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Just showin' off my first log "cabin"

Started by Dodgy Loner, June 14, 2007, 11:33:14 AM

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Dodgy Loner

January of 2006, we were clearing some small, 14-year-old loblolly pines on our property to make way for our new horse pasture fencing.  I hated to just pile them up and burn them, so I got the crazy idea that I would build a little log cabin on our property.  Perhaps the crazier idea, though, was deciding to build it using only hand tools.  After the logs were felled, I did the rest of the work with an axe, drawknife, mallet, gouge, handsaw, bit-and-brace, hammer, level, and square.  (OK, I admit that I pulled out the chainsaw again at the end to square up the log ends :-[)

The building is really less a cabin and like a shed to store my turning blanks while they dry, but it's a little building made of logs, so it looks like a cabin to me ;).  My previous storage "shed" was a 6' x 8' treehouse that the previous owners had built for their daughters.  I decided to upgrade to an 8' x 10' shed, so I bucked the logs to the proper lengths and got to work peeling.

By March, I had collected enough rocks to build a foundation (all it really needed was one big stone on each corner, but as long as I was building a cabin, why not try my hand at stonemasonry :)?).  When the foundation was ready, I laid six stout red cedar logs across the foundation and notched my sill logs to "float" 1 inch above the foundation.  It was an unconventional technique, but it worked out fine, and I'm sure my cabin will last longer with the pine not touching the masonry.

After that, it was one log after another until I finally reached a suitable height.  By this point, I was pretty good at notching, so I decided to use log gable ends.  I just moved the logs for the long walls in the proper amount for each layer to achieve my desired pitch.  The long wall logs, therefore, became my purlins.  No need for rafters, because my purlins were spaced where I could nail the shakes directly to them.

I made the shakes out of white oak, and split them about 1/4" - 1/2" thick.  They're each 24" long, and laid so that there are four layers over any given spot.  Right now I'm just finishing up the interior -  I installed the door and the flooring last month, and this month I'm working on the shelves.  It's turned out to be an on-again, off-again project, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's been a great learning experience, and a slippery slope - I'm already planning to build a log home sometime in the next few years ;D.  But my house will be a lil' different to say the least.  I'll be using scribed-fit logs and saddle notches (and my floor joists will not sit on the foundation :D).

The east side of the cabin - you can see the top row of shakes on the west side, ready to deflect the rain from incoming storms:


This is the west side of the cabin.  The spaces between the logs are fairly tight, and I'm leaving them unchinked to allow air circulation:


These are the first notches I cut - the sill logs were fit over the floor joists.  I started out kinda rough:

But the notches got tighter as the building got higher :):


Hope y'all enjoy, and thanks for lookin'!
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Canada

Outstanding job!!  Looking forward to seeing your log home in a couple of years!

Dodgy Loner

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

Out-DanG-standing 8).  If it didn't turn out better than you expected, then you are lying ;).  That is such an elegant little building.  What I would give to have a building like that  :).  The Liquidambar in the last pic seem to be just as impressed with the notches as I am  ;D.

It could be a fine smokehouse one day as well.  You could do double duty as a turning blank drying facility and a smoke house.  That way you could have smoked turning blanks as well as smoked ham :D.

It does not look like it would be hard to move either.  If Tony and Mona ever move back to Perry and you are somewhere off IDing trees in the wild blue yonder, then I want first right-of-refusal on that little gem ::).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Tom

I built mine close to the ground and the termites had it eaten in 5 years.  Termites don't get too discouraged until they've climbed 18".  I would keep the area well inundated in insecticide.

Dodgy Loner

Tom: You've got a different species of termite down there near the coast that attacks dry wood.  Our termites will only eat wood if it stays moist.  At least that's what my wood properties textbook says :P.  Only time will tell, but I have closely observed many of the old cabins in my area. 

My best friend has a 100-year-old pine log cabin on his place that is no more than 6 inches off the ground.  It only started to decay after his dad moved it in the 1980's and didn't restore the roof properly.  At Jarrell plantation near Macon, there is a 140-year-old log cabin that is still structurally sound - and it's sitting directly on the ground with the bottom logs nearly covered in sediment!  It's made of white  oak, however.  One of my professors owns a cabin in Oglethorpe County that was built of pine in the 1770's.  It was added onto in the 1840's and in the early 1900's.  The original 18th century logs are still holding up well.  I guess it's like real estate: location, location, location :D.

WDH: I'm glad you like it.  I know it's not perfect, but it makes me smile every time I walk by it and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.  To make a smokehouse out of it, I would have to remove the solid oak floorboards, so it will have to remain a lumber storage facility for the foreseeable future ;D.  I've thought about what I would do if I needed to move it.  The main difficulty is that the floor joists are resting on the foundation, and I can't take that with me :-\.  I suppose then it would be the proper time to forget the floor and turn it into a smokehouse ;).  You might have to fight Tony for dibs, though.  He wasn't happy about it when I started building it - now he wishes it was in a more prominent location :D!
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

We need pics of the solid oak floor ::).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Dave Shepard

Very nice! I like the roof with the shakes on like that, it was very common, from what I have read.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

TexasTimbers

If that is advanced generation loblolly like the state plants down here (and even if it isn't but has those w-i-d-e growth rings) then you better heed Toms advice and keep a real close eye on it. It won't tolerate moisture and bugs like your friends old growth logs.

It's a gorgeous doghouse cabin though, hope you don't have to spend too much time in it. ;)
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Dodgy Loner

WDH, the floor is littered with tools and wood right now -  it doesn't make for an attractive pic :-\.

Dave, you're right, the split-oak shake roofs were just about the only kind of roofing found around here until the 20th century.  I was really happy to be able to do things the old-fashioned way, but I don't know if I'd have the energy to do it again ;)!

kevjay, the 100-year-old cabin on my friend's land is built of second growth pine, just like mine.  The logs are about the same size as mine, too, with about the same growth ring width.  I'll try to snap a picture of it the next time I'm over there.  My main concern is powder post beetles, not termites, but I am keeping an eye out for any problems that may arise.  If I were closer to the coast, I would most definitely heed Toms advice.  I'm pretty confident that I've taken sufficient preventative measure to keep my cabin from becoming insect food, and I'll be happy to get a good 50 years of use out of this building :).
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

I regularly spray around my stacks of wood, both air dried and stored, and that wood on stickers still drying.  I use the generic brand of Lorsban, an agricultural insecticide.  I got powder post beetles in some oak a few years ago, and they ruined some of it.  That makes me skittish.  The spraying is good hygiene, like brushing your teeth.  I can get you some if you want some.  It is a restricted use pesticide, so you have to have an applicators license to get it.   A two-and-a-half-gallon container costs about $65, and it will keep all those destructive agents at bay.

That cabin is a gem, and I think that you need to take steps to protect it :).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Jayson

Very nice Dodgy. The most impressive thing, I think, is the fact that you chose to put some effort into keeping those so called trash or burn pile logs from going up in smoke. Very admirable in my opinion. Especially in our area where giant chippers and burn piles have replaced log trucks and sawmills. I cannot tell you how many times I have volunteered to salvage logs from sites on the weekends and been turned down. I am watching my home state not so slowly devour our resources in exchange for quick turnover and the almightly frog skin. Anyway before I start to rant, I just wanted to say nice job. If you are out looking at old buildings in our area (SE) and would like a riding partner, please get in touch.
     On the subject of termites. I am no expert but the termites have not reveiwed the literature. I do agree with moisture being key but would suspect those critters may begin to cover some ground as we continue to dry out here in the south. If at all possible you may consider sloping the ground around the building, away from the building and then cover with something to reduce splashback water. Or better yet with your enthusiasm, perhaps an adzed gutter and a barrel for rain water collection. Just a thought. And good luck in your pursuit.

Thomas-in-Kentucky

Awesome - I really like your roof!  How did you fasten the wood shingles to the roof?  What sort of exposure did you leave on each shingle?  Inspiring!  I would like to build a cabin some day in the woods, such that when it rots, there will be almost no trace of its previous existence... save for some dry-stacked stones.

If you could monitor the inside of the stone foundation (as well as the outside) for the absence  of mud tunnels, I think you could be pretty sure termites were not entering the wood-work.

-Thomas

TW

That is not a log cabin. It is a well built excample of a traditional Finnish hay barn. ;D In fact only some minor details differ. Those small hay barns are popular for woodsheds because of the good ventilation.
Good job

Left Coast Chris

Dodgy..........very beautiful work......you can definately conquer the house next. 8) 8)

Like you said, the bugs are probably going to be o.k. but by the looks of it, Daniel Boon should be moving in any time putin his hat on a square nail just outside the door. :)
Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

Dodgy Loner

WDH: I think my dad can get me some Lorsban, and I appreciate the recommendation.  I know first-hand the damage that powder post beetles can do.  They got into the wood sample collection at the Phillips lab and did a number on all non rot-resistant hardwoods - holly, maple, aspen, cottonwood, ash, and even hickory.  They left the cherry, walnut, oak, locust, etc. alone, as well as the softwoods.  I think that's just because they had plenty to choose from, though ;).

Jayson: I know exactly what you mean about the developers in your area.  It's sad that they don't even want to see the logs that they're removing end up as something better than mulch :-\.  Recently, Athens has started to do a better job of preserving the trees in new subdivisions, but the subdivisions from the '90s are nothing more than an eyesore. ::)

I considered adding gutters when I was putting up the roof, because the shingles don't overhang enough prevent the bottom logs from getting wet in a rainstorm, but I've decided to add some "lean-to's" on either side to add some more storage and to protect my investment of time and energy!  I'll post pics when they're finished, of course.  I may have to take you up on your offer to see some old buildings in the SE when I get some free time :).

Thomas:  I used 3" galvanized ring-shank nails with a neoprene washer.  Doesn't exactly fit with the style of the building, I admit, but you wouldn't have know if I hadn't told you ;).  I found that all long as the shakes weren't too dry when I nailed them on, I didn't have any probems with splitting.  I would have preferred to use traditional cut nails, but they're hard to get and prohibitively expensive.  If you'll notice, the front of my foundation is completely open.  I did that for two reasons: to allow air circulation, and to allow me to see if any industrious termites are tunneling into my logs.  So far, so good!

TW: There might be a reason for that.  I bought a book on traditional Scandinavian log-building before I got this project underway, and I'm happy to hear that my efforts meet with the approval of someone who's surely seen quite a few log buildings :).

Farmer: Thanks for the comments.  Daniel is more than welcome to take up residence in my cabin, as long as he doesn't mind sharing it with 200 bowls blanks :D.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Don P

Nice job  8)

Boracare or another borate are also worth considering for ppb/termite protection.

Dodgy Loner

"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

Quote from: Dodgy Loner on June 15, 2007, 12:47:17 PM
If you'll notice, the front of my foundation is completely open.  I did that for two reasons: to allow air circulation, and to allow me to see if any industrious termites are tunneling into my logs.  So far, so good!

Dodgy,

You also have to have a place for the coons :D. 

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=3118.0
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Don P

I've sprayed it on with garden sprayers.
I think this is the most recent thread
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=25537.0

If you do a search on borate you'll find alot more threads. Boracare is the listed formulation of the solubor/glycol mix mentioned in the thread.

Dodgy Loner

Thanks Don.  Are you a professional log builder?  What has been your experience with bugs in your buildings, and what steps (other than borate insecticides) do you take to prevent it?  I've seen many log buildings 100+ years old that are in excellent shape without the use of insecticides, many of which were no more than 12" off the ground (and occasionally less).  Since I've built my cabin the traditional way, I have a strong desire to maintain it in a traditional way (but that desire will not get the way of my desire to have my building not eaten by bugs ;))

Quote from: WDH on June 15, 2007, 06:56:19 PM
Dodgy,

You also have to have a place for the coons :D. 
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=3118.0

Well, they do stress the importance of wildlife habitat in the forestry curriculum these days.  I guess some of it must have sunk in :D.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Don P

Professional? I've been paid and hold the right tickets 
Expert? hardly :)

I've not had insect problems in any new construction. We try to have the homeowner enlist the services of a pest control service starting at the foundation. Right now the flavor of the year is Termidor to make a perimeter around the structure.


LeeB

The termidor seems to work pretty well. We had a termite problem in our last home. Would seee them swarming out from 3 or 4 places around the house and a few more in the surrounding area. One treatment around the house wiped em out as well as the ones away from the house. We didn't see any more for the two years we lived there before moving.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

metalspinner

DL,
How about a quick explanation on splitting those shakes?  Are they radial or "flat" grained? Does it matter?  Should you start from the small end or large end?
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Dodgy Loner

Splitting the shakes was one of the toughest jobs, because my white oak logs were just too small and therefore not very straight-grained.  I got all of the shakes from 2 trees, one of them was about 18" DBH and the other about 16".  To split shakes efficiently, you really need a tree about 24" DBH or bigger.

Anyway, my process went like this:  First, I bucked the trees into 24" lengths.  Then I carefully split the logs into eighths with a maul and some wedges.  Depending on the size of your logs, you might want to continue splitting into 12ths or 16ths - what you want are pie-shaped wedges about 3" wide (give or take a lot).  Next, I split the eighths in half radially using a mallet and a froe.  I kept splitting the halves into smaller halves until I ended up with shakes that were about 3/8" thick on the bark side, and tapered down to nothing on the pith side.  I shaved the bark off as well as the flimsier wood from the pith side, and my shakes were ready.

When splitting oak, it's necessary to split the wood radially, and you must always split the wood in halves until you get down to the size you're after.  If you try to split the shakes unevenly, the grain will "run out" before you get to the end of the bolt.  If my logs had been bigger, I would have shaved off the sapwood, leaving only the rot-resistant heartwood.  I made up for that by overlapping the shakes such that I left only 6" exposed on each 24" shake.  Also, I would have split off the very center of the heart after splitting the log into eighths, to avoid the knots and irregularities that the tree produced when it was young.  But, as you can see, it's still possible to make a fine, traditional roof, even if your logs aren't perfect!  If you still have any questions, I can take some pictures for you.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

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