Green Oak Timber Framing: Building Structures That Last 300 Years with Frontier Oak
Yours For The Making with Robin JohnsonShow Notes
Robin Johnson sits down with Christopher Kentish and Oliver Reimann, the co-founders of Frontier Oak, a bespoke green oak timber framing company based in Sussex. Chris came to the craft after a career in film production, introduced to it through his father-in-law's green oak company. Ollie, who studied advertising and marketing and met Chris at the age of 13, joined him in 2018 after working in production and photography. Together they have built Frontier Oak from the ground up, taking on everything from residential extensions, orangeries, and garden rooms to three-bay garages and contemporary pottery studios. Their ethos is straightforward: 100% bespoke, fully handcrafted, and managed end-to-end from groundworks to final finish. In this episode they talk honestly about what it takes to run a small craft business, why they refuse CNC machines, how they handle green oak's unique challenges, what the future of timber framing looks like, and why they are planning to take on apprentices to keep the craft alive. Key Topics Covered What green oak timber framing actually involves and why it has been done the same way for hundreds of years How Chris and Ollie each found their way into the trade from completely unrelated careers The bread and butter of Frontier Oak's work: residential extensions, orangeries, garden rooms and standalone buildings Why green oak clients are a different type of customer and what drives them to choose timber over brick and mortar The environmental case for green oak construction and the barriers to using fully sustainable building materials The technical challenge of working with green oak: movement, tolerances, pre-fitting frames and getting them to site fast How CAD design fits into a traditional craft workflow without compromising the handmade approach Plans for oak framing workshops and apprenticeships, and the responsibility of passing the craft to the next generation The unwritten rules around apprentices in traditional trades like thatching and farriery
Enjoying the show? Leave a review, follow us, and share the episode with a fellow maker. New episodes every week with artists, designers, craftsmen and creators from around the world. Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love. Whether you're a hands-on creative, aspiring artisan, or simply curious about how things are made, this podcast offers inspiration, insight, and practical wisdom. Expect behind-the-scenes stories, lessons in process and passion, and a celebration of the maker movement in all its forms. Subscribe now and follow Yours for the Making wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.
Key Moments: 00:00 Robin introduces Chris and Ollie and frames green oak framing as the craft every woodworker imagines 00:31 Chris fell into oak framing after film production, starting with two weeks helping his father-in-law 01:24 Ollie and Chris met at 13, both ended up in production and photography before Ollie joined the tools in 2018 08:25 The bread and butter of Frontier Oak: extensions, conservatories, garden rooms, garages and orangeries 11:53 The stigma around timber-framed buildings in the UK mortgage market and the environmental case for greener building materials 21:38 Modern volume house building versus Frontier Oak's ethos: quality over quantity on structures built to last centuries 31:59 Why Frontier Oak will not use CNC machines and why handcrafted frames are the whole point 35:20 How they manage green oak movement: pre-fitting every frame in the workshop before getting it to site fast 41:44
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