Help With Building Log Cabin

[Klenchblaize]

If I've asked this before I apologise but I'm determined that 2009 will be the year I finally get cracking on this long overdue project.

I wish to build a workshop/den in the style of a traditional log cabin. The reason I emphasis traditional is that most kits you can buy in the UK would appear to be of a construction that uses interlocking square-cut timber rather than from a turned-down tree as I would describe a "log"!

Not looking for anything fancy but if you know of a small pamphlet or website that explains the various styles of construction this would be a great help. The same for a good supplier of appropriately proportioned timber that I can then cut to the required length as the project takes shape.

Many thanks.

K

 

[OldFingersGreen]

might not be much help to you but the SAS survival guide has a section on building log cabins. only showed the joins used and basic layout but it sounds like thats all you need. unfortunately my copy disapeared some time ago so i can't scan the page for you. perhaps someone elso on here can? if not the guide makes a good read and while it may not be worth paying for just for that info it is a great book for any bushcrafter to read.

EDIT: found it here for £7, free postage if you fancy it

 

[robin wood]

If I've asked this before I apologise but I'm determined that 2009 will be the year I finally get cracking on this long overdue project.

I wish to build a workshop/den in the style of a traditional log cabin. The reason I emphasis traditional is that most kits you can buy in the UK would appear to be of a construction that uses interlocking square-cut timber rather than from a turned-down tree as I would describe a "log"!

Not looking for anything fancy but if you know of a small pamphlet or website that explains the various styles of construction this would be a great help. The same for a good supplier of appropriately proportioned timber that I can then cut to the required length as the project takes shape.

Many thanks.

K

Why log cabin?

That style of building developed in areas where there were vast quantities of virtually free dead straight softwood timber. It would be a time consuming and expensive way to build in Kent. If I was in Kent I would build a timber frame using local sweet chestnut. You have masses down there and the market is currently very depressed since all the building sites stopped using palings 15 years ago.

 

[Simon]

for round timber, and not far from you (they have a Crawley depot)

http://www.southbucksestates.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

Crawley Tel: 08454379554 Fax: 01342 717156
Email: arthur@timberstore.org.uk

I've got a similar project but i'm not allowed to start it until I've done the kitchen!!

 

[sandbender]

Get yourself a copy of 'Alone in the Wilderness', lots of inspiration to be found in there. The scene where Dick Proenneke constructs a 'dutch' door for his cabin and then fashions a wooden 'bear proof' lock is fabulous.

Info and links here...

http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/dick-proenneke

Additionally, if you step back from the log cabin idea you may find some useful literature on building a decent shed here...

http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/books/book_pages/ecological_architecture_a.html

 

[Bumpy]

How about

http://www.m3corp.com/a/download/plans/buildings/3roomlogcabin.htm

or

http://www.ahfc.state.ak.us/reference/log_construction_manual.cfm

(There is a 19MB construction manual for free download that takes you through tools, techniques, and even how to build on permafrost which may be useful if the current weather continues where you are!! )

 

[inthewids]

I was also going to recommend 'Alone in the wilderness' great book, or watch the short video on youtube.

 

[Mungo]

Hello, have a peek at this information on a log cabin, and also check out http://www.logcabindirectory.com/blog/... they have a lot of useful resources.
Cheers,
Mungo

 

[mr dazzler]

I like robin's idea, it is a better use of indigenous material's. The infilled or clad frame style is native to Britain (and much of Northern Europe) and develpoed as a way to make maximum use of already dwidnling resources. i dont know kent that well, but I would guess that their frames for sheds and outdoor workshops were clad with sawn wany edged elm boards to the walls, and corrugated roofs? Or theres the possibility of using wattles made of hazel or cleft oak or chestnut, and rendered with daub. Roof thatched with straw, or barcken, or done with shingles? Our vernacular designs and methods are suited to our particular climate and conditions, the accumulated experience of generations has perfected this awareness. And I would reckon its easier to do a frame than to make a log building

 

[burning]

Another vote for alone in the wilderness, I have the full video on dvd. It shows Dick building his cabin from scratch to completion pm me if you want a copy

 

[Diligence]

How about one of these...?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51560&cat=1,46096

or this?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51541&cat=1,46096,46100&ap=1

D

 

[recon]

if you need any help i would love to come and pend a few knights .

im not scared of hard work and love to work with timber!!!!!
but if you have loads of help not to worry,the offers there if you need it .
all the best with the project,kind regards joe"recon"

 

[Chinkapin]

You might want to check out "stack-log" construction. I think it started in Canada, not sure, but you simply get whatever logs are available in your area. Uniformity of size is not important. Basically you cut all the logs about 18 inches long and stack up the walls using strips of insulation and mortar. Sort of like laying brick or rocks. The beauty of this is that there are no heavy logs to lift, you can do it yourself with little or no help. The walls, inside and out are quite pretty when finished. I built a cabin in the woods some years ago and almost did it this way, but in the end used the conventional stick and nail construction. I still regret that I didnt build the stack-log. There is a good book on the subject. I have it somewhere if you like I can look for it and get you the name and author.

 

[Mooseman1]

Brother stick to your dream of a traditional log cabin, i built our family cabin with my brother 9 years ago and we still love it today. Be it a shed or barn, the principal is the same. Take your time with the logs you have. Make sure your blades and saws are sharp and changed regular.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Thanks for all the great info so far fellow Bushcraftonians!:You_Rock_

In answer to the "why a log cabin" my reply is simply that just like a well-worn tweed jacket it has a look and 'feel' that compliments my take on what is sympathetic to my outdoor interests. Put another way if I wish to imagine my new "den" is tucked away in some unspoilt part of the Appalachian Mountains, rather than the reality of the North Downs, I guess that's a matter of delusion for me to wrestle with as the wood smoke curls serpent-like from the wood burner's crooked chimney!

Seriously though, if the inference is that my "project" is a far from green one then perhaps I am duty-bound to reconsider. I somehow doubt however that the glut of "chestnut" referred to will be reflected in the price of this material but happy to be proved wrong.

Cheers!

K

 

[robin wood]

Log Cabins are not easy, take a lot of time to build and a lot of timber compared to say a timber frame or roundhouse type construction. I wasn't trying to be critical just suggesting that If what you are after is a green hobbit house hideaway then using locally abundant materials and local primitive building styles may be cheaper, easier and still give you the results you are after.

How about cob like this.

or a new age hippy roundhouse

Stick in a few big posts like tall gateposts, link then together, fill the gaps with wattle and daub and put a roof on is a whole lot easier and faster than cabin style construction.

 

[bothyman]

I have these plans , now waiting for summer.

>> http://www.butlerprojects.com/other/grandcabin/index.htm

MickT

 

[durulz]

Why log cabin?

That style of building developed in areas where there were vast quantities of virtually free dead straight softwood timber. It would be a time consuming and expensive way to build in Kent. If I was in Kent I would build a timber frame using local sweet chestnut. You have masses down there and the market is currently very depressed since all the building sites stopped using palings 15 years ago.

Here here!
Kentish framing is incredibly strong - which is why it was copied so widely.
What about wattle and daub? Much cheaper and much easier, and looks really good and the kids (if you have any) will have great fun joining in with making the daub and applying it.

 

[Klenchblaize]

What about wattle and daub? Much cheaper and much easier, and looks really good and the kids (if you have any) will have great fun joining in with making the daub and applying it.

And one or two of my moth-eaten fallow hides as an alternative to roofing shingles would look cool! Come on chaps this structure is no more than a large garden shed to be built in the style of a log cabin. I believe my wattle & daub period was Glastonbury 1975 but yes I do have a 6 year-old daughter so won't rule it out!

Cheers!

K

 

[Opal]

Have you tried searching YouTube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbHzt-HzQ1M