About The Cruckfather

Alan Spooner is a true, blue blooded Yankee, born in the rural mountains of Vermont and raised on a farm in Western Massachusetts. It was natural that Alan would grow to love and respect the world around him and all things alive.  To Alan, going to church is inhaling the energy and vibrancy of the living forest.  The choice to become a timber frame builder was absolute destiny.  

When Alan walks through the forest, his eye is drawn to the shapes, curves, and dimensions of individual trees where he envisions present and potential future projects.  Standing, usable dead trees are the preferred resources for a project, however, when needed, living trees are sacrificed to bring a different purpose to Alan's treasured "sticks", as he calls them.

Alan is always on the lookout for the perfect "Cruck"** and has plenty of helpers, namely local loggers, who he has tapped into as a resource for the crooked, bent, and curved trees they encounter in their travels.  Once all of the trees that a project requires are located, Alan harvests, mills and lovingly assembles them into the final product; a timeless, beautiful example of Timber Craft, an art that has existed for thousands of years. 

While Alan's structures demonstrate his unique signature, it is his goal to maintain public interest in the tradition of Timber Framing by creating magnificent pieces that garner positive attention and respect.  Box Frame, Aisle Frame, and Cruck Frame are the three basic timber frame structures and Alan has experience building all three. At some point, he envisions teaching a younger generation timber frame joinery and construction through apprenticeships. 

Alan was affectionately given the name "The Cruckfather" by several fellow builders on a Cruck Frame project he worked on and the label has stuck.  Can you guess what Alan's favorite type of timber frame is?

** A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof building.