Mother's Rustic Pergola
(Page 11 of 13)
February/March 1998
By the Mother Earth News staff
Pine shingles are not all that expensive to buy, but I'd prefer to split my own with the froe and mallet. I'll need to find a suitably-sized cedar or white pine, fell it, and let it season, then section the trunk into splittable lengths. Attaching shingles to springy poles requires a nailing machine with a lot of punch-an electric or pneumatic stapler would be best.
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This joint is most commonly used to attach the end of a smaller log (the joiner) to the side of a larger (prime) log. The full-width slot cut into one and the insert milled out of the other are designed to fit together in the horizontal dimension. Arranged vertically, the joint would be pulled apart by gravity.
First, chisel or mill off bark and surface irregularities in the joining surface along the long (horizontal) dimension of the prime log to reveal a circle of clear wood that's chiseled to be perfectly flat and same-sized as the end of the log to be joined to it. Cut the face of the joiner log perfectly flat and square as well. Mark horizontal centerlines and mark out stock to be removed around mortise (the slot) and tenon (the insert) of joint. With saw and chisel or power tools, mill a 2" thick, horizontal through-mortise (a slot) at midpoint of the prime log and across its entire face. The slot should be at least 1" deep and 2" to 4" is better-but no more than one quarter of the prime log's thickness.
In the end of the joining log, mill out wood at top and bottom to make a mortise to fit into and fill the slot, 2" thick, an inch or more high and full across the face of the log. Trial fit and trim with chisels as needed to make a tight joint.
Coat all surfaces with pitch or roofing tar for most watertight fit.
Tap joint together tight with mallet and block and secure with four or more self-tapping screws going both ways.
In small logs, do not be tempted to overfasten and bore holes clear through prime log to secure this joint with a lag screw. The bore hole will compound with wood removed for the slot to create too much of a weak spot in most wood species.
Pegged joints are at once the most traditional and most elegant fastening method. For indoor furniture the peg joints are glued together are strong enough to outlast the wood.
I'd not trust even epoxy cement to hold in rustic construction, however. Sure, we use it in building modern wooden boats, but the epoxy goes inside and out to encapsulate the wood and seal out moisture. Plus, there aren't any bilge pumps in a gazebo. I feared that any glued joints would be compromised and forced apart by expansion and contraction of wood as it absorbed and lost the moisture that naturally comes and goes in outdoor furniture and structures that get rained and snowed on.
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