log cabin project back underway

[foxvalley]

I'm getting a jump on cutting the last 30 trees to complete the cabin project,I figure I need 60 total,and have just 8 left to cut.Never a dull moment felling 100' white pine,widow makers comming at you like spears, and hang ups make it "interesting". I should have the rest of the trees cut the next couple days,then I can start peeling...yahoo....not. It's great exersize to get in shape, but the pine pitch is horrible.
Since I am still looking for a buyer for the log shell, my time working on this is limited to spare time, but I hope to have most of it done this fall.

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[Lefty]

Im impressed

[foxvalley]

I only have two trees left to peel,I should get them both done in the next two days, then I can start going up with the logwork.Peeling these trees is a nasty thankless job, and is more work than actually crafting the cabin.Very exited to getting back to the building part.
Because I decided to add a pony wall on the second story,to add more head room,guessing I'm going to need about 10 more trees to finish the project.Hope to have at least the floor joists in before sept.
I wanted to be started on the logwork by june 1st,but doing this in my spare time,and dealing with the weather has put me behind.

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[GobbleFarmer]

OH man, peeling pines is NOT fun, how do you go about getting all of the pine pitch off of your draw knife? Also, do you cut through the limb stumps or leave those for more rustic looks?

[foxvalley]

Hey Gobble,
Not a lot of pitch that sticks to the drawknife,all the moisture is right between the cambium layer and the wood,and is more like a sticky water than pitch.However it does accumulate on my cloths and skin,and I have to use mineral spirits to get it off me.
As far as the limbs, no, I try to cut them off flush when i buck the tree,trust me there is enough rustic without the limbs. I just finished peeling the last tree, a real cool one with a lightning stike from top to bottom,I have three or four like that now. Here is a pic of the cabin that I am baseing my log shell on, however the pic is made out of 6" "D" log,not 18"-20" white pine trees that I am useing.Also, I am adding 8' overhangs to all the gables including over both upstairs porches.

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[GobbleFarmer]

So it's going to look like the cabin in that picture, on steroids! Do you have a buyer for it and/or are you assembling it on someone else-s property? you are going to have to post up pics as it progresses! Got that? !

[foxvalley]

Yep,just way bigger logs.No I don't have a buyer for it yet, it's all yours if you want it. Going to start advertising it after the shell is complete.Glad you are taking an interest,I will keep posting pics for you.
Keeping the corners tight is the biggest issue with log cabins,but a method called underscribing keeps them tight. Also here is a pic of the cuts needed to make the logs fit seamlessly the whole length, no chinking .

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[GobbleFarmer]

I wish I could buy it, but my price limit is 250000, oops, my bad, that is $25.00 . I love almost any kind of woodworking, lately I have been carving "impossible" wooden puzzles. Do you want to trade, puzzles for a cabin?
I am fascinated by the craftsmanship that goes into actual cabins, nothing short of amazing! So when you do have a buyer how is it going to be moved?

[foxvalley]

I'm going to number all the pieces,then the kit gets transported via. semi to wherever it will be erected,just like a big lincoln log set. This is when the log walls and corners will get two strips of "EM seal" a 3/4x3/4" insulation (in the two little Vs in pic) and fiberglass in the big V. EM seal is just like ear plug material, and has a 30 year memory, which will move with the logs as they settle.
Here is my last project, the home/studio that I live in now, and this is what the client will get in their kit,log walls post and purlin roof system,stair case, and heavy timber window and door openings. The timber window and door framing is a super high end application only seen on the most expensive log cabins,as the framing allows the logwork to slide down it,and also the header log.

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Your puzzles sound cool,lets see what they are all about,pics please

[GobbleFarmer]

The family camera broke, so no pics . But I can say which ones I have made, and you can just google the name, copy and paste.

six piece wooden star puzzle.

bamboo snowflake puzzle.

3 piece wooden knot puzzle.

6 piece wooden knot puzzle.

12 piece maple cross puzzle.===>A big one and a small one.

impossible nail wooden puzzle.===>the one with a single nail that slides back and forth, but you cant find out how it got there.

and multiple ball-in-a-cage's.

[GobbleFarmer]

Oh and I made a portrait type thing, out of quarter inch plywood, it is about three feet across and the top arches. Guess what the scenery inside is? ELK of course . The main part in the center is two bulls fighting, with the moon and mountains in the background, and to the right of the main bulls there is a small herd of elk moving across a meadow. Keep in mind that the entire scene is on 1/4" plywood, probably the most challenging thing I have made yet. Nothing like making a house out of trees though.

[elkaholic]

Looks awesome!

[bowpackerrob]

Looks beautiful!!! It will definitely be worth it.

[GobbleFarmer]

Would you mind posting some pics of the finished one your living in? Also what are the smallest details you do, or do you pretty much just build walls/roof?

[foxvalley]

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On the log project i'm working on now,I will go as far as setting the logwork on someones foundation,and they would sub out the rest of the house.I still have most of the finish work to do on my home,but not in a real big hurry to do so.

[GobbleFarmer]

Dang that is awesome! I love how you did the interior so far! How long have you been living in that gorgeous thing?

[foxvalley]

Thanks Gobble!,elkaholic,bowpackerob, Makes all the hard work seem even more worthwhile to have someone appreciate it as much as we do....Thanks! I believe this is our sixth year now.I built a small log "practice cabin" that we lived in for 5 years(with no plumbing) while we were working on the big one. Here is a pic of that one....also for sale........

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[GobbleFarmer]

Oh that sucks, maybe you should have practiced the plumbing part of things . Just picking. That one looks cool, but I like the big one.

[foxvalley]

Going up with the log walls now,working on the 5th round,and the biggest tree in the project is going on now,a real monster that I will get four pieces out of.Nice to get this one on.

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[GobbleFarmer]

Do you have to make sure the ground is perfectly level or does it really matter? How do you get the logs up, tractor?

[foxvalley]

Yes, the logwork is started on logs that I buried in the ground about a foot,then used a laser level to make sure that they are all perfectly level,then cut them level. Yes, my tractor is working so far,but will have to rent a sky trac,or buy one, to finish the top rounds and the roof system.

[CurlyTail]

Very cool project foxvalley! You might be interested in checking out this link:

http://bunkerfamily.net/canada-cabin

My father retired from business 22 years ago and started building a log cabin on a remote wilderness island in Northern Saskatchewan. It is at the end on a 26 mile long lake on an 11 acre island out in the middle of the North Woods. Closest inhabited structure is over 30 air miles away. Cabin was made from logs we cut on site, and milled with a home made saw mill. Now my Dad is 82, getting frail, but he is still up working on the cabin for the entire summer, just like he has for the last 22 years. It has been an amazing adventure over the years and he has documented his journey quite extensively on this link. Check it out, you are the type who would appreciate this project.

[GobbleFarmer]

Super cool stuff CurlyTail! It's just awesome that he's still going strong!

[foxvalley]

Thanks for the link curlytail,very cool!.The heck with the elk.... where is my fishing pole!
Cudos to your dad,still going strong at his age,wow, even maintaining a log cabin in the middle of nowhere is a ton of work.