Article and photos by Gregory Havel
The design for the log cabin came to North America from Scandinavia in the 1600s, and was popular on the frontier. It was less work to cut trees, dress the logs, notch them, and stack them into the walls of a house than it would have been to saw the logs by hand into beams and lumber. The results were much like the toy Lincoln Logs® that were first sold in 1916–and are still sold today by Hasbro. Once doors and windows were installed, the gaps between the logs were filled with mud and straw, and a fireplace was built, a log cabin would be a warm place to spend a North American winter.
The trademark of a log cabin was the exposed crisscrossed log ends at each corner of the building (photo 1). Notches were cut in the tops of each log near the ends, to fit the shape of the next log, and to lock it in place. Some log cabins were built of logs squared into timbers with axes, for a better fit, and for appearance.
Photo 1
Modern log houses often use logs that have been manufactured so that they are the same diameter from end to end for a better fit, and for a more uniform appearance. These are usually stained and sealed on the outside. The inside of the house can be stained and sealed wood, or it can be covered with firring strips and drywall board to conceal pipes and cables that would otherwise be exposed.
Building a house of whole logs is expensive today, since wood is no longer free. A recent development is log siding (photo 2). The house is built with conventional wood framing, including roof trusses, and TJIs or trusses to support the floors. The wood framing is covered with OSB or plywood sheathing, and sided with curved-face planks cut from logs. The siding is attached to the wood framing with screws. This method gives the appearance of a traditional log home, but uses only a fraction of the wood, and has the insulating values required by today’s building codes.
Photo 2
In the photos, note that the bottom of each corner log and piece of siding is milled into a curve to fit the shape of the log below, to drain water easily, and to make it easy to caulk the joint weather-tight.
Any brands or brand names noted above are used only as examples, and the Web sites only as sources of additional information. Reference to them is not an endorsement of either product or manufacturer.
Gregory Havel is a member of the Town of Burlington (WI) Fire Department; retired deputy chief and training officer; and a 30-year veteran of the fire service. He is a Wisconsin-certified fire instructor II and fire officer II, an adjunct instructor in fire service programs at Gateway Technical College, and safety director for Scherrer Construction Co., Inc. Havel has a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College and has more than 30 years of experience in facilities management and building construction.
