to compromise on traditional framing techniques and get some big stainless bolts in there to hold it all together. I'd always prefer a mortice and tenon joint but having morticed some funky angled braces before it was quite a relief to put this together with fixings.

We still used some simple but effective lap joints and housings to connect the beams and hand cut the "one and two halfs hipped roof" 😐

Sandstone staddle stones and finished in natural slate and my first attempt at a lead roll ridge on the hip. Reckon it turned out pretty sweet.

The second frame was a less complex lean to roof to house a BBQ, pizza oven and out door kitchen prep space. Matching slate roof and curly braces.

And then finally (but actually not quite finally) a custom made bench to fit the internal corner of the space. I ended up making this out of doug fir and slatted it in cedar.

Super happy with the end result as is the client. Couldn't ask for better weather this time of year.
Awesome work as always by my man Oli and all the timber was from Will . 🙌🏻

Got a week of workshop next and then back to a new site for a big one. 🤙🏻

✌🏻

Remember when Instagram was just posting pictures of what you'd been up to that week?No algorithm games, trending themes...
30/01/2026

Remember when Instagram was just posting pictures of what you'd been up to that week?

No algorithm games, trending themes, viral audio and catchy hooks, rehashing the same s**t all the other influences are doing while continuously selling the latest s**t a brand has told you to sell. Mmm, good times.
Well this was the week before last because this week I've been ill and maybe a bit grumpy. ✌🏻

16/01/2026

When there is no real work on while I wait for oak delivery and I hate painting so much I'll find anything else to do than paint my house...find a nice piece of UK grown air dried oak leftover from another job and make some cool s**t for my house.

02/12/2025

Packing up the essential framing hand tools for a couple days of oak framing out the workshop.

No need for lots of fancy stuff. Here's what went in the box:

Robert Sorby 1 1/2" and 2" framing chisels
Thor no. 3 raw hide mallet
Home made plumb bob
Record no.010 rebate plane
3/4" and 1" augers and offset prickers
Shinwa ink line
Belt pouch with tape, pencil, ruler, knife, combi square
Digital bevel and wooden bevel
Ear defenders
Framing pins
Framing square (my Japanese one as it fits in the box)

Morticer, circular saw, drill and a few other general bits already in the van and we are good to go.

We completed this lovely little porch last week. Sawn finish green oak frame on granite staddle stones with oak sarking ...
25/10/2025

We completed this lovely little porch last week. Sawn finish green oak frame on granite staddle stones with oak sarking board ceiling, natural slates to match the house and lead flashing towing the frame back to the very wobbly and fun cob house walls.

The cob walls and freshly lime render gave us a few challenges along with the sloping floor and existing window above. Combining all these issues meant we went for resin fixed top plate to stop spread but loads transferred through the 4 posts to concrete pads that will be covered back over with pebbles.

Not having a tie beam against the house (as per original design by another frame kit provider) meant we could drop the height down low enough to squeeze in a 30° pitch roof under the window with room for flashing.

I think porches hold way more deaign and thought behind them than are given credit. Their small stature makes them seem like simple jobs but this frame had 22 joints in it plus common rafter cuts. As with all frames, proportions are so important but non more so than in a small frame. Go too skinny and it looks cheap and puny. Go too big (v common with certain IG oak frame influencers) and it looks ridiculous and not in keeping with the house. I'd like to think this one works pretty well. If possible I'd have increased the pitch and lost the back posts but existing conditions dictated what was possible.
I especially like the golden ratio braces and the oak sarking looked super tidy.

I'm getting happier with slating. I group it in with tiling. It's measuring,cutting and installing. What we all do as carpenters. Understanding your material and end results and planning before you start are key. The techniques and skill come with practice. Doing the lead was also not as stressful as last time!

I've been jumping back to another porch I cut in the workshop over a year and half ago which is now finally in place. Also with the oak sarking and now membraned and battened waiting for slates and finishing touches next week. I might even start enjoying the roofing if the sun turns up.

02/10/2025

Two mortice and tenons being cut in the workshop today.

This is part of a small porch going on the front of a beautifullyl renovated old cottage just up the road from my house. Although small in stature this porch is going to complelty transform the look of the property.

"We bloody love it!" From happy clients. Last week we completed this Douglas fir and larch timber frames, glazed roof le...
25/08/2025

"We bloody love it!" From happy clients.

Last week we completed this Douglas fir and larch timber frames, glazed roof lean to.

Out challenge was making something from a natural material using traditional techniques but to fit with the modern look of the new house. Using planed Douglas fir, straight braces and metal post feet helped us create a crisp contempory frame that will work with the rest of the garden design courtesy of .

We went with a clear solid polycarbonate for the glazing panels rather than glass. 200x the strength of glass, UV resistant and much easier to handle that has almost identical look and feel to glass.

There will be a resin bound patio under the frame and some more super interesting features to this garden. Can't wait to go back and see it all finished.

Two frames in a week. First was this lovely looking porch in planed oak. The raised collar is there to keep an open visu...
25/07/2025

Two frames in a week. First was this lovely looking porch in planed oak. The raised collar is there to keep an open visual on the ornate doorway it's going over. This stands on two chunky posts at the front with a slight overhang, with oak rafters and ridge for a great finish.

The second frame is a balcony that stands next to the porch. Two posts to support the front beam with braces, with returning beams to a wall plate. Simple and effective. A few late evenings this week to get it all finished but done now ready for the customer to collect and install themselves.
I'm off on holiday for a couple weeks, well overdue time for some camping and exploring.


(Now off topic so stop reading if you're only here for wood related content)

I've been slow on the socials the last few months. Lots going on with work and not work. It's easy enough to loose motivation for grinding away at a business and even easier to loose it for keeping up with promoting and pushing your work and skills and trying to showcase what you do. I like sharing my work and connecting with people but it feels a little lacking right now. There's a lot going on in the world. The last 10 years or so have felt a bit like living in a history text book (probably not even a thing anymore) and I almost feel pathetic for sharing some bits of wood I've cut and stuck back together again.
I tend not to share my personal life on here and keep my political opinions to myself. I'm happy with my first choice up until it effects my work and I've debated whether the later is good or bad.
There's some fu**ed up stuff happening in the world and some s**t people letting it happen and even making it worse. It may be because of what Ive had in my life but I worry for my boys the world they will be growing up in and what they'll be dealing with one day on their own. I really want to make things right for them but it feels a long way off from my dusty little workshop on a hill in Devon. If anyone has any ideas let me know. I like writing these really long wordy bits here because I'm pretty sure no one is still reading! Give me a ✌🏻 if you made it to the end. 🤙🏻

17/07/2025

A simple mortice and tenon post and beam with a scribed brace.

I couldn't hazard a guess as to how many of these I've cut. It's a lot. Over a decade now of pretty consistent timber framing means Ive developed a process, a routine, an order of how I do it.
No need for fancy tools. Easy work with a good skill saw and a morticer; A sharp chisel and mallet.
It's not the only way or even the right way but it's mine and it's pretty much ingrained in my mind and body. Auto pilot if you will. It works for me so I don't miss steps, don't usually make mistakes and generally get good results. So I'll stick to it for now.

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Barnstaple

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