You know, the funny thing about little cabins like this is that they take just about as much effort to build as the one’s that are much larger.

Most of the work involved in building a cabin is in the process, and has little to do with the length of the log. There are just as many corner notches found here as there were in the log home that stood nearby.

And, there were just as many logs needed to build this structure as her bigger sister nearby, only here, they were shorter.

Maybe, that is why there are so few of these tiny cabins. A lot of effort goes into creating a very small space.

Originally posted 2015-05-07 14:10:55.

There is an inherent beauty in wood that was crafted by a man and an axe, and that has stood against the elements for over a hundred years.

Every person that was alive on this planet when this little cabin was built is now gone. No survivors.

What will you leave behind that will be enjoyed by the next fresh supply of people?

Originally posted 2015-05-06 14:23:38.

The little cabin only offered one door… and it was a mighty short one! Folks were smaller back then huh? lol

And no windows… I guess times were lean.

There was also an exterior door to gain access to the attic. I guess this place could have been rented out as a duplex?

Originally posted 2015-05-06 13:29:31.

One day I received a call from one of my salvagers who told me that he was taking down a chestnut cabin in southern Virginia and that I should come take a look at it.

And, I did just that.

The cabin was indeed chestnut, a rare and highly desired species of wood, but the cabin was in “mighty rough” condition… too decayed for me to use for anyone’s new home.

But, a hundred feet away from that log home stood this tiny log structure. I felt drawn to it like a paperclip is to a magnet. Of course I didn’t “act” interested… oh no… a man must “play it cool”.

Now I do have a soft spot in my heart when it comes to log outbuildings. There just aren’t enough of them out there… and they are so darn cute… they might as well be puppies.

So, I bought the salvage rights to her, and put two of my men on the job of taking her down.

Originally posted 2015-05-06 13:17:18.

Here’s a sweet little cabin.

Who wouldn’t want one of these sitting out back?

She looks like she has always been there… but, when this photo was taken, this cabin had only been on this site for about a year.

Let me share of a bit of her story with you in the next couple of postings…

Originally posted 2015-05-06 12:48:34.

One last look at this little cabin.

This photo was taken years after it’s construction. I think she has held up very well.

That’s one great thing about building structures with antique materials, and with a traditional design… they actually improve with age.

Originally posted 2015-05-02 16:09:58.

A corner of this log cabin… before… and after, it is chinked. I like both images… but, it always fascinates me how a stack of individual logs is visually transformed into a solid wall, all because of the application of a little cement.

Originally posted 2015-05-02 14:18:20.

Here are a few close-up photos that illustrate our chinking prep work. We used old fenceboards for the window trim on this cabin (they were handy, free, and a perfect match to the logs) Take note of how much care and attention we gave to creating a perfect fit.

Window and door trim need to be installed before you chink. A person always chinks to the trim… not trims to the chink joint.

You will see fiberglass insulation behind the lathe wiring… this is an old photo… we now use spray-in foam.

On exterior chinking it is vital that the chinking be tucked back from the face of the log on top and flush with the log on the bottom… if you don’t do this you will allow water infiltration and rot out your logs.

Your goal is a perfectly smooth chink joint. You want your eye to go to the logs not your chinking. A sloppy chink job is not rustic… it is poor workmanship.

And don’t use plastic chinking… please.

Originally posted 2015-05-02 13:58:51.

Here are a few photos to look over…

The one above is of a greyed antique log that was nicely hewn with a broad axe more than a century ago.

The next photo is of a man today demonstrating how a hewn log was made with a broad axe. The major hunks have been removed by using a regular axe and then the broad axe is brought in to clean everything up nicely. Most men stand when using a broad axe.

The next photo shows an Eric Sloane drawing of the proper use of an adze which was to plane down, or make smooth, a timber that was previously hewn with an axe. It is very, very rare to find an old log cabin where someone has come in with an adze… that tool was generally saved for making the floor joists look refined. An adze is a hand plane on the end of long handle.

And the final photo, seen below, is of what you will find on many modern made cabins… where they took an adze, which is intended to make wood smooth, and instead used it to roughen the wood… creating lots of random scoop marks.

I can appreciate the desire to get rid of a rough sawn timber and to instill some handworkmanship onto the surface of a log… But I’ve found that the more people work with logs, the more they learn and practice log construction, the more they experience antique cabins… the more faux these adzed logs look…

It’s all in the details.

Remember those old commercials on tv where they had this device that would cut your hair after you hooked it up to your vacuum cleaner? A flowbee? It did the job, and to most folks it looked fine, but to those in the trade it irritated to no end… well, that’s what modern adzed logs are to old cabin guys.

Originally posted 2015-05-01 20:02:10.

When it came time to put a roof on the cabin I went to our local sawmill and bought some pine timbers to create five pairs of heavy duty roof trusses.

Locally harvested and sawn wood is environmentally friendly and low in cost. And besides, I love going to the sawmill, any opportunity that I get you will find me in my truck and on the way there. It’s almost as much fun as visiting Disney World, but without the mouse ears. 🙂

We bolted these trusses together and pegged over the bolts. We also beat the sawn timbers with an adze to rough them up. Yes, I’ve done some things I’m not proud of… I’ve made mistakes… but I’ve learned from them… I’ve gotten better… and part of my sharing here on line is to help you not make the same ones.

Do not buy, or use, an adze… there, I said it.

All in all though… the roof came out well… it looks good (other than those faux adze marks) and it is so much stronger than a modern truss roof.

Originally posted 2015-05-01 16:14:39.