Building the Traditional Hewn-Log Home

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But before cutting out the notch you just laid out for log A, mark log B in the same way, making sure that the notch is marked to be cut from the face opposite the notch in A. (As with laying out corner notches, the best way to keep from getting confused is to position your sawhorses in front of the wall the spliced log will be used on.

When you're ready to saw out the notches, turn the first log to be cut so that the plug of wood to be removed is facing up. The first cut should be down the guideline that represents the back of the notch. Saw halfway through the log along the second splice cut, again slightly undercutting. Turn the log on edge and, standing at the end of the log, use a powerful chain saw to make the longitudinal cut. Saw halfway through, turn the log over, and finish the cut from the other side. Finish by dressing up any uneven or rough spots with a slick, or by "brushing" (passing the bar lightly over the surface) with the chain saw.

When both logs are notched, mate them up on the sawhorses to check the fit of the splice. In all probability, even if the splice fits together perfectly, one log will be somewhat higher than the other, giving the joint a jagged appearance that will stand out on the wall like a watermelon in a tomato patch. To prevent this, align the centerlines of the two logs, then whittle the tip of the larger log down with chain saw and ax until it matches its smaller mate.

To align the two spliced logs' centerlines once they're on the wall, as well as to level the joined log along its full length and take some of the pressure off the spikes that will hold the splice together, cut a couple of wooden wedges and drive them into the chinking gap between the splice and the log beneath it. When the logs are level, replace the wedges with suitable blocks that will be left permanently in place and covered over with chinking mortar. It's a good idea to bore pilot holes for the spikes . . . but don't attempt to join the timbers until both A and B have been fitted at their respective corner joints.

RAISING THE WALLS

If you're building on fairly level ground and using logs that aren't excessively long or beefy, two strong workers can grunt the first few rounds into place by hand. But for the sake of both safety and efficiency, some sort of lifting contraption will become all but mandatory as the walls rise.

The traditional method of raising logs employed two sturdy pole skids that were long enough to be leaned up against the top of the wall at its highest projected level without exceeding a slope of 45° or so. The upper surfaces of the skid poles were peeled, smoothed, and greased-then the tip ends of the skids were beveled so that they would fit snugly up against the wall when leaned into place. (For safety's sake, the tops of the skids were sometimes spiked to the wall.) Holes were bored into the smoothed upper surfaces of both skids at intervals of about six feet, offset in the two skids so that a hole occurred every three feet, and two sturdy hardwood pegs long enough to project several inches above the skids were cut to fit snugly into the holes.

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