Log Cabin Material

WHEN building a log cabin, the first thing to do is to get the logs. This may not be as easy as it sounds in some localities, particularly in regions far re­moved from extensive forests. Local lumber dealers, telephone, telegraph and power companies, and owners of farms and wooded lots within reasonable hauling dis­tance, are among the sources of logs when they must be purchased. If the cabin is to be built in the woods where standing timber is available, carefully inspect all available trees to determine whether their sales value is greater than their value as sources of cabin logs. For instance, you would not want to cut down a walnut tree just to get wood for cabin walls, because walnut lumber is worth 75 cents or so a board foot. If you are erecting a cabin in a national or state forest, it is necessary to get the approval of local forest au­thorities before you can cut trees for logs.

Among the logs suitable for cabin construction are cedar, tamarack, balsam, hemlock, and pine. These woods are easily worked and not too heavy. Hickory, oak, and various other hardwoods are just as durable, but their weight and hardness makes them undesir­able. Among the woods not suitable for cabin con­struction because they are not long-lived are birch, aspen, willow, cottonwood, and basswood.

Select logs that are straight and have only a slight taper from base to top, It would be ideal if logs with no taper at all were available in quantity, but this is unlikely. Logs with considerable taper can be used if no other kind is procurable. They will require some­what more chinking. If you want to spend the time and effort required to build a hewn-log cabin, extreme tapering is not a serious matter because the log can be made uniform in thickness by cutting more wood from the base end.

Logs and poles from 4 to 12 in, in diameter are suit­able for cabin construction. The larger ones usually are used in walls, while the smaller sizes go into roofs in the form of rafters, and in other parts where mas­siveness is not desirable or essential. Logs from 1 to 4 ft. longer than the walls in which they are to be used are necessary when corner construction calls for pro­jecting ends. There are some types of construction re­quiring logs of the same length as the walls. Avoid excessively long walls that require logs too heavy to be handled conveniently. About 20 ft. is a desirable limit, and it seldom is necessary to make a cabin room larger than that. Although lap joints or other means can be used for fastening short lengths of logs together to produce long walls, this should be avoided because it weakens the walls.

The proper time to cut logs, and the subsequent treatment to be given them to prevent decay and insect damage, are determined by the way in which they are to be finished. The bark can be left on to preserve the rustic appearance; or it can be peeled off and the logs left bare or hewed to produce flat surfaces.

Logs that are to retain their bark should be cut in

Manner of removing bark from tree before it is felled, the scoring of logs, and the right way of piling them to thy are shown above

the fall, about the time of the first frost, according to government forestry experts. During October and No­vember is a satisfactory time in most localities. If cut in late summer, the bark will remain on, but the logs are likely to become infested with destructive insects.

Difficulty sometimes arises as a result of the bark peeling off. One way of checking this is to score the logs. This is done by removing a narrow strip of bark from two opposite sides, for the entire length. Then pile the logs in the shade, in such manner that air will circulate freely through them, and let them season until the next spring or summer. When the logs are used for walls, the scored strips can be placed at top and bottom, where they will be concealed by the chinking. A few days after cutting, and again a short time before the logs are used, paint all ends, knots and scored areas with coal-tar creosote, to preserve the wood, When the bark develops a tendency to peel off, or when the logs are not scored, tack the bark in place with large-head roofing nails, spacing them about a foot apart each way.

Trees whose trunks are to be used as peeled logs should be cut in the winter, when the sap is down. If cut in the spring, the wood will be attacked by organisms that cause decay and stain. Aside from the less rustic appearance, peeled logs are better than unpeeled ones. One reason is that they are less likely to be attacked by insects. Trees felled during certain seasons may become infested with beetles. The insects drill holes in the bark and lay their eggs in them. Such invasions are indicated by the presence of the holes and of wood particles resembling sawdust, which fall out of the logs. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the inner bark, boring tunnels in every direction. This causes the outer bark to loosen and fall off. More than that, the grubs often bore into the heartwood and sapwood of the logs, destroying them before the wood is completely seasoned, usually a matter of a few months. Methods of combating such pests are dis­cussed in another chapter.

Peeled or hewn logs are finished in a variety of ways. Sometimes they are left to weather naturally. It is; however, better to employ some preservative that will act to prevent decay and insect attack, although peeled logs are less likely to be damaged by insects and decay organisms than those with the bark left on. Preservatives should be applied during construction, when all parts can be reached. Later applications, after the building has been completed, can be made with greater ease when the logs are peeled. Paint, stain, and creosote are among the materials used for preserving logs. Paint is not desirable because it destroys the desired rustic appearance. Creosote is effective, but its odor is persistent and not pleasant, making it un­desirable for dwellings. Stain is perhaps the best be­cause it acts as a preservative, can be of a color that produces the effect of naturally weathered wood, and does not give off a persistent odor. Whether or not the logs are peeled,—and particularly if they are not, the cuts made in forming corner joints should be treated with a preservative. Paint can be used when it will not show.

When the logs are left exposed on interior wall surfaces, they absorb much light, causing the gloomy appearance that is characteristic of most log cabins. This can be eliminated somewhat by applying varnish or shellac to the bark or peeled surfaces. The smooth coating reflects light better than the untreated sur­faces. Do not stain peeled logs dark on interior walls. If a stain is used at all it should be extremely light in tone. Application of varnish alone will produce on most woods a color that is mellow enough to please everyone. Chinking materials should be light in color where they show on interior surfaces.

If your cabin has been in use for some time, and the bark starts to fall off because of improper earlier treatment, nail it back in place. It is not a bad idea to treat the back of the bark pieces, and the surface of the wood with creosote or some other preservative before doing this.

Available logs and poles do not always permit the widest choke of materials. You may have to be satis­fied with short logs or with logs so crooked that they have to be cut into short lengths before they can be used. Large diameters may be lacking. The taper may be excessive.

When such conditions exist, they often can be coun­teracted by proper design. Although it is easier to lay up a cabin wall with long logs and then cut out the windows and doors, it is possible to employ short lengths, using them about the door and window frames as the work progresses. By employing a design that calls for a great many windows, short material can be utilized for intervening panels, making long logs necessary only for sills and for use above the openings. A log house should be low and rambling for best ap­pearance, so that much material is not required above door height. Old-time cabins, and a great many of more recent construction, have windows that are too small and too few. This detracts from the outside appearance and makes the interior gloomy. Install all the windows you can without destroying large wall spaces necessary for beds, etc., and make them of a shape and size that will admit plenty of light and still harmonize with the general appearance. You will need fewer logs if you do, and the logs probably will be the major item of cost. Casement windows opening outward are better for log cabins than other types.

In addition to walls with logs laid horizontally, a type of construction frequently employed makes use of logs running vertically, their lower ends resting on the sills and their upper ends supporting the roof plate. This type of construction can be employed when short lengths are to be worked in.

In addition to the materials for the walls and foun­dations, you will need some of the following, the exact requirements depending on the type of construction and the extent to which available poles, logs, and slabs are employed: 2- by 4-in. boards for miscellaneous uses; 2- by 6-in. to 2- by 12-in. timbers for joists and roof-ridge pieces; some 1-in. lumber ranging in width from 6 in. to 12 in., for roof sheathing and various other uses; some 2-in, lumber for false door jambs and window frames, the width depending on the thickness of logs; tongue-and-groove ceiling, for covering interior wall surfaces and making partitions; tongue-and-­groove flooring of 4-in. size, or in random widths, for floors. Nails in assorted sizes, including some large spikes of about 40-penny size; doors, window sashes, and door and window hardware; some kind of roof covering, ranging from split shingles to composition roofing; painted sheet metal for use under roof covering at ridges and valleys, and for flashing around chim­neys or stove pipes. Doubtless there are other items for which a need will develop as the building pro­gresses. You may find it difficult to estimate, before­hand, the exact quantity and kind of materials needed. This is true of most buildings, and particularly so of the cabin that is not being erected in strict accordance with a specific plan, but is being permitted to grow more or less naturally, like the trees from which it is made.

Continue to Log Cabin Walls

How To Build A Log Cabin