Building the Traditional Hewn-Log Home

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To make the beveled top cut, insert wooden wedges between log and horses to hold the log at such an angle that the slanting guideline on the timber's end is vertical. Start the cut by easing the heel of the saw's guide bar into the wood just inside the guideline on the end of the log, then bring the nose of the bar down until it's buried about an inch or so in the wood. Now slowly push the bar forward along the line to carve a shallow guide channel. (Safety note: To avoid kickback, keep a firm grip on the saw. Make sure bystanders are at a distance, and be prepared in case the saw decides to buck up.)

When the tip of the bar reaches the end of the cut, saw straight down. Stop the cut when the bar is halfway through the log, remove the bar from the kerf, rotate the log 180°, and repeat the above steps to finish the cut from the opposite side. That way, misguided cuts will end in the center of the log, where they won't show. Any rough spots can be smoothed with a slick.

After the notches are cut-in order to achieve a proper fit and to assure that the joints will tighten rather than open as the logs season and settleuse chain saw, adz, or slick to make all the cuts except the sloping top notch slightly concave. (That is, remove enough wood from the centers of the cuts so that they're about 1/8" lower in the middle than on the outer edges.) The weight will rest on the edges of the notches, rather than across their full widths . . . and if you need to work with a notch to make it fit after you get the log on the wall, all you'll have to do is whittle down the outer edges.

FITTING CORNER NOTCHES

We'll talk about devices and techniques for hoisting logs into position in a moment. But in order to continue our discussion of notching uninterrupted, let's assume for now that the log we just notched has jumped magically into place on a wall.

To keep the walls straight as they go up, each log must be individually leveled. If it's a short log that ends in a window or door opening or a splice, start by holding a level horizontally along the centerline of either face of the log and shimming the unnotched end until the timber is level.

Any wood removed from a notch to achieve a better fit or to plumb the log is usually shaved from the top notch of the lower log rather than from the bottom notch of the upper log. To do this, insert a wedge between the upper and lower logs to hold the notch open, then use a slick or chisel to work the wood. Shave off only a little wood at a time, then remove the wedge and recheck the level and plumb of the log and the fit of the notch. Keep at it until the notch is perfect. Finally, check the joint at the opposite end of the log to be sure it hasn't been pulled out of line. (If a joint loosens up during the leveling operation, a light tap with a sledge-hammer will often be suficient to persuade it back in line.)

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