Comprehensive Guide Log Construction:

Comprehensive Guide Log Construction is building a structure from logs not mended into lumber. Log buildings can be made by stacking logs horizontally and connecting their ends with notches. Although this construction’s origins are unknown, it is believed to date back to Northern Europe in the Bronze Age. Europeans arrived in America in the 17th and 18th centuries. They used their knowledge of log construction to build shelters. Log cabins symbolized humble beginnings in American politics during the 19th century. Seven U.S. presidents were born in log homes. Log construction has been used throughout history for buildings and structures such as homes, churches, and schools. This rustic style of architecture is often found in rural areas. Log construction is used in both elaborate and simple homes. It can also be found in cabins made from handcrafted or milled logs with different styles.

Builders typically make log homes and cabins from wood species common in the area where they construct them. Craftspeople often use these species to build log homes and houses: cypress and Douglas fir. The diameter of logs can vary from 8 to 10 inches, depending on the type of log that builders use.

Types of Log Construction

You can use two types of logs for constructing a log cabin or home: milled or handcrafted. Craftspeople make handcrafted logs from wood, removing the bark by water peeling or using a draw knife. Builders can use logs that are either green or air-dried. These logs aren’t uniform in size or shape. You can stack or fit them together. The profile of milled logs remains consistent in size and shape. End consumers can choose from a shaped, full-round, square, or coped log. Manufacturers create these logs from wood and then ship them to a mill. You can find these logs in various sizes, including green, air-dried, and kiln-dried.

In the log construction industry, you can also find two additional types of logs: dry “dead standing” trees and cants. Builders often use lower-grade dry “dead standing” tree logs, made from dead trees and kiln-dried, as a lower-quality product. Trees can die from various causes, including fire, disease, insects, or natural causes. Tree disease can affect the fibers and structural capabilities of the wood. If you don’t properly treat insect infestations with kiln drying, larvae will hatch. Burning wood can spread insects and diseases to trees. The bark acts as a moisture barrier, and wood decay naturally begins if it doesn’t burn. Dead trees’ grain also starts to twist and crack.

Cants serve as an intermediate product in log construction. Manufacturers make cants from dimensional timber. The mill shapes the square wood into an oval shape, removing the minimum material. This product resembles dimensional lumber used for fence posts. Cants will bow, twist, and warp. This occurs because cutting destroys the timbers’ natural growth rings. These products may need improvement and could cause maintenance and repair problems.

Method of Building Logs

Builders can use many methods for constructing log structures. Some methods utilize handcrafted logs, while others use milled logs. The Scandinavian full-scribe or chinless method employs scribed or milled logs that craftsmen notch at corners and glue together to reduce chinking. Craftspeople can use chinking to fill in gaps between rows of logs. In the flat-on-flat or stacked method, builders flatten the logs on the top and bottom and then stack them with butty-and-pass corners. The tongue and groove method aligns and seals the wall against external elements by using a milled groove and tongue connection between stacked logs. The tight-pinned process involves stacking logs that have not been milled or notched and fastening them vertically with steel pins. Each method creates a unique style for a log cabin or home, featuring different corner styles and fastening methods.

When builders use interlocking logs at the ends, they apply three corner styles. When done correctly, saddle-notched corners provide a very strong and structurally stable seal. Butt and pass corners, which are the most unstable, allow rain and snow to accumulate on the extended flat surface, eventually leading to wood decay. Dovetail corners feature tightly interlocking corners and have aesthetic appeal. Other corner styles differ as well.

Manufacturers will show differences depending on the type of log they use. Codes and standards for wood construction define the requirements for various types of fasteners. Builders require pins to align logs, manage settlement, and resist lateral loads in log homes and cabins. Many types of fasteners are available, including spikes, through bolts (lag screws), threaded log-home screws, drift pins, and wood dowels. Builders primarily use wood as the main material for log homes and cabins. The timber used in log construction attracts termites, carpenter bugs, and wood-boring insects, similar to traditionally framed homes. If builders do not control these insects, they can pose a danger.

Prevention serves as the best way to manage these pests. It is important to take appropriate steps during construction and design to minimize moisture and keep insects away. These steps include creating a barrier to prevent or detect pest activity, keeping logs separated by grade, and treating the soil with a wood preservative before construction. Builders can chemically treat soil during construction or install bait stations, apply finishes and coats to deter insect activity, and maintain a distance between the home’s outer edge and vegetation. Eliminating any insect activity within the cabin or log home’s lifetime is crucial. It is essential to contact a professional pest control company for assistance.

Protection:

You should apply a finish to protect and improve the appearance of a newly built log home or cabin. You can choose between a penetrating oil-based stain or a film-forming water-based finish. Penetrating oil-based products are more natural and easier to maintain. These products can contain repellents that protect the wood from water or a semi-transparent stain that guards the wood against UV exposure. Film-forming paints conceal the natural wood and require more effort to refinish. Both finishes need adequate preparation. You should pay attention to each log’s moisture content and end grain.