Gerald David
Carpenter
Duluth, MN, USA
Recommended by Craft in America
The architecture of heavy timber
- Gerald makes heavy timber frames using traditional mortise and tenon joinery
- His projects include constructing timber-framed houses, cabins and pavilions
- He passes on his traditional joinery skills in Minnesota
Gerald David grew up in Aachen, Germany, with a view of Aachen Cathedral from his school. "Back then, I did not know that I would one day be working on its 350-year-old roof," he says. While pursuing a degree in architecture, a chance meeting with a carpenter made him realise that his true passion lies in craftsmanship. After completing an apprenticeship with a third-generation timber framing company in Germany, before moving to the USA to pursue his craft full time. "I was at a jobsite, sipping tea amongst sun-soaked timber beams, when I understood that wood joined to wood is what gives me joy. To execute that is what I want to do every day.” Today, he is one of a small number of timber framers in Minnesota still practising a craft built on mortise and tenon joinery.
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
The craft is ancient: it is applied geometry and simple sculpture. I take a raw material and remove what is not needed, creating parts that tie together through joinery. This is achieved with a simple set of rules and using tools as little as a mallet, chisel, square, a saw and some string for straight lines.
Teaching offered me a granular understanding of processes, specifically the connection between my mind, eyes and hands. Finding a way to convey it to another mind that works differently gives me the opportunity to remember what it felt like practicsing my craft the first time.
I like working with a timber-framing chisel made in Sheffield, by Robert Sorby. Bought from a catalogue 20 years ago, I once thought it was ridiculously long, but now I use it every day. One end is sharp, the other blunt, and you strike it, or guide it delicately. There are many ways to cut wood fibres. That's where I feel the craft.
A craft risks fading into history if it fails to keep pace with changing times. Power tools bridge the gap between tradition and efficiency, allowing a craft to stay competitive and viable. Tradition provides the base for innovation: it is what has sustained this carpentry for centuries.
Gerald David
Carpenter
Duluth, MN, USA
Recommended by Craft in America
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Duluth, MN, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English
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