Test fitting in the workshop
The Northmen Guild
Northmen Guild is a small guild of craftsmen in Latvia. They build traditional timber frame houses and log buildings the old way: laid out by hand, cut with hand tools, test fitted in the workshop and shipped to clients around the world.
I went to Latvia as a carpenter and stayed for years. I am still a partner of the guild.
Building with the guild
I worked on the guild's timber frame houses year round, from the first timber to the finished frame. Layout, scribing, mortise and tenon joinery, hand tools first and machines where they earn their place. That standard of work is what I bring to projects in Denmark.
Teaching
The guild also teaches, and I taught on their timber framing courses. In June 2026 that brought me to Denmark: a six day course in Brande, where the students and I cut and raised a full frame. It is the reason my family and I live here now.
Still a partner
The guild and I still work together, and their standard is the standard I hold my own work to. You can see their houses, their courses and their tools at northmen.com.
Visit northmen.comFrom the guild years
House frame in a forest clearing
Latvia
A full house frame standing in a clearing, ready for closing in.
Course frames
On a course, the students cut a full frame in a few days and raise it at the end. A small tree goes on the ridge, an old custom at every raising.
If you are planning a timber frame project, get in touch.
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