The matter of interior furnishings is always of great concern to those who build log cabins. Odds and ends or too many “what-nots” may prove to be misfits. Pieces of Early American design are perhaps the most appropriate ready-made furniture, but sturdy, rustic pieces yield the greatest satisfaction.
Many cabin owners have found a great deal of pleasure in making essential furniture, such as bunks, beds, tables, chairs, settees, and similar items. In the East, birch is preferred as a material, and in the West, lodgepole pine is most satisfactory. Other native species, however, will do just as well. In making furniture it is advisable to remove the bark from the logs because bark collects insects, causes the wood to deteriorate and eventually falls off, leaving imperfect, unsightly surfaces. Figures [36] and [37] show types of furniture suitable for log residences.
For rustic effects, the use of a stain of the following proportions gives a satisfactory appearance: 2 quarts turpentine, 2 quarts raw linseed oil, and 1 pint liquid drier, to which add ½ pint of raw sienna, ½ pint of burnt umber, and a touch of burnt sienna. The top surfaces of tables, buffets, chests, and rawhide seats should have two coats of spar varnish. Where countersunk screws are used in connection with a stain finish, insert false wood, dowel-like plugs in preference to plastic wood to conceal the screwheads.
Simplicity, both in construction and appearance, is the keynote for producing the most harmonious effects in furniture, in keeping with log interiors.
Armchairs can be built with well-seasoned lodgepole or eastern pine, or birch ([fig. 38]). The cornerpieces should be mortised and tenoned to the frame and rail and anchored in place with ⅜- by 15-inch lag screws. The arms should be fastened to the cornerpieces with ⅜- by 5-inch carriage bolts and to the slab support with ⅜- by 4-inch lag screws. The vertical slab support should be rigidly secured to the frame with ⅜- by 3-inch carriage bolts. Cushions may be of the filler type, without springs, and covered with homespun fabric. Use 2-inch wide heavy canvas strips, securely fastened with furniture tacks, to support the cushions.
Upright chairs and stools ([fig. 39]) can be made from the same material as the armchair. Cross the poles to impale the legs rigidly. The crosspieces of the chair back should be curved to fit the human back. The joints must be tightly glued, mortised, and tenoned.