BUILDING THE LOG CABIN
Mention of a “cabin in the woods” brings a vision to the average man of one thing—a log cabin. And, although few people will ever build a real log cabin, most of us have inherited from our pioneer ancestors a romantic attachment to the sturdily constructed homes of our early settlers. The pioneers built of logs primarily because they had no other materials and also because they needed a shelter that would be a protection against Indians, wild animals and rough weather.
But just because a cabin is built of rough logs instead of finished lumber doesn’t mean that it will be less expensive in this day and age. According to such experts as C. D. Aldrich, who designs some of the finest cabins in the country, a log cabin costs about twice as much as a frame cottage of comparable size and design. A one-room-and-porch cabin that can be built of lumber for about $500 would cost roughly $1,000 if well built of logs.
There are two styles of log cabin construction—the traditional kind with the logs laid horizontally and the stockade type in which the logs or half logs are placed upright. The latter is easier to build since skilled axe work is not required to notch the log ends and the principal task is to hew down the sides to make them fit closely. On the other hand, a cabin built with horizontal logs is the favorite with most people—probably because it is the most familiar.
Logs for a stockade style cabin need not be particularly heavy since they are to be spiked to the horizontal members of a timber frame, but care should be taken to obtain pieces as straight as possible to avoid waste. Second growth timber is most frequently used. Chinks between the timbers are caulked with oakum, or, if the fit is very loose, combine oakum with willow wands or narrow battens. However, most people building a recreational home of logs will want the horizontal type of construction, so this chapter will be devoted to that subject.
One of the first things to decide after the rough plans are drawn and the list of materials estimated is whether the cabin is to be of peeled logs or logs with the bark left on. Logs that are to keep their bark must be cut in late October or November and stacked on skids until spring. Be sure they are piled so that plenty of air circulates. Logs to be peeled should also be cut in fall or winter and seasoned—preferably for six months or more. To prevent cracks when they begin to weather, have the logs scored down one side—a two or three inch strip of bark removed the entire length. Then if the logs crack a bit, they will do so along the scored lines and they can be laid so the cracks won’t show in the finished building.
The size of your cabin, or rather the dimensions of the various walls, is not necessarily limited by the length of the logs, because they can be spliced. (See [Fig. 7] for the best method of splicing.) If you are counting on leaving a projection at each end beyond the wall, then you can figure that logs 20 feet long will give you a room with inside walls about 16 feet long. Logs between 20 and 30 feet long are most satisfactory unless you have a large crew to help. They should average about 10 inches at the top end with as little taper as possible. If you get smaller logs, it will require too many to gain the needed height, and logs much larger than that are unwieldy to handle.
Fig. 7. How to splice logs.
The best timber for a log cabin on the Pacific Coast is redwood or western cedar. Balsam, hemlock, pine, and, if you are lucky, tamarack also make good logs. The latter are especially fine. You may buy your logs from a lumber company, from a public utility company’s supply of power-line poles, or you can hire a good woodsman to cut them for you—if you can find the timber. Certain sections of the National Forests are available for cutting logs and stumpage charge is very nominal.
There are several possible methods of fitting logs together. The choice depends entirely on how much time and labor you care to devote to it, but once a style has been adopted carry it throughout the whole house. Use similar logs or poles instead of dressed lumber wherever possible. They’re more “woodsy.” Speaking of style, all log ends that project should be finished off with an axe, not sawed.
After the sill logs are laid on the leveled boulder foundation, or in the case of a concrete or stone wall underpinning bolted to the foundation, the next step is to lay the floor joists. They should be not less than 2×6 material, spaced not over two feet on center. Notch them into the sill log and the first log above as shown in [Fig. 8] and spike them in.