Log Cabin Sills, Floor Joists, Studding, And Corners

When the foundation has been made ready, your next step is to construct the sills, set the floor joists, and erect the studding, corners, and plates. There are numerous ways of building sills. For the one-story cabin that rests either on piers or a solid foundation, the following simple method will serve:

Determine the size of joists you will have to use. For a 12-ft. span, use a 2- by 8-in. joist; for 16-ft. span, a 2 by 10; for 20-ft. span, a 2 by 12. It is as­sumed that you will use only sound boards, free of weak knots, for such load-carrying members as the joists. In fact, sound lumber should be used throughout if the building is expected to give long service. By running a beam down the center of the floor and in­stalling additional piers, the required sizes of joists can be reduced.

The sketch at left shows how logs are notched and grooved and put together in building a corner. At right, how doors and window frames are fitted snugly into the logs.

this heel, and are fastened with spikes to the board that is resting on edge. Set all joists, and later the studs, on 16-in. centers.

Studs can be erected one at a time, or assembled into framework on the ground and erected as a wall unit. The method depends largely on the number of men available. The lower ends of the studs rest on the horizontal 2 by 8, and against the vertical board spiked to the joist ends. Fasten the studs securely. Upper ends of studs are fastened to the plate, by spikes driven through the plate and into the ends of the studs. The plates may be single or double 2 by 4's. At the corners, 2 by 4's are spiked together to form a corner post. There are several ways of making such a post. If no interior finish, such as veneer paneling, is to be applied, a simple post made by nailing two 2 by 4's together will serve. Where it is desired to form a ledge for nail­ing finish, three 2 by 4's can be arranged as shown.

The making of window openings is not difficult. Al­though such openings can be made easier in the frame when it is being assembled on the ground many car­penters prefer to cut out the openings after the studs are up. They say a truer job can be done in that way. This method looks like a waste of material, but the cut­out pieces are used for making cross pieces or headers, and for other purposes. For windows, whose width is not much more than the distance between two or three studs, a single 2 by 4, placed with its widest sur­face horizontal, will serve as a header. For wider windows, such as the casement types most suitable for low, rambling cabins, it is advisable to place two 2 by 4's on edge, or else use a 2- by 6-in, plank with its face vertical. Remember, the header has to support some of the weight of the roof and other construction above it. It is not a bad idea to double the studs along door and large window openings, for added strength and ease of sash and door operation.

The fastening together of wall framing at the corners consists mainly of tying together the plates. When the building is small and single plates can be used all around for rafter supports, miter joints are made at the corners, the plate ends being spiked to the corner posts. Usually the side plates, which support the rafters, are made by laying one 2 by 4 on the other

Here is a complete one-room cabin with a porch. This is an extremely simple and easily built cabin.

Here is the floor plan of the one-room cabin shown above. Built-in bunks leave a large living room.

and nailing them together. When this is done, it is easy to make a lap joint at a corner, the lower half of the doubled plate butting against the end plate, and the upper half overlapping it. For further rigidity, blocks can be nailed in the angle between the corner posts and ends of plates.

The siding can be applied to the frame before the roof framework is erected.

Continue to Building Roofs For Log Cabin Houses.

How To Build A Log Cabin