A Place in the Woods

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The frustration of it all took its toll: Within days, my two comrades had quit. I was so dispirited I almost followed in their footsteps. But then I was given two new workers and the position of foreman, which shed fresh light on things. We set some reasonable standards, then dove into the work with relish. It didn't take long to discover that we should've cut tongues, or tenons, into the ends of the horizontal logs and merely dropped them into the waiting mortises. By trimming them slightly shorter than the actual distance between the grooves, one end can be started and the other raised enough to clear the top of the post. Settling should occur over time, so the logs weren't fastened.

"We were fortunate to

have a building inspector who relied on common sense."

LINKING LOGS

1 . MARKING THE TENONS

Make a template as shown from a piece of thin sheet metal. Place it over the end of a log so the center line is aligned with the sighting holes. Draw along the edges of the template in pencil, then mark the shoulder curves using the square cutting method described above. Repeat this at the opposite end of the log.

2. MORTISE AND TENON POST JOINT - The short horizontal infill logs fit into mortises cut into the flattened sides of the posts. The tenons at the ends of each log are trimmed so they can be dropped into place and allowed to gradually settle over time.

3. ALIGNING THE POSTS - The frame posts are aligned using guide string stretched between batter boards, shown at the corner. Temporary 2 X 6 supports fit between the posts, which are also diagonally braced against stakes.

4. FILING IN -The infill logs are slipped into the mortises as illustrated, with tapered ends alternating. The plate logs can be fit once the last course is in place, or work can be completed in sections. Our first course rested on a strip of tarpaper laid over the concrete. With other types of foundations, carefully cut sill logs would've been appropriate to support a girder and floor joists, but that wasn't necessary in our simple shelter. Each successive course alternated butt-to tip with its neighbor below to minimize the natural taper of the logs.

To make our trimming chores easier, we took pains to choose the straight sides of any bowed logs as the top and bottom; as time ran short, we merely flattened these faces rather than scribing and cutting lateral V-grooves into the bottom of each timber. Naturally, this left gaps of up to 1/2" between the courses, and probably would've invited standing water in places had those spaces not been filled later with chink sealant—a maintenance step that's taken regularly with log buildings.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

NATURAL BEAUTY AT HOME '

Janice Cox

Paperback

Our Price: Price: $20.00

• Browse Natural Health