Without trees we would not have logs.
Without logs we would not have log cabins.
Who would want to live in a world without log cabins?
(and porches… with rocking chairs)
Originally posted 2016-06-13 16:15:00.
Thank God for trees
6 Comments
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Dear Noah,
I am glad that I stumbled onto your website by chance. I may even joined your house academy, but I will have to do more research first.
My background: I am 60 yrs young, Been working in the oilfield all my life and am a very hard worker, I have done very little carpentry work. no stone work. I will retire at the ripe age of 66 and I am planning on selling my home here in Louisiana and moving somewhat off the grid. Not totally off grid mind ya LOL !!
Starting to research states and their laws, Tennessee, Kentucky, maybe Virginia, I am planning on getting a portable sawmill and cutting all my logs and lumber off of the land that I purchase. So, my question to you is ( what type of wood should I build with ? )
I do realize that harvesting large trees and cutting my logs will be labor intense!! I am use to hard work remember and I know that it will take me around 5 years to complete my dream home. I love working and to retire is not in me so I always wanted to have a log home, one to past down to the kids.
I appreciate any feed back that you may have. My outlook on life is this. Just because you don’t know how to do something’s, doesn’t make you a dumb person. Just ignorant to the fact LOL !! Something’s I learn very fast, something’s not so fast but with time and patience anything can be achieved if you want it bad enough 🙂
I truly appreciate if you are able to take the time to reply.
Sincerely
Jimmy Josey
Jimmy,
I do believe there is a cabin in your future! I can’t wait to see some photos of it!
You ought to go ahead and add North Carolina to your list as well, you are in the neighborhood and NC is a special place as well.
When it comes to building a cabin the species of the log is not the most important consideration. Any log species is fine IF your logs are top grade and you build your cabin in the traditional manner. You want to use as large of logs as you can find… a minimum of 10 inch faces once hewn (or sawn) inside and out (not on the top or bottom). You want your logs to be straight grained with no twists and very few if any knots. And when you build no log should touch another (except in the corner notches)… chink gaps should be included between every course and chinking properly installed. Do these things and you’ll have a wonderful cabin that will last for centuries. But stack the logs one on top of the other, and it doesn’t matter what species you use, you’ll be in for a lifetime of maintenance with expensive toxic materials… or, you will slowly watch your cabin rot away.
Noah
Noah,
Thanks you for the advise and I appreciate your reply.
I watched the three vids you made, The one with the log home and two chimney’s is a beautiful home to say the least. When you were sitting in the chair on the porch and the wasp came by for a visit LOL,, my wife ask me a very good question. What is the white stuff between the logs? So, what is the white stuff between the logs on the wall?
I am planning on building my walls the same way as that log home. Which I believe is the same thing you described in your reply.
I am presently looking to purchase a TimberKing 2000 portable sawmill. I do need all the hydraulic bells and whistles so I can run it by myself. Save the old back at the same time.
Thanks,
Jimmy
P.S. I will see what North Carolina has to offer. My two boys live outside of Jacksonville FL.
Historically folks would cram chunks of wood, or stones in between the logs to fill in the gaps between courses… they called this “chinking”
They would then slather on a layer of “daubing” inside and out… the mixture varied from house to house… but you could generally count on mud, moss, hair, lime, moss, straw, grass, etc
Today what we first apply the “daubing layers”…. but we don’t call it that… we call it “chinking”. In between our chinking layers we apply spray in foam… no chunks of rock or stone. It’s a process I hope to demo this coming year in a video.
NVM Noah I know what the white stuff is now LOL !!
Too Soon!