Tilo Fritz is a master carpenter at the Süßenberger carpentry shop in Jugenheim. Born in Rheinhesse, he works with wood every day, and usually something really big comes out of it. (Whirring) Tilo's specialty is courtyard gates. Often up to four by four meters tall. Such goals are still in high demand in this corner of the country. A Rhenish-Hessian courtyard gate, that's just a tradition with us, and it just fits into the picture of the place and the environment. I had years there, we built five or six. But usually like this... two or three. And this is the current project. The Jochem family would like to move into a new gatehouse and have ordered a suitable courtyard gate. Before construction can begin, measurements are taken. Um... just write it down on the measure. The locksmith will make the iron parts and fittings for the gate. That's why it's important that he's there today and that he coordinates exactly with carpenter Tilo Fritz. You have to see how you hit it, so that you can see how the few meters are. Wall hangs ... does not hang. floor is uneven. Does the gate have to open on an incline? Can the gate just open? Those are all things to watch out for. I then still have to agree with the customer: What kind of door handle is it going to be? Do you need a mailbox? Should the gate open electrically? Usually after the measurement, when the 3D drawing is ready, the customer can look at it again and then you can always say: We can change that. But these are details. OK, so far so good. - That's it then. (Birds chirping) Step one in Torbau is the frame construction. The carpenter cuts the beams for the two gate frames from these wooden planks. Marco Kaiser gives him a hand. He works in the company as a room journeyman and is currently doing his master's degree. Yes, we measure the wood moisture. The wood should not have more than 18 percent moisture content for processing. We've got 10.9, eleven percent here now. So, that's... wonderful. Tilo first roughly rips the wood to the required lengths. The planks come from the trunk of a Douglas fir. So we always use them for ... our gates, because they are outdoors and Douglas fir contains a little resin and is therefore more weather-resistant than spruce or fir wood. And also a bit more massive. Douglas fir is one of the woods that is becoming increasingly important in regional forestry in times of climate change . So, now we want to cut off the edge of the formwork on our floorboard. We'll mark them with a chalk line so that we get a straight line into the wood. Then we take the circular saw and cut it to the width we need. (Whirring) 1.2 cubic meters of Douglas fir, i.e. about a ton of wood in total, is lying on the trestles. In the end, frame parts of different sizes are created from the trunk, which is more than five meters long . Posts, transoms, top and bottom chords. With the different dimensions, it is important never to lose track. There should be as little waste as possible. That is why several frame parts are cut from one plank. But the middle of the board, the heart of the tribe, leaves Tilo out. Because the middle is usually torn - you can't see it that well here, I'll turn it around. You can see it better here: Here, the crack, we don't want that in a goal like that. When the moisture gets in there, it keeps tearing over the years. That's why we only want the outer parts, the beautiful pieces, because the customer also wants a beautiful door. This is what the finished gate should look like in the end. The design drawing helps, I have given all the dimensions, I know how high my door is, how wide my door is, where the connections are made, how big the door is, how wide the boards are. So ... that's all on the bill of materials, you don't have to do a lot of calculations, and then we can get started right away. In the workshop, the craftsmen square the pre-cut beams. Tilo checks beforehand which side is the "planer". There is a hollow side and a round side. In layman's terms, I need to put the hollow side down, that is, if the frame has an arch, so the first half and last half rest on my machine. If it were the other way around, it would wobble. It's easier that way, and at some point we'll take the center off with it, and then we'll have a straight surface. (whirring) The angle must be exactly 90 degrees. The smallest deviation would permeate all subsequent steps and the goal would be crooked. The master carpenter is not yet satisfied. If the angle is right, the beams go into what is known as the thicknesser. Here they are planed to their final width and thickness. This is done in several work steps, each time only a few millimeters are removed. The side that has already been dressed is also planed over again - so that all waves really disappear - and: the grain comes to light. After planing you can see what comes out. The rough surface is gone, you can already see how it should look. These are now our frame parts, and we have to bring them together later to form the finished goal frame. (Hammering in the background) The company values traditional construction. The frame construction is therefore not doweled, but held together by a classic mortise and tenon joint . This means that there are oblong slots in the vertical goal posts that Tilo is currently working on. Tenons are then sawn out at the ends of the associated crossbeams . The frame parts can be plugged into each other - a bit like a 3D puzzle. (Hammering in the background) Tilo marks on all the posts where he saws the slots. If I have torn one, I can transfer it to the other beams. (Hammering, background) Well, that's a marking gauge, and that's what you use to mark it, so I know where I'm going to poke my hole. The middle third is chiseled out with the chain cutter. But first the carpenter has to do a bit of preparatory work. You have to remove the slit a bit. It could be that the machine damages our outside edge and then you would here, if the wood splits off, you have to patch that back up. This is complicated and could eat up several hours in the worst case. So it's better to invest a few more minutes now. The chain cutter is a permanently mounted mortising machine. This allows Tilo to mill the slots for the frame connection through the entire height of the wood. (Buzzing, sawing noise) (Hammering in the background) (Buzzing, sawing noise) While Tilo chisels out the remaining beams, Marco gets down to the fine work and frees the slits from the remaining wood fibers. (Electrical sawing noise in the background) Next up are the latches - the counterparts to the slotted jambs. The cones come at their ends. The carpenter saws them on the stationary milling machine. (whirring) And again: rework neatly. Now I'll scribe the tenons a little smaller and cut them out, which means I'll taper these ones and then make... a slanted cut with the jigsaw, and then later the wedge that will hold our connection goes in there. Now I'll just cut this up here. (Electrical whirring) The wooden wedges just mentioned are driven into these slots during gluing . But more on that later. And now I have to work the tenon a bit with the grinding machine so that it sucks into the tenon hole. (Electrical whirring) (Screeching sawing noise) You have to repeat the process until the pin fits. (Electrical whirring) Pretty complex, such a traditional goal frame. Yes, until you fit them all... Yes... for a goal a day is over. The next day begins with a crucial step: the frame parts are glued. The master carpenter needs help for this, because this process has its pitfalls. If you put too much glue on it, you'll also have a harder time getting the parts together. You shouldn't put too little on it, but not too much either. And strolling is not allowed either. OK, that's fine. I have it. - OK. Turn here first, come on. (Strained voice) For the first time, there is a bit of a rush in the otherwise quiet workshop. Is too small. Yes, that's more flat what? It's okay. Make sure you're through. You're tense, it has to be glued in, it has to be squeezed. Everything has to happen quickly. If it is glued crookedly, then you have bad cards. That's why we do the diagonal measurement again. And then you can move something back there, and then it's pressed together, wedged, and then nothing happens anymore. So 3.58. 57. Half a centimeter we have to go down a bit here. Press the top to see if there's anything else going on. Let's see, half an inch. Have you? Three, wait, let's look at the other side again. Good. Wonderful. OK. The diagonal fits. So that nothing can move, the craftsmen drive two wedges of oak wood into the tenons. They push the wood apart and sideways against the mortising hole - nothing slips anymore. OK that's it. Wonderful. Good. About an hour later , the carpenter gets to work on the glue again. If the glue has dried a bit , it's easier to get it out of the joint. If it's still too wet it just smears my crowbar, if it's too hard you can't get it off. And so it comes out wonderfully, because the joint has to be free, the glue has to be gone. Two hours later, Tilo can install the strut in the frame. Alright. It keeps the goal square so the goal frame doesn't shift or the construction sags over time. So, in the middle we'll make an overlay. That means I have to remove half of the wood here and exactly the same on my strut. (Electrical buzzing, screeching sawing noise) Calmness and precision are important in this job. And you need a lot of patience. Tilo Fritz has been working as a carpenter for over 30 years, 25 of them here in the carpentry shop. He still enjoys his craft. The fact that he got this job was more of a coincidence. A friend of mine learned carpentry. "Oh, we're still looking for an apprentice for next year." "Ah, go with me." Yes, then I'm there with you. Saturdays. And in the evening the boss handed me 20 marks. And I'm like, "Oh, how, there's money?" "I'll be back next Saturday." So now let's do the middle part. And again the same procedure. (Screeching sawing noise) It is not only important that the strut fits well afterwards, but also that it runs correctly: from the bottom stop point of the goal frame to the middle. The strut still has to be adjusted to the frame. The carpenter cuts the ends to size with a hand-held circular saw. (High whirring) The exciting moment: Is it okay? Um... The corner, everything looks good, only here at the overlap you can see that we're sitting on the corner here, so I have to make another cut. Before we break something, I'd rather cut it up a bit. (Loud sawing noise) The joiner bevels the edges of the beam by about 45 degrees with the router. These "bevels" come later to all door edges - so you don't get caught on the edges and the rainwater is drained away cleanly. Besides, it looks nicer. Then - one last time for today - glued. (Distant sawing noise) The strut is not only glued, but also screwed - this ensures more stability. A lot of wood requires a lot of material: these full-thread screws are over 20 centimeters long. In the end, they are no longer noticeable, because the irons are attached above them. (Distant sawing noise) A few days later, both goal frames are completely dry and all edges are chamfered. Tilo cuts off the protruding tenon parts with the hand-held circular saw. (Loud whirring) Marco is already grinding the other goal frame at the same time. It's about to get its coat of paint. However, only a primer, because the customers are still considering painting the gate red again. It's just a wood stain that serves as the wood's first coat of paint, no matter what comes on it later - or not. Well, I wouldn't delete it. Hiding the grain of the wood, hiding the color of the wood, whether it's oak or whether it's Douglas fir... I think it's a shame. Well, now that we've got the two gate leaves ready so far, the next step is to make the tongue and groove boards for the outside formwork. Here we take the raw Douglas fir boards that we ordered, cut them roughly to length, and then tongue and groove is milled on them and another bevel so that it looks fine. And then... we have them too. In principle, tongue and groove work in a similar way to mortise and tenon. Each board has a tongue on one side and a groove on the other. This is how you can stick the boards together. But first the familiar preparatory work: The wood is squared and planed to the right thickness and width. This time several boards at once, it's more stable and goes faster. In the beginning we bought ready-made Douglas fir boards, but at some point there were complaints because there were too many knots, loose knots, so you couldn't use much of the tongue and groove boards that were sent. And at some point we said, okay, we have to take the time, we'll do it ourselves. It takes almost a day longer, but Tilo can also determine the board width himself and adapt it to the width of the goal. The tongue and groove boards from the dealer had a specified size. Each board gets its tongue and then the matching groove on the other side. (Loud sawing noise) Well , our tongue and groove boards now fit together 100 percent. Not too tight, not too wide. And then all we have to do now is make the chamfer all the way around the board to accentuate the joint a bit. Tongue and groove boards have one major advantage: if the wood contracts over time due to the weather, the tongue acts as a kind of gap filler. There are no gaps between the boards and the gate remains visually closed. The bevels complete this impression. With four bevels per board , this process takes almost an hour in total. In the meantime, the locksmith has finished the fittings for the gate. So, after the locksmith has brought us the irons to mount the gate, we can now mount them. That means I mark them out and then cut them out and then we screw them to the gate leaf. The entire underside of the gate and the upper corners are edged with galvanized flat steel - this serves as protection against mechanical damage and also keeps the gate in its shape. (Loud whirring) Tilo grabs the Japanese saw. This handsaw cuts on pull, i.e. towards the body. Traveling journeymen brought this type of saw to the carpentry workshop around 20 years ago. Since then she has been working here regularly. So now we can almost mount the iron. Now all we have to do is sand away the corner slightly. (Loud electrical whirring) Yes, that looks good. Well , then we can attach the iron with clamps, and then you can screw it on. The stainless steel screws will not rust, just like the galvanized steel. (Cordless screwdriver whirring) So, now we come to assembling the tongue and groove boards. If there is a branch like this, then we make sure that the branch is on the back of the goal and preferably disappears behind the frame part. The lower part of the gate is paneled first. Tilo aligns the boards at the top of the stop. So he can bring them to the right length. So, the first board, we do that a little bit and then pre-drill and screw on straight away, so that when we tap the other boards on ... that we don't move the first board, that we immediately have a direction again. (shrill whirring) The boards got their primer the day before. If you look closely, the goal frame made from the Douglas fir trunk is slightly reddish, the tongue and groove boards are more of a yellowish colour. According to the carpenter, that's not a problem - after the final glaze , the difference is almost imperceptible. With the division of labor - one saws and drills, the other screws - the two craftsmen only need half an hour for the lower part of the casing . (Birds chirping) Well , now let's start with the upper formwork, which is boarded in a diamond shape, and then we have to cut the first diamond to size, and then we can adapt the others to it. (Loud whirring, harsh sawing noise) In addition to the diamond-shaped cladding , courtyard gates are typical in Rheinhessen, which have a sun or vertical pilings worked into the upper area . The master carpenter has also often built such gates. The fact that the work orders are always very different is just one of the reasons why Tilo likes to work with wood so much: First of all, wood is a warm material, it is not cold and a bit dirty like iron - well, with wood you get one Splinters in the fingers, but it's nice to work with. You can build anything. We do everything with wood. Whether you built a gate or a table or a corner bench or whatever, you definitely made it yourself. It is not an off-the-shelf product. Because it always has different dimensions and has to fit somewhere else, it is always more or less unique. (Loud electrical whirring) If the parts are cut to fit, they too get a bevel. And the newly cut edges are primed again. After all, everything has to be in order. The upper formwork is also visibly screwed. Gluing is not an option here - it would take far too long for the glue to pull. In addition, a subsequent repair would then be impossible. The inner diamond is in place. The master carpenter builds ring by ring around the outside. Each board is individually adjusted, cut to size and screwed into place. This is the only way he can be sure that the boards fit together and that there are no gaps. Another step that requires a lot of patience. Several hours pass until the last board. Overhanging material is sawed off. A folded frame comes over these edges. Tilo also cuts a ten-degree angle on the lower side , because a profile strip is attached in this gap. (Hiss) Okay, so the... molding that separates the top and bottom formwork, we do that because a) the end grain is covered by the bottom formwork, and the top formwork then becomes under ten degrees The slope is cut and then stands up on the profile bar so that the water that splashes against the door can then drain away over the profile bar. The master carpenter built the strip from the remains of the Douglas fir trunk. Wonderful. Fits. The frame can be attached. Tilo mitres its corners. With the fold on the underside , the frame adapts perfectly to the tongue and groove boards and protects their edges from water. (Hell whirring) The two craftsmen work in harmony. The first gate wing is approaching the home stretch. (whirring) (cordless screwdriver whirring) The frame is in place. The profile bar is still missing. Tilo has also mitered the sides here. If you cut that straight, it would be a straight cut. And that doesn't look nice. So we make another small corner, then the profile runs around the corner a bit and then it just looks better. In addition, no moisture can penetrate at the edge. So, and at the end of our goal , we make a small diamond on the upper formwork, which we then glue open in the middle of our field here, and then the goal is so far finished. (Birds chirping) About a week later the time has come: The finished gate is installed in the gatehouse, which is also new. So that now no one falls here. OK, continue. Helping hands are needed again for this, because a gate leaf weighs almost 400 kilos. (Birds chirping) So, and ... back off! Does everything fit? (Quiet conversation) Okay, nothing can happen. Already looking good. (clattering, talking) Up, and... Whoa! Tilo has invested about a month of work in the gate. Today shows whether all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. (metallic clatter) Yes. So now we have to be together for a bit. Yes, but preferably with the left part. Front up? Such a courtyard gate costs between 10,000 and 15,000 euros - depending on which wood is used for the gate and which material is used for the fittings. Not a cheap purchase, but one that is worthwhile - after all, the courtyard gate should survive the next 70 to 80 years. (Sizzling, crackling sound) (Electric whirring) Bite up! (rumble) Now. (banging) Now. - Wonderful. lift a bit. The wicket door is installed and the gate is ready for the finishing touches. The customers asked for a suitable mailbox. In addition, a few strips are still missing, which can only be attached on site. (Hell whirring) (Birds chirping) It's the last screws. If Tilo has a favorite moment when building a gate, then this is it. If you have it lying around in the workshop, it always looks a little different than when it's here now. Because it doesn't look like it does when it's lying down like it does when it's standing. And as I said, if the customer likes it, that's the main thing, then for us that's the job done. And it looks great too. Tilo is happy. The customer too? I like it very, very much, they did a great job. I've known Tilo for a long time and appreciate his work. Looks really beautiful. We wanted to paint it at first, but since the goal turned out so beautifully, we're reconsidering it. I think rather no. stay like this (Birds chirping) Are you as fascinated by craftsmanship as we are? Then subscribe to the channel now and don't miss an episode. SWR 2020
