Log Sauna

[Farmboy]

Hi Folks,

Does anyone have any pictures of small log saunas, inside or outside?  I am planning to build one using full scribe, saddle notch style and would like to gather any info I can on the subject.  I plan to use a small woodstove to heat it, with a tray of rocks on the top.

All comments and/or suggestions are welcome.  Thanks.

FB

[fishpharmer]

I'm a farm boy too.  Welcome to the forum.

Not sure why you would want to give a small log a suana ;) :D

obviously I know nothing about those things. 
Hope you don't mind my attempt at humor. Someone here will give you good answer.

[Tom]

No plans for one, but a solidly built little room with some hot rocks should suffice.  I have heard that you should not make the seats out of boards with exposed knots.  The knots get really hot and can burn you.  :-\

[Backwoods_BC]

 Minimize, if not eliminate, all metal inside the sauna. It will become hot enough to burn you! The door should swing outward - for safety, if it swells you can kick it open from the inside.. Use a wooden latch for the door! Fresh air vent at floor level beside the heat source (firebox) and a hot air exhaust somewhere on the opposite side at the ceiling. I think that about sums it up, there is alot of free designs and tips available using google

[TW]

Surely I can get some pictures within a few days. I live in Finland, the true homeland of saunas.

The traditional design would be:
A square one room log building with a door on the gable wall and a small window (formerly a hole with a wooden lid) low on one side wall. A wooden floor with wide gaps for the water to leak out through. A insulated ceiling. The old chimney-less owens are outdated in my oppinion. The best is to get a proper sauna stove and build a proper chimney.

Benches are best made from aspen. Aspen wood does not burn your butt and has no resin in it.

Pictures and scetches are on their way.

[zopi]

It's not so much giving the log a sauna, it's the fun of throwing it into cold water.. :D

[TW]

A picture of an old log sauna from Finland

[chevytaHOE5674]

I will try to get pictures of the one here this weekend.

[Farmboy]

Surely I can get some pictures within a few days. I live in Finland, the true homeland of saunas.

The traditional design would be:
A square one room log building with a door on the gable wall and a small window (formerly a hole with a wooden lid) low on one side wall. A wooden floor with wide gaps for the water to leak out through. A insulated ceiling. The old chimney-less owens are outdated in my oppinion. The best is to get a proper sauna stove and build a proper chimney.

Benches are best made from aspen. Aspen wood does not burn your butt and has no resin in it.

Pictures and scetches are on their way.

Thank you pictures and sketches will be much appreciated.  It's always nice to see what others have done and then modify to suit ones own needs.

Cheers,

FB

[chevytaHOE5674]

Sorry its been soo long. Not sure if these are useful at all, but this is how out Sauna was built many many years ago.



This weekend I can get some better pictures of the entire building if you wish.

[Brad_bb]

Are there mold issues with a log sauna?  Is it just spruce or similar? 

[D Hagens]

Insulate it well, vapor barrier should be a metallic heat reflective material, kind of like a solar blanket if you know what I mean. I don't know what products you guys have but an insulation company should carry it.
Vent your stove well and make your outside air (in) vents are as low as possible and as far away as possible from your heat source. Your door is your best spot as it will also double as a way of keeping some cool air on your door. Hence the possible chances of your door swelling.
Tile your floor if possible, non slip! The reason being is that concrete in theory never really dries.....another long story.
Finished cedar is awesome on the inside but I've also done it in other woods, it all boils down to money.
Keep a thermometer in there and if you get tunnel vision that's a good sign that your gonna blackout.
I've built many of these if you have any other Q's.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Are there mold issues with a log sauna?  Is it just spruce or similar? 

Our sauna is at least 70 years old, built of cedar. We have no mold issues inside, but when we are done we crack a window and let it cool down and dry out inside. 

[Farmboy]

Thanks for the points on insulation and venting.  I was looking into using a product called "P-2000" which is a hard board with a vapor barrier attached.  Then putting my t&g on top of that to maintain the wood look.

All the log building I've done has been with spf, however some have suggested using Aspen, which is plentiful in the area where I live.  I guess as long as you don't sit on a hot knot ...

I appreciated the pics of the dovetail building too.  I'll build mine using Scandinavian saddle notch as that is what my other buildings on this site are done in.  I plan to flatten the inside of the logs as I build so that the walls will be more comfortable to lean against while reclining on the benches.

Chevy, I'd like to see more pics if you have time.  Thanks in advance.

FB

[D Hagens]

Yup, P-2000 is the product, guess next time I try to explain something I should see where ya live! ;D Didn't notice that you are from B.C  8)

Thanks for the mail.

[PlicketyCat]

I guess a lot depends on whether you want a Finnish Sauna (dry) or a Russian Sauna (humid).  If you want a dry sauna, then you don't need to fuss with vapor barriers, and it's best to just let the timbers breath the small amounts of humidity you might create with a spritz of water. 

I don't know as I'd try a Russian Sauna with logs on the inside. The one high-humidity steam sauna that I've seen here in AK was log on the outside, but the owners had installed a full Kerdi membrane and the entire interior was tiled (including the benches).

There's some good drawings and information at http://www.greatsaunas.com/plans/planning_indoor_sauna.cfm.

These guys build lots of the log saunas I've seen up here and have some good pics on their site: http://www.summerking.net/saunasandcabins.html