# Log Cabin



## Youngbuck20 (Mar 5, 2013)

So I recently watched "Alone in the Wilderness". Anyone who hasnt seen it just look it up on youtube. Basically a retired guy goes to alaska and builds a cabin like hes been doing it his whole life and lives there for 30 years, by himself. What Im getting at is id like to build one, a small one to start for trial and error reasons and for my little girl so she can have a little kid cabin to call her own in a few years. Ive been searching online and everywhere Ive looked they want you to buy their guide or DVD instead of just having the info on their page. Has anyone here built one? Know where I can get some decent info on how to build one. I know its not as easy as #### makes it out to be. I do have access to wood and a mill although it being small to start I dont think ill be using the mill. Im thinkin around 7x7. Possibly up to 10' on one side. Using logs thats ive already cut, 3"-5" in diameter. The wife wants to live in a log cabin one day so I suppose I should start learnin now!


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## qbilder (Mar 5, 2013)

Great film. That fellow had no plans or blue prints, just an elementary knowledge of how to stack logs for a cabin. For something like that, i'd say experiment and learn through experience.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Mar 5, 2013)

Not quite sure what you would use a mill for making a log cabin. All you really need is a chainsaw and a drill. My neighbor built a log cabin. It came from a manufacture from Montana. I helped them crane all the logs. Basically you just notch the logs on the corners to sit flush with the one on top. On long runs, you pin in the middle to keep the logs in line. They have a special compound that you put between the log that doesn't get super hard so it expands and contracts with the logs.


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## Mac88 (Mar 5, 2013)

Post and Beam Log Homes Detail Drawings

Log Building Construction Guide


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## Youngbuck20 (Mar 5, 2013)

Mac88 said:


> Post and Beam Log Homes Detail Drawings
> 
> Log Building Construction Guide



Awesome! Those are some pretty fancy houses.....hope the wife doesnt expect that outta me! Thanks Mac!


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## Youngbuck20 (Mar 5, 2013)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Not quite sure what you would use a mill for making a log cabin. All you really need is a chainsaw and a drill. My neighbor built a log cabin. It came from a manufacture from Montana. I helped them crane all the logs. Basically you just notch the logs on the corners to sit flush with the one on top. On long runs, you pin in the middle to keep the logs in line. They have a special compound that you put between the log that doesn't get super hard so it expands and contracts with the logs.



Thought a mill would come in handy for floor boards, stairs, possibly the roof instead of using plywood, a nice fancy bar. I think its the notches im worried about effin up. Im kind of a perfectionist so I like to make sure its all done 100% right.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Mar 5, 2013)

You got me thinking, I might build my kids a log playhouse. If i was building a log cabin to live in, I would use convential framing for the floor and roof myself. Unless i was so far in the sticks that there was no way to get the materials there.


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## hamish (Mar 5, 2013)

With your tree diameter you are very limited, as a 3-5" trees dont leave much wood to work with. If you were to use larger 6-8" of relatively uniform trees you could easily mill two sides flat, then your off and running.


On another note, your wife.............she probably has much different views on "your" cabin, your daughter, well she will just think everything is cool anyways.


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## brookpederson (Mar 5, 2013)

Just go build it, you have nothing to lose with something that small. I have had no experience in log cabin building, never the less i am in the finishing stages of a 600 sq ft cabin. And I have made plenty of mistakes and blunders along the way, sometimes that the best way to learn. My best advice is to sit down with some small scale pieces of what you might build and play around. Think lincoln logs. 

Most important decent foundation, after that the sky is the limit. I would use a little bit bigger logs than that though. But for a play house it could work. 
View attachment 282966
View attachment 282967


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 6, 2013)

Youngbuck20 said:


> So I recently watched "Alone in the Wilderness". Anyone who hasnt seen it just look it up on youtube. Basically a retired guy goes to alaska and builds a cabin like hes been doing it his whole life and lives there for 30 years, by himself.



Just to clear a couple things up... Richard P (this site won't let me use the name D##k) already lived in Alaska bfore moving to Twin Lakes, he lived in Homer and was already a carpenter. Yes he lived alone, BUT because of editing of his footage, it's not exactly as it seems. Folks in town sent him quite a bit of food ect., he had more visitors than it shows, and he came to town more often than it shows. He could have never made it out there if all of "that" had not happen.

I'm NOT trying to take anything away from the film or what D##k did, he was a master of what he did, and he DID make it all look easy!

I know these things because i didn't live all that far from D##k, and i knew a lot of the same folks he did.

BTW, he worked on that project two summers, even it looks like he did it all in one stretch...

SR


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## Youngbuck20 (Mar 6, 2013)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Just to clear a couple things up... Richard P (this site won't let me use the name D##k) already lived in Alaska bfore moving to Twin Lakes, he lived in Homer and was already a carpenter. Yes he lived alone, BUT because of editing of his footage, it's not exactly as it seems. Folks in town sent him quite a bit of food ect., he had more visitors than it shows, and he came to town more often than it shows. He could have never made it out there if all of "that" had not happen.
> 
> I'm NOT trying to take anything away from the film or what D##k did, he was a master of what he did, and he DID make it all look easy!
> 
> ...



Everything ive read said he was in the army then became a mechanic. Either way he knew how to use the tools he built. He could have very easily used a chainsaw and lots of other things. The film said it took him 10 days to do the frame without the roof, that doesnt seem so far fetched to me. Maybe including the fire place and interior it was 2 summers. Seemed like thats what he loved to do though which is more than any person on this earth can ask for.


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## pike it alot (Mar 7, 2013)

The book "Building The Alaska Log Home" by Tom Walker has all the information your looking for and then some.It is also packed full of amazing pictures of log structures (homes,cabins,caches,outhouses and more).Best book i've ever seen on log work.


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## Yooperforeman (Mar 8, 2013)

I didn't have any log building experience,but I just went and built one.It was a fun project.16x24 cedar logs sawed
on 3 sides and just kept stacking.Balsam purlin poles 29 feet long,full 2 inch planks for roof boards.I had the trees
but hired a bandsaw to mill them,I don't have a lot of money into it.View attachment 283384


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## qbilder (Mar 8, 2013)

Yooperforeman said:


> I didn't have any log building experience,but I just went and built one.It was a fun project.16x24 cedar logs sawed
> on 3 sides and just kept stacking.Balsam purlin poles 29 feet long,full 2 inch planks for roof boards.I had the trees
> but hired a bandsaw to mill them,I don't have a lot of money into it.View attachment 283384



Great job!!! That's exactly a method I am considering using this summer to build an A-frame cabin. I _think_ I can saw three sides, router out a groove top & bottom to have foam in between as a gap sealer. Then router a small chamfer on the inside edges to give a nice separation appearance between the logs for the interior. Another thought was milling 2" thick live edge slabs to use as siding on a framed structure, and use chink between the slabs to give the look of an old style square log cabin. It'll be a good learning experience for my own cabin coming up in a few years. The one this summer is for my brother, and will be considerably smaller than my own. He's single with grown kids, and aside from the strays he might bring home from the bar, he lives alone. The biggest expense will be utility hook-ups and a septic system. The logs & all building materials besides metal roof are coming off the property the cabin will sit on. Not so fun part is that the logs are all poplar, oak, & maple.....HEAVY. Good thing it's an A-frame, so each log higher is shorter & lighter.


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## excess650 (Mar 8, 2013)

qbilder said:


> Great job!!! That's exactly a method I am considering using this summer to build an A-frame cabin. I _think_ I can saw three sides, router out a groove top & bottom to have foam in between as a gap sealer. Then router a small chamfer on the inside edges to give a nice separation appearance between the logs for the interior. Another thought was milling 2" thick live edge slabs to use as siding on a framed structure, and use chink between the slabs to give the look of an old style square log cabin. It'll be a good learning experience for my own cabin coming up in a few years. The one this summer is for my brother, and will be considerably smaller than my own. He's single with grown kids, and aside from the strays he might bring home from the bar, he lives alone. The biggest expense will be utility hook-ups and a septic system. The logs & all building materials besides metal roof are coming off the property the cabin will sit on. Not so fun part is that the logs are all poplar, oak, & maple.....HEAVY. Good thing it's an A-frame, so each log higher is shorter & lighter.



I think your idea of milling 3 sides is better than the idea of using 2", live edge siding. It won't take a lot of linear feet of "logs" with an A-frame since most of the structure is roof.

I had a house built from pre-cut "logs". They are flat inside and out, nominal 6" x 10" and tongue and groove. Obviously the T&G on these is bigger than most folks have equipment for, but your logs could be T&G by routing as you mentioned and using a piece of wood as the tongue between both pieces. I've been thinking about this using 2"x 2" for the tongue, and cutting the groove edges with a circular saw or mini-mill on a chainsaw.


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## rarefish383 (Mar 9, 2013)

qbilder said:


> Great job!!! That's exactly a method I am considering using this summer to build an A-frame cabin. I _think_ I can saw three sides, router out a groove top & bottom to have foam in between as a gap sealer. Then router a small chamfer on the inside edges to give a nice separation appearance between the logs for the interior. Another thought was milling 2" thick live edge slabs to use as siding on a framed structure, and use chink between the slabs to give the look of an old style square log cabin. It'll be a good learning experience for my own cabin coming up in a few years. The one this summer is for my brother, and will be considerably smaller than my own. He's single with grown kids, and aside from the strays he might bring home from the bar, he lives alone. The biggest expense will be utility hook-ups and a septic system. The logs & all building materials besides metal roof are coming off the property the cabin will sit on. Not so fun part is that the logs are all poplar, oak, & maple.....HEAVY. Good thing it's an A-frame, so each log higher is shorter & lighter.



Don't be afraid of Poplar, here's a cabin built in the 1930's, just outside of Wash DC. Wet winters, hot humid summers, and it has held up well. The folks that live in it now love it, Joe


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## qbilder (Mar 9, 2013)

Nice looking cabin!!! I'm not skeered of poplar  So long as it's not on the ground, it's fine wood. I have a few big poplars i'd like to mill up for roof rafters and interior framing. Lots of billiard tables are framed with poplar because of it's integrity, stability, and light weight. That's where i'm mostly familiar with it. A billiard table has to support a solid slate top, and keep it permanently stable to a very strict tolerance. In a home where heat & humidity fluctuate with seasons, many woods will move. Not poplar. If it moved on a billiard table then you would never keep the table level. The fact that it's preferred for billiards says a lot to me. My interior framing & roof rafters won't have to be so perfect as a pool table, but it's comforting to know that they will be.


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## excess650 (Mar 9, 2013)

*stability*

That is good to know about poplar. I have some property with lots of largish poplars on the easter/southern side. They have grown tall and straight, so should make for lots of good beams and lumber. I was thinking of using it to build a post and beam garage since my quantity of useable pine is limited.


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## Youngbuck20 (Mar 9, 2013)

I don't know if I'd use poplar as a beam or post, then again I would have never guessed it to be used to for stuff you guys are saying. 

I think those smaller logs I was going to use for the walls I'll use for the roof. I have some larger diameter ash I've cut and have a full size ash that needs to come down shortly. I think I'll mill it because the branches are pretty well useless due to the huge bends in them. Good for instant fire wood though.


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## qbilder (Mar 9, 2013)

The last pool table I had was 4.5' by 9', 1" thick 3-piece slate. Each sheet of slate weighed around 300lbs., putting almost 1000lbs on the poplar frame. Some manufacturers use 1.5" thick slate :msp_ohmy:


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## Youngbuck20 (Mar 10, 2013)

Jesum crow! It's stuff like that that makes me happy I'm not a mover. And pianos, I bet they aren't all that light either. When do we start building things out of basswood?!?


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## Fundyheather (Mar 10, 2013)

I'm cutting boards for a log sauna just now, using a skill saw to make parting lines and a 50 cc old partner to plank out a 5x5 spruce cant. I use another weird rig to make the cant, and can upload that later if I can find the way to upload even this picture. The partner is size set with 2 copper pipes held in place between the bar and a top metal plate scrap with 2 bolts. The inner 1/2" copper pipe sets my plank thickness (1-1/2") while the other shorter 3/4" copper pipe is just a roller bumper. The grab handle is a piece of dead handcart. If I want 2x2's I score the cant with a skill saw first.

For junk this works kind of well. I only ever cut softwood. Does anyone who cuts softwood know if I should bother with a ripping chain?

best luck with your cabins,

jim


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## excess650 (Mar 10, 2013)

Semi-chisel cuts more aggressively, and almost as smoothly as ripping chain. That's a pretty bare bones kinda rig, but if it works, it works.:msp_thumbup:


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## Fundyheather (Mar 10, 2013)

excess650 said:


> Semi-chisel cuts more aggressively, and almost as smoothly as ripping chain. That's a pretty bare bones kinda rig, but if it works, it works.:msp_thumbup:



thanks, I'll look into it with my saw guy,
jim


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## woodchuck357 (Mar 12, 2013)

*The sharper angle of standard crosscut teeth makes for wider kerfs*

by pulling each tooth a little to the side. Just change the angle slighty each time you sharpen. Most important keep a sharp chain.

I just got a chain saw type blade for the angle grinder and played with it today. It would be handy for notching logs.


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## brookpederson (Mar 12, 2013)

woodchuck357 said:


> by pulling each tooth a little to the side. Just change the angle slighty each time you sharpen. Most important keep a sharp chain.
> 
> I just got a chain saw type blade for the angle grinder and played with it today. It would be handy for notching logs.



Those chainsaw blade angle attachments are the cats meow. Used them a fair amount while working on my cabin. If a notch was a little shy i could just grind a little off till it fit just right. Lots of different uses, from rounding the edges of slab tables to carving and sculpting or leveling legs. I have a lancelot with two blades a smaller one sitting in a bigger one. I've always sharpened it like a normal chainsaw chain, but maybe I should re-think that.


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## excess650 (Mar 12, 2013)

I have a "Log Wizard" that attaches to a chainsaw bar. Basically, its a planer head driven by the saw's chain, so should make smooth notches pretty easily.


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## Dan_IN_MN (Mar 13, 2013)

*This should get the creative juices flowing!*

Here are some pics of a building my brother-in-law's company built. This is the second one he's done. The first one was a "barn" if you could call it that.









Here's my sister and brother-in-law. Flo and Jeff Richards




More pics here for your viewing pleasure. :msp_biggrin:
https://www.facebook.com/cdplodge/photos_stream


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## Fundyheather (Mar 19, 2013)

*cabin corner joint*

Some Russian guys youtubed a simple corner joint I'm planning on using with 5x5 cants for the sauna. Looks real easy. I can give the youtube link if that is allowed.

jim


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