Building the Traditional Hewn-Log Home

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Adz: This implement is a sort of hoelike chisel. It has many uses in an expert's hands—including hewing, smoothing, and shaping notches.

Froe: In frontier days, a blacksmith would make this splitting tool by bending a 3' (or so) length of 1"- to 2"-wide strap iron into a U shape, forming an eye at the bottom of the U to accept a short hardwood handle, and hammer-welding the two sides together to form a heavy blade that was then beveled and sharpened on its bottom edge. The froe, driven by a hardwood mallet, has many uses, and is indispensable for splitting out flat boards and riving (splitting) shingles.

Mallet: Make one yourself by cutting a rectangular or cylindrical chunk of the toughest hardwood you can find, then boring a hole through its center to accept a short, sturdy hardwood handle. Or do as Peter does (in five minutes or less), and cut a one-piece mallet by "whittling" both head and handle from a single piece of hickory or dogwood . . . with a chain saw.

Slick: This is a giant, flat-bladed chisel with an overall length of 3' or so. It's pushed by hand (never driven, not even with a mallet), to smooth or remove wood. A slick is handy indeed for the final fitting of corner notches.

Log dog: Picture a giant staple made from a 2' (or longer) length of iron rod with both tips bent down and sharpened. Log dogs are used to anchor a timber in place, on sawhorses or atop other logs, for working . . . drive one end into the project timber and the other end into the supporting structure to keep the log from wobbling or rolling.

Peavey: This lumberjack's helper consists of a sharp metal spike attached to the bottom of a long handle, with a hinged hook swinging from the point where the spike is joined to the handle. A peavey gives you the leverage to turn and roll large logs without stooping. It's a real back-saver. (A similar tool, the cant hook, has a blunt end rather than a spike. The cant hook has a slight edge over the peavey when moving closely stacked logs—but a peavey is the best overall choice.)

Timber carrier: Imagine a pair of giant ice tongs suspended from a long, horizontally held handle. Two people—one standing on either side of the log to be transported—center the timber carrier over one end of the log, position the hooks on the sides of the log, and lift. As the timber's weight is assumed by the carrier, the hooks close and dig in to hold the log securely. Two strong workers can haul a moderately large log by lifting one end with a timber carrier and allowing the other end to drag on the ground. Extremely large logs may require two timber carriers and four people . . . or even three and six.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on homemade log-working tools, see "Three Tip-Top Timber Tools, " page 80.]

HEWING: A SQUARE DEAL

Many of today's kit homes use logs that are flattened on all four sides at the sawmill—the product resembling long railroad ties. Traditionally, however, logs were hewn only on the two faces, with the tops and bottoms left rounded. Peter prefers the traditional two-sided logs, explaining that flattening only the faces saves hewing time, provides maximum rise from each round (the four logs that compose a layer all the way around a log wall), and makes for easier and more efficient chinking.

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