Building the Traditional Hewn-Log Home

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PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

No matter the type of rafter-to-plate notch used, the weight of the roof will be transferred down and out to the plates through the rafters. To offset this outward thrust, you can bore a hole down through the plate and at least the top two wall logs at each corner joint, then drive metal pins (rebar is often used) or hardwood dowels into the holes to provide a degree of lateral rigidity.

An alternate bracing method that can be used in single-story loftless structures—and the method Peter prefers—is to bolt the inside faces of the plates to the tops of the ceiling joists and intersecting wall logs with heavy metal L-braces.

RAISING THE RAFTERS

Unless you're blessed with the agility of a tightrope walker, you'll find that erecting rafters can be tricky and even dangerous. Don't tackle this job alone, and make sure to nail plenty of strong scaffolding over the ceiling joists so that you won't find yourself treading on air. The ideal rafter-raising team consists of three workers: Two hold the rafters in position while the third drives the wooden pin through the hole in the lap joint.

With larger buildings, it's best to assemble the rafter pairs before erecting them. After pegging the pairs together at their tops, nail scrap boards between the rafter legs (as in the letter A) to serve as temporary braces. You'll need two workers on the ground handling two ropes tied to the peak of the rafters: One pulls while the other feeds out rope and prepares to help steady the rafters when they're upright . . . and two more workers standing on the joists (and scaffolding) to push the rafters up with pikes or forked poles.

As soon as a rafter pair is up and spiked to the plates, it should be plumbed and then braced in place until lath or decking is put down to provide permanent lateral stability.

A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD

Your choice of roofing material will likely be influenced by several practical considerations—plus good old personal preference. If you live in serious snow country, metal would be a good choice—with options running from inexpensive, rust-prone galvanized iron to high-tech, high-cost alloy panels that shed snow before it can accumulate. In areas that receive only moderate amounts of snow or none at all, some cabin dwellers use asphalt shingles or even asphalt rollroofing. But for the log builder who is concerned with tradition, aesthetics, and economy, and who lives in an area where snow is measured in inches rather than feet, nothing will do save honest-to-gosh hand-split wood shingles. Unfortunately, shingle splitting (or riving, as it's known to those who do a lot of it) is a lengthy story unto itself. [EDITOR'S NOTE: And we have that story in the bag. In a not too distant future issue we'll be telling you all about riving and roofing with wood shingles . . . Peter Gott-style.]

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