Peeling Logs

Tractor Crack!

2012-02-09T18:46:00.001-08:00

Winter at the Ranch

2012-02-09T18:45:00.001-08:00

Actually, not much winter this year. It’s been mild…very odd. Not much snow and it has been quite warm. Jackie and I spent a day at the Stump Ranch make sure things were in order. And, we burned up some stuff. Always a good day when you can fire up the 55 gallon drums.

Tiny House Blog

2012-01-27T17:57:00.001-08:00

Kent posted an article on the 10’ x 12’ timber frame on his blog at http://tinyhouseblog.com/. You can view the article here.

Northern Lights Timber Frame Class

2012-01-24T19:37:00.001-08:00

I am heading for the Northern Lights shop in the cities on Sunday. I am taking another timber frame class. I hope to learn about approach from another framer, which in turn saves me time in the long run. Stay tuned; I will post photos from the class. I’ve also submitted an article to www.tinyhouseblog.com that should be posted next week. Stay tuned.

No Building Today

2012-01-15T19:13:00.001-08:00

Instead, I spent the afternoon on my bike. Nice day for a ride.

10’ x 12’ Timber Framed Shed—Finished

2012-01-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

2011—Bitching, Building, and Breaking Things

2012-01-02T09:02:00.001-08:00

The Other Brother.....( wearing suspenders )

2011-12-31T03:08:00.000-08:00

As we boldly step into 2012, I contemplate an undertaking that may well be above my capacity for rational thought. The gift of vision skipped a gene in my particular circumstance and what semblance of productive thought process I may of been born with has clearly been hampered with my libationary exercise.

On a recent visit to The Stump Ranch, my query into partial ownership of claimed 40 acres was countered with a definite " NO ". Conditionally, granted the priviledge to build whatever I want, provided fellow future suspender wearing nephew Corey not have dibbs on the location I select. Seems pretty generous considering my other option was " NO ".

I will offer what I have loosely considered as a plan. The goal is to construct some type of abode that will keep me warm and dry as I contemplate, " Am I man enough to kill, gut and eat a deer ? " I am not ashamed to admit the idea of inserting a knife into the genitalia of a deer, drawing upward to the throat and removing his innards leaves me a bit squeemish. I am resolved to embrace a " wait and see " approach. Just killing a deer presents it's own problem for there are certain regulations regarding an ex-convict's personal possession of a firearm. I will cross that bridge when I get there.

The idea of building something with a cool name like The Stump Ranch is now in the "admit I am talking about doing it stage". The actual plan, one that has been implemented, has already been reworked twice. The first time by the finance committee's reluctance in allowing me to have materials Air Craned in. The second was my girlfriend's attempt in comprehending why I would spend weekends where her curling iron would prove worthless. So in the frontier spirit of my forefathers, my thoughts return to a time where one can build to his desire, but appetite directly translates into sweat equity. Being one who has bitten off more than he can chew for the better part of 50 years, this little endeavor should prove interesting. May just kill me. Wait and see.

My skill level as a carpenter is directly proportionate to the amount of alcohol in my system, so I am thinking it would prove useful to build the structure before I build the still. At this point I will shelve the idea of the still and focus solely on the retreat I will construct on selected 3 day weekends. (when I can make up a good enough excuse for why I don't seem to be putting enough effort in our relationship and why I'm never around anymore)

My taste run grand and ornate, which is sure to complicate the whole process. I have been given the green light to build as I wish, yet have to keep in mind that any tool I use has to plug into a tree. Out with the vaulted cathedral ceilings and in with the ideals of yesteryear. In lieu of careful, thought out planning, I am keeping in mind 2 ideas at this point. Scouting a location will be the first item on my agenda. There is a trip discussed for sometime this winter for a bon fire to discard some of Jon's debris from all his milling. With luck we will soon get enough snow so as not to start another forest fire. Do not want to be the one who started " The Great Hinkley Fire, Part ll ". I am thinking that after I find a suitable location I will spend a few weekends making rock piles. After I have enough large stones I will halve the larger ones with a Stihl concrete cutting saw and address a foundation. What I am researching is how can I utilize materials on-site and not be stuck hauling in 80 bags of mortar.

The adventure begins.......

A Little Art Work

2011-12-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

For who ever called the building inspector on the shed…

Installing the Door

2011-12-27T15:26:00.001-08:00

Really odd weather, after Christmas and we have no snow. We have had a few days in the 30s and 40s. Yesterday, when I went running, there were guys out ice fishing at Bay Point Park and across the street there were more guys fishing in boats. Strange day. I spent some time on the shed, built the door, and then got it installed.

Yuletide Spirit

2011-12-12T21:30:00.000-08:00

I have been bestowed an honor to contribute to this compilation of idea's, projects and adventures.

As the Christmas Season is upon us I thought it may be fitting as " Guest " contributor, to offer a few thoughts on Christmas and basic guidelines for gift giving.

Firstly, all red lights you may witness this time of year are not merry. At some you will be required to stop, others may stop you and you will be required to produce some type of identification. You may be able to purchase a whore in a crimson lit enclave and subject yourself to risk for a litany of unsavory maladies. Or a red light may be a simple reminder to change the batteries in the smoke alarm.

There are those among us whose tradition dictates they erect an 8' Blue Spruce Pine in their living room the day after Thanksgiving. At which point they also follow the tradition of adorning such a tree with lights that have been in the family for years. I am not talking about today's string of lights that fail with the failure of one bulb and you end up spending more time trying to find the bad bulb, then you would have if you had dropped a twenty on a new stringer down at Wal-Mart.

I am referring to the lights of my youth. With bulbs as large as my 50 year old thumb, true copper wiring encased in cloth, as I recall they also emitted an extraordinary amount of heat.

Skin grafts make lousy presents…….. change the batteries.

I would advise opting for an " unleaded " eggnog when selecting a beverage, particularly those operating a motor vehicle. Red light's behind you and a red nose in front of you may affect the children's recollection of Christmas past as they remember the year Santa flew past the house because " Mommy couldn't raise the bail ".

If I may digress for a moment.

I do not know of any relationship between Kris Kringle and The Red Light District in Amsterdam, but if you have a lamp in your bedroom that emits a red hue, you may not be a whore yet one is not in err when referring to such as " your whore lamp ". Especially if this lamp is a year round fixture.

I'm just saying.

Anyway as traditions are being culled in the winds, I offer what I consider to be " sound " gift giving advice. Some simple do's and don't's to maximize your Christmas experience.

Firstly, consider yourself lucky if your significant other is willing to "tough out " a rocky relationship through the holidays. The Christmas haul might be enough to bide them over till their mid-year Birthdate, at which point another cache of presents may subside in them till the following Christmas. Aug-Sept are truley some hard months on couples, but two out of twelve ain't bad per annum. If times are tough maybe you can celebrate "National Watermelon Day" on Aug.3 and do some type of gifting. But let me get off relationships and back to Holiday Gifting.

Second. You hit the jackpot if all your significant other wants for Christmas is socks. Specifically Carhartt A244 Merino Wool Socks. The mere fact that A244 socks are no longer in production, subsequently, "A thing of the past " has no bearing on the recipients desire to procure such items. IF…. an aptly named substitute is located and purchased, I suggest the following:

A) Never leave an order confirmation e-mail on your computer for a Christmas gift to your boyfriend. If said boyfriend uses your computer to effect a job search, he may have to send an e-mail through your mail feature where such damning evidence can be found. (Now boyfriend has to feign surprise to discover that instead of Carhartt merino socks, he is getting Merrell merino socks.)

B) Never schedule a Christmas FED-EX delivery to coincide with said boyfriend's ability to sit on your couch and watch the FED-EX guy, not only park his van, but carry potential gifts up the sidewalk.( one of which was clearly Merrell merino socks).

C) "On your desk" is not a very secure hiding spot, especially if they are Merrell merino socks, and you happen to be away on business and recipient has free reign of your house.

I hope I could offer all some helpful hint's for this holiday season. I am having a blast and my hopes are that all have a sincerely joyous holiday season and wish nothing but the best for all next year.

Otis

The Hunt

2011-12-11T19:13:00.001-08:00

30 degrees, overcast, quiet. In the distance birds screech, squawk, and shriek; they sense the chaos that approaches. Nerve ends on fire; she can feel her prey. So close, so fierce; yet, so hidden—coiled and ready to strike.

With her Texas heart pounding, she emerged from the safety of the truck wearing her traditional Norwegian hunting head gear. She squinted and scanned the wilderness. The horizon was bleak and barren—non-descript, almost Prairie-like.

She paused for a moment, her face frozen, lost in her thoughts… “Lutefisk or hunt?” A tough decision. But the hunt was in her blood; through marriage it was pre-programmed into her DNA, she has no control; there was no turning back. The adrenalin charge of the hunt quelled her belly rumblings, overpowering her desire for the rotted, lye-soaked, codfish.

She crouched down and leaned forward; she felt the wind and looked for tracks. She detected a great deal of evidence that tribes of slightly inebriated (and generally balding) Swedish huntsmen had frequently plundered this area since Thanksgiving (hunting is a well established endeavor that tends to counteract the after effects of overindulging on goulash and Jell-O laced with marshmallows and Miracle Whip). Yet, she knows her trophy has eluded the ever-so-slightly intoxicated Swedes and her prize still lurks and waits in darkest corner of the prairie.

She prepared well. In the fall, she spent a week and scouted for droppings, she researched mating habits and perfected her mating call which she will use to lure her quarry into her web. She knows no mercy: she will show no mercy. And she will not leave the desolate and bitter wind-blown prairie without her prize.

She approached from down wind—her footsteps soft and silent on the snow. Her breathing was controlled, her movement was deliberate. Close. The intensity increased; she focused on her target, she was prepared for the hunted to bolt. She closed in; her heart pounding, her throat tight, panicked; yet, she forced her hand to hold steady. Closer. Closer yet. Her unknowing victim was within reach. She uttered the direction “Now!” Her subservient, truck-driving, prairie porter was directed to slay her prey. Quickly & silently he cut and slashed. It was over in an instant.

The Huntress breathed deep; she was delighted. Superior hunt indeed. She was beguiled with herself—she had bested her arch-nemesis Petey. At this very moment Petey had not even reached his hunting grounds in Princeton; nor had Petey commenced his hunt !

____________________________________________________________

Her Trophy—Gutted, Stuffed, and Displayed in her Lair….

Some New Stools

2011-12-08T12:30:00.001-08:00

The weather has cooled and we have a few inches of snow, so it has been time to shift over to garage work. Lately, I’ve been putting together a couple of stools.

A bar stool. Red Oak top and sugar maple legs. Legs were scribed to the stool and then installed with Red Oak Wedges.

A step-stool that is in progress. Again, Red Oak and Maple. In this case, I made a step stool. Jackie wanted it extra tall so I had to add the bracing on the bottom to make it stable. I still need to glue the legs and install the wedges.

The stools are not yet finished as I built these with green 2” Red Oak slabs. I want to see what is going to happen in regards to checking as these dry.

Rocketships?

2011-11-07T16:58:00.001-08:00

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … blast-off?

Or is it blast-down?

Burning stuff up. Using 55 gallon drums, that way I won’t be the second guy to burn down Hinckley.

Those drums can burn up some wood! But I have enough would around, even if I kept the drums fired up for a month or two straight, I would barely make a dent in the clean up.

Installing the Roof…Again

2011-10-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

Pulled off the galvanized roof; installed some roofing that was painted blue. Someone in the neighborhood really didn’t like the shed going up. They called the building inspector twice. First time, the inspector checked things out and everything was OK. The second time, I had installed the galvanized roof; the inspector told me shinny metal was a no-no in town. I rechecked the code; he was right. Had to pull off the metal or paint. I pulled the metal and replaced it with a blue roof. I will haul the galvanized metal north and probably use it as the roof on the sauna at the stump ranch.

Corey helping me install the new roof.

Blue roof installed; siding is coming along.

The other side.

Whacky, Whacky

2011-10-28T19:59:00.001-07:00

CutCutCut…WhackWhackWhack. The distinctive ear-print associated with the installation of gable end siding on the north end of the lake.

6 days at the ranch with Petey; we had about 20 projects scheduled. We made use of all the available daylight and actually finished three projects. A 1.5 % completion rate…about normal.

However, the weather was excellent on 4 of 6 days. 60 degrees and sunny; we enjoyed ourselves, the woods, and the daylight. The other two days, well they sucked—rain, cold, and overcast. On the rainy days we just worked on our bitching, pissing, moaning, and cussing.

First, we installed the chimney for the wood stove. Must have been successful, I left a little blood on the roof, my drill is covered in roof sealant, and the deer, bear, and beaver in the area were introduced to multiple strings of 4 letter words. And, this project is worked at heights (one of my favorite things) while trusting your life to a board you screwed into the roof with screws purchased from Menards.

Second, we figured out the layout and installed the forms for the front porch that will be added later. Making use of sack-crete that was 2 years old, that was stored covered in plastic out in the weather, well, that was interesting. Some of those sacks are now boat anchors, I couldn’t bust them up with a pick ax. We did find a few bags that would mix up, along with a few bags we could bust up. By combining these, we got our footings poured. I now also have about nine sixty pound bag shaped lumps of concrete that I will need to find a use for.

Third, we nailed up the gable end board and batten siding, roofing, fly rafters, and freeze board. I don’t know much about siding, but Petey is the master carpenter. So he told me what to do, I tried to do what he told me, and then he would laugh and kibitz while I fumbled with level, square, or nail gun.

Maybe the project count is actually four, because we fired up two 55 gallon burn barrels and burned brush for four days, which really didn’t make any dent in the brush we need to deal with around the ranch.

Siding installed on gable ends. Still need to trim out the window, trim up he fly-paper, and get everything caulked up.

Some Days

2011-10-16T13:42:00.001-07:00

Busted toe; busted nose. Well maybe not busted but it sure feels that way. Some days I can certainly be an idiot. And, on other days, if I could simply attain the intelligence displayed by a certified, grade A moron—I would be one happy guy.

Last weekend I was pounding up siding on my timber framed shed. The sun was shinning, the temperature was in the 60s, and things were moving along quite nicely. However, as I was cutting, boards were stacking up on the sawhorses, and if you push one end of the stack of lumber the other end moves. And, if you continue to push a bit on the end you are working on, the other end continues to move. If you keep pushing, well, eventually you get to the point that the whole stack falls off the sawhorse. Well, I proved this and the entire stack fell on my foot. It hurt so friggin’ bad that I could not even swear. I hobbled around for a couple of hours before I was brave enough to remove my sock and shoe so I could admire the black and blue.

One week later, I picked up some boards at Menards (clearly I didn’t need a straight board, which can’t be found at Menards). I was securing the boards to the back of my truck and tugging on the straps to make sure they were tight. While tugging on straps I highly recommend that you don’t pull your fist toward your face. Otherwise, you may find your nose full of fist. How would I know this you ask? Well, half a second after the strap broke, my fist collided quite heavily with my nose. Next thing I know, I am seeing stars and bleeding. I haven’t had a bloody nose in many years. This if the first time, I think, that I managed to give myself a bloody nose.

Some of us just have a special talent I guess.

Lumberjack’in

2011-10-10T16:25:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Otis Cambel

Timber Frame—Rigging & Raising the Frame

2011-10-04T18:39:00.001-07:00

A guy told me, cut your trees in the late fall or winter, cut the frame in the winter, store the beams outside in the frigid weather all winter long, and, then, raise the frame in the spring. This is supposed to make things fit up well and minimize twisting and turning of the beams. I thought, “Excellent Plan.”

However, when you have haul your timbers miles out of the woods, fit them into a 1/2 ton F-150 after burying the four-wheeler in the snow, well, getting everything hauled, cut, and raised in a couple of months, might be optimistic.

So, I ended up raising the shed in September. This was a two day project that my brother Petey helped me with. One of the evenings, my son Corey stopped by and helped us get the plates up on the building. With a little gin pole, a few swear words, a bit of blood and sweat, and the frame was up. Raising and roofing was about a 2 day project.

Below are a number of photos that show, in general, how to approach frame raising. I like gin poles, lifting shears, and rigging. Others will perform the same job with a a tractor loader, a rented crane, or some type of fork-lift. There is no specific right way, just think about what you are doing. And, don’t drop heavy things on body parts.

We hauled home most of the rigging from the Stump Ranch just to make sure we would have enough. We actually used the following:

5/8” rope to wrap the top of the lifting shear. A sling and shackle to attach the chain-fall. A 3/4” Manila rope with a two double-sheaved blocks for booming the shear. Two more slings and shackles to attach the 3/4” block and tackle. And, a 1/2 nylon rope that was used as a safety.

The rigging was done by making a lifting shear. This shear was made using two 4” x 4” 16’ beams that were lashed together at the top.

Once the rigging is attached and double checked. The 3/4” Manila line was attached to my pickup truck, which was used as the anchor point.

To get the pole in the air, one person foots the base (holds it in place with their foot), while the other pulls the pole into the air using the block and tackle.

When the pole is up, I attached a brace between the feet; then, Petey pounded in some stakes behind the pole, that way it won’t slip out on us when we put a load on the lifting shear.

We lifted the first bent off the ground, to keep this from sliding around, again, one guy needs to mind the feet and keep them from skidding out.

After the bent was raised, we used the 3/4” Manila block and tackle to boom the shear back and position the bent right where we wanted it. Before unhooking, we checked the bent level and plumb and then braced it in place.

We lifted and positioned the first two bents. Once they were braced in place, we moved the lifting shear to we could lift the third bent, plates,and ridge.

In this photo you can see the plate was rigged up onto the tie beams and pushed across to the far side of the structure. Once we installed the other plate with the lifting shear, my brother, my son, and I got up on the building and man-handled the plate up onto the posts.

Here you can see the rigging system we used to lift the plates into position. These beams were 14’ 16” long and weighed in at probably 350 pounds.

Corey did the scampering around up on the tie beams so he could whack the plates into position.

Installing the outboard plate.

After both plates where installed. This was the end of day 1.

The following day, we rigged the ridge pole into place, cut and installed the rafters, and then put up some 1” x 6” runners so we would have some place to nail the roofing.

Installed the metal roofing; started framing in the windows.

Board and batten siding in progress. Used 3/4” Apen. Boards are 6” with the battens for the gaps cut at a width of 3”.

Quality Work?

2011-09-29T18:46:00.001-07:00

What the hell? Ya, while assembling the shed, it became quite clear that someone goobered up the layout. The front nailing girt had quite the slope. Had me scratching my head for some time. Someone, cut the mortises on the wrong side of the 48” mark. Oh well, live and learn.

To frame it up, I cut out the piece, plugged the hole, and screwed in the girt so I would have a level spot to frame the window from.

Good as new!

Timber Frame—Installing the Roof

2011-09-08T19:33:00.001-07:00

We put up the rafters, added some 1”x 6” nailers for the tin and, then, installed the tin. It took the two of us two and half days to raise this shed and install the roofing.

Nailers on rafters provides a place to screw in the tin.

Rafters in place and ready for the roofing material.

Added galvanized tin to the structure.

Timber Frame—Raising the Shed

2011-09-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

We spent the day finishing up cutting the girts we needed and then raised the bents and installed the plates. The raising was accomplished by making up a little 16’ lifting shear that we could lift and boom the parts into position. It is quite nice to see the parts actually get installed rather than looking at stacks of pieces in the driveway.

My neighbors have been wondering…”What exactly is he building?” Well,now, they will start to get the picture.

The Desk

2011-09-06T19:51:00.001-07:00

Petey was wanting a desk for the new place. And, I knew right where I could find a wind-blown chunk of Red Oak that could be turned into 2” planks that could be made into a desk. A desk that will weigh a shit-ton till that Red Oak dries out some.

The desk was going to be 10’ so I cut a nice piece of Red Oak that I could get some 15-16” planks out of.

The low was too big to man-handle using the ramps, so I had to load it using Oliver.

2” Red Oak planks. These boards weigh in at close to 200 pounds each.

Plank ready for hauling to the truck to tote back to Red Wing.

Timber Frame—10’ x 12” Shed, First Bent

2011-08-27T19:21:00.001-07:00

Recently, I’ve been pounding away in the driveway. The weather has finally gotten right. The temperatures are at 80 degrees, humidity is down, and hammering away on my timbers in the driveway while listening the 89.3, “The Current.” Well, you couldn't ask for better days.

Cutting the plate beams.

Plates completed.

Fired up the pressure washer and bleached the beams as they have been sitting since winter.

Staining the beams, cutting peg holes, and test fitting the joints.

Test fitting the King Post to the associated Tie Beam. Then, marking and drilling the holes in the Tie Beam tenon.

Assembling Bent Number 2 (1st bent assembled). As you can see, this bent has no knee braces for the Tie Beam as it will be the center bent in the structure and I wanted the internal room.

Pegging the Tie Beam to the Post.

Burn Baby, Burn!

2011-08-15T18:37:00.001-07:00

Man, wind-blown trees, and more wind-blown trees, and even more wind-blown trees. Everywhere! Well, for sure, I have plenty of wood to feed the TimberKing 1220 with for, like, the next 10 years.

I spend a day busting my ass, cutting and hauling and fighting the tree tops (I hate the tops, cumbersome, slow, and hard to cut and haul), and cutting paths to get the logs out, and making firewood, and hauling firewood, and cutting logs into beams, and at the end of the day, progress, well, you can barely detect it.

Jackie and I are starting to clean up the brush and the tree tops around the Stump Ranch. Recently I got rid of all the big stuff that fell near the cabin, now we are on a mission to start cleaning up and dealing with brush and tree tops which are everywhere.

A while back, Jackie and Corey set up a new fire-pit. So, this trip out we started cleaning up and burning brush. We started in a small area…cut, haul, burn. Then, watch the fire carefully so things didn’t get out of control. Slow moving, but Jackie managed to get the whole area around the fire-pit cleaned up and looking great.

As we got into the evening, we sat, relaxed, zoned out, watched the fire, and cooked s’mores. In general, we enjoyed a beautiful night with a full, full moon. As always, we spent some time listening to the owls moving through the woods around the ranch. At times, it feels like there is a heard of wild owls lurking in the darkness stalking us. However, we got off without any owl attack incident.

Timber Frame—Cutting a Knee Brace

2011-08-06T18:49:00.001-07:00

Knee braces are needed to prevent a frame from racking in the wind. Often the frame will be cut such that knee braces are the same size and any brace can be used anywhere on the frame. The shed frame I am working on calls for knee braces that are set at 45 degrees and have a 30” rise and 30” run. The braces can be used in any position on the frame.

These knee braces are 3” x 5”. When I cut these on the TimberKing 1220, I cut them at 3 1/8” x 5 1/8”. This gives me a little room for shrinkage and when we assemble the frame for test fitting, they can be pared to fit if needed. Some guys run their brace material through a planner to make sure they are starting with stock that is dead on 3” x 5”.

Drawings for Brace

All angles are 45 degrees.

Directions for Cutting the Brace

I normally cut with a circular saw and then finish the cuts with a handsaw. Others might use a band saw or radial arm saw. Whatever works is fine. If you use a circular saw, before you start, make sure the saw blade is squared up.

Layout of the brace is conducted per the drawings above. The layout is done by scoring the material with a razor knife. The reference face will be the face that is cut away to make the tenon.

Make sure the saw is set to cut right at 1 1/2”. Cut the shoulder right along the scored line.

Cut the material that will be removed for the tenon.

Use the scored layout lines as a guide, break out the waste wood.

Pare the tenon to the line. Use the small side of the framing square; verify the shoulder is square and the tenon is exactly 1 1/2” off the reference face.

Check the tenon thickness. If necessary take a bit of material off the backside to ensure the tenon is 1 1/2”.

Knee brace tenon.

Checking the fit of a finished knee brace.

Cutting Lumber with the TimberKing 1220

2011-08-01T19:05:00.001-07:00

Clearly, now that the the wind has blown down a few dozen trees,I have plenty of trees to run through the mill. I was tired of cutting and hauling so I spent a half a day running the TimberKing 1220. Man, I love that mill.

Before I fired up the mill I installed a bearing-keeper modification. Last time out, I noticed that I sheared one of the bolts that holds on the drive-wheel. I called the guys at TimberKing looking for advice on how to disassemble the drive. The TimberKing guys always make time to answer my questions and keep me pointed in the right direction. In this case, they let me know there was a new bearing-keeper mod for the TimberKing 1220 that would fix me right up. They shipped out the parts the same day.

So before I got the mill cutting, I installed the modification. Then, I went through and checked to make sure everything was square, level, and adjusted properly.

First, I had to winch up the logs and haul logs out of the woods. This certainly put the screws to my ATV and log arch. Once I got the trees to the mill, it was time to muscle them up on the bed one at a time. Then, the TimberKing 1220 did the work. The lumber was consistent and square. I love cutting 6” x 8” timbers that are 16’ long and have them come out straight, square, and true. In one case I needed to cut 1/4” off a 16’ timber. That 1/4” piece that was cut off was dead-on 1/4” for the entire 16 foot length—amazing.

I cut Red Oak for flooring and put the planks up to dry. I cut a few more timbers for my shed project at the house. I cut a bunch of stickers for stacking lumber. And, I cut a load of 3/4” Aspen planking that will be used to side the cabin gables.

Once that TimberKing 1220 gets rolling, she purrs right along. I stopped a few times to check dimensions, and each time, the lumber was right where I wanted it. With the mill tuned up and a little practice, I am starting to get quite good at judging how to cut a log.

Winching up the logs and supporting the logs from the clevis hooks with the chains.

Hauling the logs back to the mill.

Loading a pretty good sized beast using the log loading ramps. This set up allows one man to load larger logs without too much effort. When I get a log too large to man-handle, I hook up a rope puller and just crank the log up to the bed.

Cutting 3/4” Red Oak. I stored this for drying. Next year, I will edge all this material and install it as cabin flooring.

A stack of Red Oak for drying.

Crazy Business

2011-07-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

A week or so back I intended to spend a full week working on the Stump Ranch. Well….

I recently talked with my neighbor and he asked, “How did you fare with the winds up near your cabin?” I thought what wind? He went on to say that his property was nailed pretty good by the winds. Then, I watched the news and the weather guy let me know that for the next 4 or 5 days the temperature would be in the 90s with a dew-point in the 80s—totally crazy business for Minnesota. And, they were not kidding, the next few days were too hot, humid, muggy, and sticky. And, since I am Swede from Minnesota, in general, I start to sweat about 58 degrees. I hate the high humidity.

However, even with the bad weather approaching I was really starting to worry about the ranch as those straight-line winds can be wicked bad. Friday, after work I loaded up the ATV and headed up north.

When I arrived it was clear that winds were bad. On the drive toward the cabin trees were blown over, broken off, and hung up. Trees were a tangled mess, trees and pieces of trees on top of trees and under trees. I was getting somewhat worried.

I arrived at the maintenance road. It was blocked with trees so I went to the state land to south and tried to pick my way to the cabin via ATV. This trip took well over two hours as my path was no longer a path. When I encountered a tree that was down, you have to find a way around , the way would be blocked by another and another so it took quite a bit of time to find a way through the mess.

Eventually, I arrived at the Stump Ranch. I was grateful that there were no trees on the cabin, no trees on the bunkhouse, and no trees on the sawmill. There were trees down everywhere. Probably 50 or 60 trees on the ground. Mostly big old Aspen trees with a few Red Oak.

I spent the night and got a better look around in the morning. It was quite clear that every path into the ranch was blocked and there were a number of trees down in my work areas around the cabin. But it was so hot and humid there was no way I was going to cut trees and haul logs in that heat. I went back to the house to wait out the heat.

In general, I would love to live off grid. But not today in this heat, I was grateful to have the option to head back to the cities.

And, did I mention Horseflies?

Those aggressive swarming, buzzing, biting little bastards. Tangled in your hair, dive bombing your head, biting you in the back where you can’t reach. And for every one you kill, there are thousands waiting to attack.

Next Week Off…Finally

2011-07-10T19:27:00.001-07:00

I can’t wait. Next week I have vacation and I plan to spend most of the week at the Stump Ranch. Nice. I have, like, about a gazillion projects that need finishing up. And, with an entire week off, maybe, I can make some progress. I need to install a sawmill mod…I sheared some bolts on the drive wheel on the mill and TimberKing sent me a mod that should prevent this in the future. I just need to get the mod installed and, then, check the setup so I can get back to cutting. First priority is to get the shed timbers cut and hauled backed to Red Wing so I can finish up the the timber framed shed and get her raised. Next up, will be to extend the roof on the front of the cabin to make a porch area.

Timber Frame—1/2 Dovetail Layout

2011-06-29T18:18:00.001-07:00

Doing the layout work for a 1/2 dovetail joint is straightforward once you have an understanding of the joint you want to produce. A template is made up for the joint that is desired. The template accounts for the overhang of the dovetails and is generally sized for the beam height that will be used in the structure.

In this case, the structure will be built using beams that are 6” x 8” with a dovetail overhang of 3 1/2”. The first step is to make up a template. Use any material that is flat and somewhere near 1/4” thick. Cut the template with the dovetail length at 9 1/2 inches. The angle used for the template is 15 degrees. Using the template with the dimensions shown in this photo with beams that are cut to 6” x 8” will result in a gap of 1 3/16” between beams that will be filled with chinking.

After you make up the template, -layout is accomplished by using the steps listed below. To layout a beam, the dovetails are drawn on each end of the beam so they are mirror images of each other. Before starting the layout process make sure that the beam is cut to the correct dimension and the ends have been squared up.

Place the template on the 8” face with sides and end of the template lined up with the beam.

Trace the template and draw these lines.

Place the template on the end of the beam. The 15 degree angle should line up with the top horizontal line on the face. Make sure the template inner edges line up with the beam.

Trace the angled side of the template and draw this line.

Place the template on the other 8” face. The template should be placed so it is a mirror image from the lines you drew on the other 8” face.

Trace the angled side of the template and draw this line.

Use the template or a square, line up with the lined drawn on the end of the beam.

Trace the top portion of the template and draw these lines.

The layout is now complete and the dovetail is ready for cutting.

1/2 Dovetail Sauna Design

2011-06-25T20:57:00.001-07:00

This summer I will be cutting 6” x 8” beams so that I can make this 1/2 dovetail sauna. Inside dimensions are 6’ 11” by 6’ 11” which will accommodate a small wood sauna stove.

Sauna design.

Template for laying out the dovetail joints.

Download the SketchUp File

Cutting Aspen

2011-06-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

When cutting down a couple of Aspen groves, how many trees will hang up?

Four.

How would I know? It seems that I have this uncanny ability to underestimate the length of a tree. When cutting, I am finally quite good at felling the tree right where I intend to. Yet, I routinely seem to incorrectly figure the height of the tree and the when I do, the tree tends to hang up.

This trip since I just had one day to get my cutting done, I left the hung up trees for the wind (or I will take care of them when I clean things up and pull the others out of the woods).

I wanted to get enough wood on the ground so that I can finish cutting the timbers I need for the shed back home and I want to get all the planking that will be needed for the gable ends (inside and out) and cabin ceiling.

I’ve been cutting a couple of trees at a time and nailing up planking. However, just as I get into a rhythm and start making some good progress, I run out of wood and have to go back and cut and mill planking. I dropped enough wood so that if I spend a full weekend milling, I should have everything I need to finish off my current projects when I get back to nailing up the planking.

Plan? What Plan?

2011-06-22T08:56:00.001-07:00

Building The Stump Ranch, in general, was an organic adventure. Which means…plans—I don’t need no stinking plan! I just started peeling and cutting and cutting and peeling. When the log walls were an inch or two low on a corner or two, well, we just account for it on the next round or two and bring her back somewhere near level.

In the beginning I intended to cut small traditional windows. However, when the bowed logs where cut to account for the windows, the openings grew to match available logs. And, the window sized pretty much doubled (probably a good thing, since my wife really likes the light).

This building method suits me. Everything sort of resolves itself as we move along. Never actually write down a plan. Eyeball the logs, fit them up to suit you, and call her good.

Yet, there is at least one downside associated with the use this technique—at times things turn out a touch oversized or undersized. In my case, every time I enter The Stump Ranch, using my Hobbit Door, I think about organic building. I remember cutting the door opening; I drew a level line on the header log about head high, sized things up, and cut away. I didn’t think too much about log wall settling, allowing a settling space, or the the height you would lose when the door header is installed. So, I have a 5 foot something door for a 6’ 5” body. At some point in the future, I might extend this door upwards or rip a full sized door into the gable end. In the meantime, I am quite happy with the Hobbit Door as I don’t think anyone else has one.

Is that a hobbit? In the woods? A rare sight indeed! Probably looking for a right-sized hobbit door.

Last Trip to the Ranch

2011-06-12T12:45:00.001-07:00

Warm Weather, Bugs, and Wood Ticks

2011-05-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

A couple days in the sun working at the ranch….cool mornings, warm days, and plenty of light. Sun comes up early and set late.

I was grateful for the opportunity to get away for a couple of days during the work week. I spent my time pulling logs from the woods that Corey and I cut last fall. And, then turning the logs into beams, that I could haul home and use for my timber frame shed. Man, after a day of hauling logs, handling logs, and milling lumber, I was tired.

With the warm weather, the bugs are getting insane. Gnats, gnats, and more gnats. I think I must have inhaled dozen of those little bastards. And, right about now is the main wood tick season. I treat all my clothes, but I still need to keep a close eye as I have had all the tick-borne illnesses that I care to have.

The following day, I finished up the siding on the outhouse and installed a door. Now, the outhouse is ready for a little paint and it will be complete.

Cutting dead wood and clearing a path to get the ATV and log arch to the logs so I could pull them to the mill.

Finished the siding….board and batten. Then, I managed to build and install a door.

North House Folk School Photos

2011-05-04T18:05:00.001-07:00

Dovetail Log Cabin

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

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Dove Tail Log Cabin Roof System

2011-05-01T17:06:00.001-07:00

Today, we wrapped up the class; we enjoyed the wind and the cold coming off Lake Superior. We did manage to build a traditional gable end roof system that will be used on the sauna. Because the materials were so large and heavy, we opted to build the roof structure on the ground. That way we didn’t have to mess with 16 foot 6” x 10” timbers from ladders and scaffolding.

The roof system consisted of timber staked and cut to the desired roof pitch that support a ridge, two plate logs, and tow purlins. In general, this cabin is extremely overbuilt, but it suited the desires of the designer.

We also cut out the door opening and got it ready for bracing and door installation.

Dovetail Log Cabin Walls

2011-04-30T18:27:00.001-07:00

Today was typical Grand Marais day. Blustery, overcast, 40 degrees, and off and on it rained most of the day. The upside is that there was no snow. However, there is a 30 percent chance of snow overnight and into tomorrow. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Our class continued to build the log walls. Our ability significantly improved over the last two days. As we looked at the timbers we cut on Thursday, it is clear that we were just hacking away at the dovetail joints. It is amazing what two days of practice made in regards to the quality of our work. Across the board all the students went from hacking our crap joints to cutting precise dovetail joints.

Today, was spent fitting up the logs to the building. We placed the timbers on the building and then fine tuned the joints so the logs were level and tight. And, fine tuning the crap-j0bs we cut over the last two days certainly gave us plenty of practice in fitting really poorly cut joints. Which we did quite well, and the building looks great.

Tomorrow, we will install the purlins and gable ends which will give us a r0of system and finish off the building.

I am certainly amazed. With just a bit of instruction, eight unskilled trainees are able to grasp the half-dovetail technique and produce a building in just four days.

I will be building a very similar structure for the sauna at The Stump Ranch. I believe it will take me two days to cut the timber on the mill and then another 8 days to install the foundation and the cut out the logs that are needed to erect a cabin shell.

Dovetail Cabin Walls

2011-04-29T19:12:00.001-07:00

Today, we had some practice on cutting the timbers for the cabin walls. In general, the quality of our work significantly improved over our efforts from yesterday. Layout is very straight forward, cutting the shoulders with a skill saw is quite easy, and, then, yesterday, totally butchering the joint when it is cut with a chainsaw was common practice. Which really torqued me off since I have spent so much time with a chainsaw cutting notched and lateral grooves that I consider myself somewhat of an expert. Today, we did see some some improvement with our ability to operate a chainsaw. Finally, cleaning up the joint with a slick actually produced some joints that looked good.

Just like any craft or trade, you get better with practice. So, today as a group we really improved our technique over yesterday which felt pretty good after the butcher-job joints we produced yesterday.

We also started stacking the logs on the walls and fine-tuning the joints so the dovetails fit properly. I really like this technique. In particular I like that cause close, in general, is good enough when your are cutting the dovetails; you can fine tune the fit later. This suits my outlook quite well.

As we progress, it is very clear that this technique is actually quite quick and will work very well. The chinked look for a cabin is a little different; however, I like the general feel of the building. The cabin we are working on is 8’ x 8’ and would likely be used for sauna. The gap between the logs is three inches. This gab will be filled with 3/4” foam insulation on each side of the joint and then covered with perma-chink. This will leave an insulated air space in the middle of the log, which should help with overall insulation of the building.

I believe tomorrow we should finish up the cabin walls and we should start on the roof structure. I certainly enjoy the North House Folk School method of construction as it allows the students to get “hands on” experience in all aspects of cabin building. That way, when we leave the school, the students have both the expertise and confidence to tackle a building on their own.

A few more photos from downtown Grand Marais, Minnesota:

Dovetail Joint— No longer a Mystery

2011-04-28T19:22:00.001-07:00

I’ve read a number of books that describe dovetail joint layout. Yet, I could not picture it; I couldn’t figure it out. I liked the look of the dovetails, but I could not comprehend how to make the joint. Probably, too much, too hard, back in the 70s, which certainly had an effect on the number of functioning brain cells. However, after day one of the North House Folk School Dovetail Log Building Cabin class and I fully understand how the half-dovetail functions. It is really quite simple; seeing it in person and actually performing the layout and cutting made it clear that this technique is easy and useful.

Also, it was clear that working with square timbers and cutting half-dovetail joints is way quicker than either hand-scribed log cabin construction or timber framing. I plan to use this technique to build the sauna at The Stump Ranch.

How to layout the 1/2 Dovetail Joint

A few photos from day one in the class:

Discussing timbers in the workshop.

Using a slick to clean up a half-dovetail notch.

The North House School is located right on Lake Superior in downtown Grand Marais, Minnesota.

A few logs notched and ready for fit up.

Too Many Projects; Too Little Time

2011-04-27T18:40:00.001-07:00

Stopped by the Ranch this morning to pick up some tools. At least the snow is gone and things are starting to dry out. I hope to have a couple of weeks in the near future when I can stay up there and get on with my summer-time projects.

Need to run the mill, cut some planking, install the decking, install the roofing, install the gable siding, do some painting, finish the outhouse, start the deck, building sauna, make a place for the firewood, and that is just the beginning. Clearly, The Stump Ranch will be finished…never!

Grand Marais, Minnesota

2011-04-27T18:33:00.001-07:00

James, Kevin, and I are at Trout Lake Resort in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The resort is about 14 miles up the Gunflint Trail and then 4 miles down a single-lane, snow covered, dirt road.

The cabin is nice, plenty of room and right on the lake. Oh, by the way, the ice is not yet out, so the small lakes up this way are still iced over. And, for the looks of things, there was a good six inches of snow this morning. Snow on April 27, doesn’t get much better than that.

Tomorrow, I start my class on Dovetail Log Cabin Building at the North House Folk School. Looking forward to learning a new building technique that I will use to build the sauna at The Stump Ranch.

SketchUp File 10’ x 12’ Timber Framed Shed

2011-04-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

For anyone interested, I posted my timber framed shed plan on Google Docs. If you install SketchUp on your computer, you can download the file and use SketchUp to open it. Installing Timber Frame Rubies will allow you to make shop drawings directly from the SketchUp file.

It Is Always Something

2011-04-04T20:07:00.001-07:00

Yup, I started the tie beam layout over the weekend on the beams I hauled back to Red Wing. Funny thing, one beam was dead on 10’ the other was 9’ 8”. The tie beam really should be 11’ so I have some room to work and make a 10’ beam. What was I thinking when I cut those beams. Well, I can work on one, the other is no available for some other project cause you can't stretch a tie-beam and it is the wrong size beam for the King Posts.

Reindeer Games?

2011-04-01T23:03:00.001-07:00

Man, what a day. I planned to make a quick trip into the Stump Ranch, grab a a couple of 6” x 8” beams that I cut last fall, and haul them back to Red Wing. That way, I can keep cutting my shed timbers. Because I finished up the posts and since I have some time over the next few weeks, I want to keep making some progress on the shed.

When I got out to the minimum maintenance road that leads to the Stump Ranch, I unloaded the ATV, installed the rear tire chains, and piloted the Big Red Beast back to the cabin. In general, all the dirt roads out near our place are now “Mud-Fest” wet and sloppy. And, we still have 10” of heavy, heavy, wet snow in the woods. With the chains installed, the ATV easily chewed up the snow and got me back to the ranch. Running the “Big Red” is quite interesting, she, in general, follows the old tracks, but you really can’t steer her. If the tracks don’t go to the right location, you are pretty much screwed.

At the ranch, I hooked up the trailer, dug out the beams which where hiding under a foot or two of snow, and, then, loaded up trailer with the timbers. As I was getting ready roll, I looked over at my shovel and said, “Self, you really should bring that shovel.” That thought immediately exited my brain; I got on the ATV and headed out sans shovel.

The ATV pulled the trailer, the trailer was loaded with beams, and everything seemed to be going well. Maneuvering around the trees took a couple of tries and I managed to get up the hills on the path out without any issue.

However, there was one section of trail that had some deep snow. For a moment, I considered an alternate path and then decided, screw it, this should be no problem. Within moments, it became clear that this choice was a big problem. I got the ATV stuck and I got the trailer stuck. Then, I separated the ATV from the trailer and got the ATV free, and then I managed to get the ATV stuck again. After that, I unloaded the ATV and trailer to free things. Yet, both were still stuck, stuck! ? And, now the beams I unloaded were coated with wet, heavy snow so they now weighed in about 100 pounds heavier than they did when I loaded them up.

At this point, I determined that it was time to dig my way to freedom. I looked around for my shovel. I looked around, again, for my shovel. And, then, I realized, I can look around and look around; however, there was no shovel! And, I was about a mile and half from the cabin. At that point, I was really wishing I had an attention span that was able to focus for more than eight seconds. An attention span that would have allowed me to consider bringing the shovel and then actually loading the shovel up so that I might have it when it was needed.

Eventually, I understood, it was time to walk. So, I spent an hour fighting the wet, heavy snow while trying to stay upright and trekked back to the cabin. I grabbed the shovel, and then, made my way back to the ATV.

Another hour later and I managed to dig out the ATV and get the beams hauled out to my truck and then loaded up. And, since it was so wet and sloppy, even though it was not cold, I froze my ass and toes off.

Enough, Already!

2011-03-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

This morning it was 20 degrees; for the past week it has been between 10 and 25 degrees. If it happened to be January, those temperatures would be welcome. But, come on, it is the end of March; I am ready for some warmer weather. In the meantime, in my garage, I’ve been working on the posts for my 10’ x 12’ timber framed shed project. I would like to see things warm up so we can get the melt-off over with. After things melt, the Stump Ranch could be used as a mud-fest location. Then, when we have some time so things dry out, I can haul my materials into and out from the Stump Ranch.

In the meantime, in my garage, I’ve been working on the posts and I’ve finished up the the six posts. Now, I need to cut and haul some mover timbers from the ranch back to the house. I need material to start work on tie beams, king posts, plates, ridges, girts, and knee braces. Once I get a warm weekend, I can fire up the TimberKing 1220, cut the beams I need and haul them back to the house.

Insulation…Finally Finished

2011-03-19T19:23:00.001-07:00

I have finally completed installing the insulation at The Stump Ranch. There is no doubt that I hate fiberglass. I really wanted to use wool to insulate the cabin. However, when I priced the wool, it was about eight times as expensive as fiberglass. So, I opted for R-19 un-batted fiberglass insulation. And, since I really hate messing with fiberglass I have been working a little bit at a time all winter. This method ensured that I would get fiberglass fibers under my skin on multiple occasions all winter long.

In retrospect, maybe, this wasn't one of my finest ideas. So, this weekend, I just, sucked it up, and got the damn insulation installed. The roof and gable ends are fully insulated and plastic sheeting is installed over the insulation as a vapor barrier. And, most importantly, I brought some spare clothing so I could remove the clothes I wore to install said insulation, which, in turn, reduced the “ich factor” quite considerably.

After wrapping up the insulation, I also started up the Oliver 880 and pushed some snow around for about 30 minutes or so. Yesterday, when I fired up the tractor, there was no evidence of a blown external frost plug. By running the tractor today, I was trying to determine if there was either a blown head gasket or an internal cracked block.

After running the tractor for some time, I checked the oil and there was no obvious increase in oil level (a cracked block or blown head gasket would reveal itself by water leaking into the crankcase and, then, seeing and increase in the oil level on the dipstick). As of now, no increase. Maybe, we got lucky and didn’t damage the Oliver when she froze up this winter.

Evening at the Ranch

2011-03-19T19:19:00.001-07:00

St. Patrick’s Day

An excellent day to be at the Stump Ranch. I have not been out this way since January, so it feels great to be here. Tonight, the moon is full, we still have a foot of snow, and the temperatures the last couple of days have been in the 40s and 50s. I guess we are beyond the suicide weeks and—just maybe— spring is on the way. In Minnesota, the last week in February and the first few weeks in March have most folks looking for a bullet. I believe we invented alcohol rehab centers in this state (i.e. Hazelton); anyone that has tried to hang on during a year when winter just won’t let go fully understands what would drive a person to drink, drugs, or simply tossing one’s body from a bridge directly into the path of an oncoming tractor trailer. Yes, we do so, love this time of year.

However, eventually, the winter-she-bitch, she finally let go. We rolled the clocks ahead, the weather warmed up a little, and I was able to duck out of work early and head for the ranch on a Thursday afternoon. Life doesn’t get much better than that. Or does it?

I arrived at the minimum maintenance road thinking that I could drive back to the outpost. When I got there,the two feet of snow blocking my path indicated that driving my pickup on the maintenance road was clearly a pipe dream. So, I unloaded the four-wheeler, installed the chains on the rear wheels, loaded up my supplies, and headed for the cabin. Slipping, sliding on 12 –24 inches of wet snow, sun beating down on me through the trees—I was giddy—smiling from ear to ear, man, I felt great!. The snow chains were digging, the ATV was rocking and rolling and slipping and sliding, and the White Tail Deer were cocking their heads and looking at me. I am sure they were thinking, “WTF?”

I arrived at The Stump Ranch and there was no evidence of any man or beast finding our cabin, which is exactly how I like things. I unloaded my equipment, fired up the stove, and managed to cook up a little dinner. Days like today, remind me that I for sure, enjoy my own company.

Just for kicks, I looked over at the Oliver and thought, I should try and fire her up. I was certain that the battery would be dead and I would have to spend half the day tomorrow dicking with charging batteries and trying to start the tractor. Well, she fired up with one turn of the key; I was psyched up. And, after she fired, there was no external coolant leaks. Those following the blog know that I let Oliver freeze up over the winter and I may have to deal with a cracked head. However, no external leaks means no blown freeze plugs, which is a good sign. Tomorrow, I will fire up the Oliver 880 and let her run for a while to determine if I am getting water into the oil. Water in the oil would indicate a cracked block (internal) or blown head gasket. Keep y0ur fingers crossed!

It is 10 p.m. and I am heading outside to spend a few minutes before bed time looking up at the fat, full, moon and enjoying the moonlight reflecting off the snow surrounding the ranch.

Warmer Weather

2011-03-16T18:14:00.001-07:00

Finally, temperatures seem to be getting better. We have had a couple of days of 40 and 50 degrees. The snow, hopefully, is on the way out.

Can’t wait. Tomorrow, after work I am making a trip to the Stump Ranch in order to get things organized for spring. And, I will get that damn insulation finished up. I’ve been dicking with it all winter by doing just a bit a time. I hate fiberglass and this method seems to really drag things out. Tomorrow night, I will bit the bullet and get the insulation done.

Timber Frame Plan—10’ x 12’ Shed

2011-03-07T15:42:00.001-08:00

I’ve finished working up my timber frame shed plan and started cutting timbers in the garage. Once the weather improves, I will head to The Stump Ranch and finish cutting the timbers I need. Then, by mid April, I should be ready to install the shed.

I made up the plans and shop drawings using Google SketchUp and TF Rubies. I posted the plans and shop drawings to a Google documents account.

General Information

Not every dimension is on every diagram. There should be enough information to figure out the shop drawings. Reference sides are marked in Pink (which prints well in black and white). Most joints are housed at 1/2”. The tie beams have a 1” housing. Tenons are 2” width and 6” in length set 2” off the reference face. Tenons at the knee braces are 1 1/2” in width and 3 1/2'’ in length, the knee brace tenons at the center posts will need to be cut back some to fit. Girt tenons are 2”. If you want to use Google SketchUp, below I’ve included a link you can use to download the file.

SketchUp File

Link to the SketchUp File

This SketchUp file was generated using Sketchup and Timber Frame Rubies. Rubies is a free add on that allows you to use Sketchup to create timber frame joints. The Rubies program generated the drawings included on this page. Timber Frame Rubies was created by Clark Bremer of Northern Lights Timber Framinge. Rubies can be access via the link below:

Timber Frame Rubies

Main Drawing

10x12_Main_Drawing.jpg

Shop Drawings

Installing the Shed

Rigging and Raising the Frame

Basic Timber Framing Techniques

A Few Photos

Log Cabin Building Information

2011-02-26T20:17:00.001-08:00

Prior to starting in on the building process, a reasonable man or woman would spend some time and educate themselves to gain an understanding of techniques and approach. Me? Well, I generally charge blindly ahead and fully employ my patented “Wing It Method.” Results from this method are surprisingly consistent and predictable—frustration and chaos with the vast majority of my time classified as unproductive. Based on these behaviors, it is quite clear that if I can manage to fully utilize both functioning brain cells, I am on equal intellectually footing with a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood.

However, there is no requirement in log building to continually pound your head against a brick wall (although that type of mentality will be of benefit at times during your project). Below, I’ve assembled some basic log cabin building information that a person in the planning stages might find useful.

Books

B. Allan Mackie who was a main player in the rebirth of hand scribed log cabin building that started in the 1970s. Mackie focuses on traditional methods and processes. I also enjoy books written by Robert W. Chambers. Chambers brings modern engineering thought to bear on improving the hand-scribed log cabin. Different approaches; each has something to offer the builder.

Log Construction Manual: The Ultimate Guide to Building Handcrafted Log Homes, Robert W. Chambers
Building with Logs, B. Allan Mackie
The Owner-Built Log House: Living in Harmony With Your Environment, B. Allan Mackie

I’ve found that Timber Framing techniques are useful for log cabin construction. For any project there will be a need for some mortise and tenon work along with cutting pockets in logs for things like joists. I’ve found that Jack A. Sobon focus on traditional building and joinery; this knowledge has helped me on my projects. I’ve also learned a great deal from Chappell’s workshop book

Timber Frame Construction: All About Post and Beam Building , Jack A. Sobon and Roger Schroeder
Build a Classic Timber-Framed House: Planning & Design/Traditional Materials/Affordable Methods, Jack A. Sobon
A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames, Steve K. Chappell
Building the Timber Frame House: The Revival of a Forgotten Art, Tedd Benson, Jamie Page, and James Gruber

Schools

In 2001, I attended a log cabin building school at the Great Lakes School of Log Building in Ely, Minnesota. I invested ten days; when I completed the class I had both the skill and the confidence required to construct my own building. I’ve also attended a number of classes (rigging, timber framing) at the North House Folks School located in Grand Marais, Minnesota

There are many other schools in the United States and Canada that teach log cabin construction. I haven’t listed them here because I don’t have first had experience with them. However, if you use Google and search on “Log Cabin Building School” you can check out some of the others.

Forum

www.forestryforum.com has a number of forums that cover forestry, chainsaws, sawmills, and in particular there is one forum on Timber Framing/Log Construction. I’ve found this forum very useful frequented by knowledgeable individuals that are willing to share their thoughts and experience. I’ve used this forum for feedback on foundations, tools, roofing, rigging, and many other topics.

Dovetail Log Cabin Class

2011-02-22T18:55:00.001-08:00

I recently signed up for a 4-day class at the North House Folk School to learn more about building a Dovetail log cabin. I’ve read a few books on Dovetail techniques; however, I figured a little bit of instruction would go a long way toward determining the best method to proceed. I’ve found that if I can invest some time and learn from those that have some experience, I end up saving myself a great deal of time and frustration.

Now, why in the world do I need to learn about dovetail construction techniques? I’ve already learned hand-scribed cabin building and timber framing. Well, I have a number of outbuilding to construct; the more you know, the more options you have. And, since I’m not too fond of stick frame construction, and I have a sawmill, I’m thinking, dovetail construction will be of use at the Stump Ranch.

I’ve taken a number of classes from the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The school sits, in town, right on Lake Superior. I wish I had the time and the money such that I could take a few classes a year as there are many courses I have an interest in. I still have my eye on those blacksmithing classes, just in case I need to make up some hardware for the Stump Ranch.

First Timber Frame Posts

2011-02-20T18:04:00.001-08:00

After a few days of 30 and 40 degree temperatures in February, it pretty much ruined me. Today, we are getting 14” snow and I just happen to be ready for spring. I imagine spring will get here when she does. Hopefully, I will survive.

I’ve started working on the the 10’ x 12’ timber framed shed that we will install next to the garage for additional storage in the spring. Today, I finished up the first two posts from this shed.

The 6”x6” posts were cut from some Aspen beams that I’ve been storing from last year. I waited till near the end of the winter. That way, I can get the 6 posts cut about the same time the snow melts and I can get up to the Stump Ranch, fire up the sawmill, and cut the rest of the beams I need for the shed from trees I felled last fall. Then, I can haul the beams home and cut the rest of the frame and put the shed up in the spring without worrying too much about the timbers twisting as the dry.

Timber Frame—Cutting a Through Mortise

2011-02-16T19:25:00.001-08:00

A through mortise is used when a little extra strength is needed. In this case, I am building a 10’ x 12’ shed and decided that I would use a through mortise to connect the tie beam to the post. The posts are 6'” x 6” and will be used to support a 6” x 8” tie beam. The mortise is 7 1/2” x 2” and offset from the reference face by 2”. I will use a 1” housing to provide additional support for the tie beam.

For drilling the holes to start a mortise, I purchased a restored boring machine (also referred to as a beam machine). This machine is a hand powered drill press. If you keep your auger bits sharp it is quite easy to hog out a 2” hole within a minute or two. And, there is no need to rely on electricity so you are not limited by working where there is an available power supply. If you don’t have a beam machine, the starter holes can be drilled with an auger bit and T-handle or you could use a heavy duty electric drill, such as a Milwaukee Hole-hog, and a 2” drill bit. I’ve found for these larger holes, I have better luck using the boring machine in lieu of any electric drill.

The mortise layout was performed by scoring the edge of the mortise with a razor knife. This scoring ensures the measurement is accurate , prevents tear out, and keeps the mortise edges true. After layout, the first step in the process is to hog out the mortise. This is performed by drilling holes. Since this is a through mortise, you need to drill the holes to depth that is just past 1/2 way through the beam. And, then you will repeat the process from the other side. This keeps every thing lined up. The first holes are drilled using a 2” auger bit. One hole is placed at each end of the mortise—the holes should be as close to the scored line as you can get. I score a line down the middle of the mortise to use as a guide to keep the drill bit centered.

After drilling a hole at each end of the mortise, additional holes are drilled to finish removing material from the mortise. Again, these holes are drilled just over half-way through the timber. Because this is a through mortise, the beam will need to be flipped and the process repeated on the other side so the hole will go all the way through the beam.

After the mortise is hogged out, the next process step requires cleaning up the sides of the mortise with chisel and mallet. You want to cut away the material and work your way towards the scored line. It is important to keep the chisel parallel with the work (flat side of the chisel toward the scored line) and occasionally use a combination square to verify that sides of the mortise are staying square. I generally work both sided of the mortise and get them squared up. I use the large tongue on the framing square (which happens to be 2”) to check the width of the mortise. After the sides of the mortise are finished, it it time remove the wood at the end of the mortise and make everything square. You will need to work the end grain a bit a time. If you exercised adequate care and you have the width of the mortise sized properly, you will find that working the end of the mortise is much easier.

For this design, the tie beams are set into a 1” housing. This housing provides additional support for the structure so that the weight of the tie beam is shared between the housing and the tenon. Additionally, by using a housing of a standard width and depth, and applying square rule methods, you can account for timbers that are not exactly square. The housing layout is also scored with a razor knife. Then, the material to be removed is scored with a hand saw.

The waste material is removed with a chisel. When knocking off the waste wood, take it slow, keep an eye on the chisel, make sure the chisel stays flat and doesn’t dive. Once the waste wood is removed, the housing is cleaned up with a chisel. The center of the housing is sloped slightly inward. This allows for a clean tight fit when the tie beam is connected and accounts for some shrinkage in the timbers as they dry.

Liability Release

2011-02-11T20:15:00.001-08:00

For those looking for information and advice in regards to log cabin building, my suggestion is to think for yourself, decide as you see fit, and accept the consequences. To build a log cabin you will need to use sharp and pointy things, like ax and chainsaw, in the vicinity of really big and heavy things such as logs (hence the term log cabin builder). Often, the really big and heavy things need to be balanced, cut, moved, molded, rolled or modified with the sharp and pointy things at elevations were it could end poorly if appropriate care is not exercised.

Building a log cabin is inherently dangerous; there is risk. And, the risk applies to both novices and experts. What you don't know can hurt you; what you don't fear can hurt you. To make this work and keep all one's body parts intact, the builder requires a high level of knowledge coupled with a low percentage of really poor decisions (in my experience the worst decisions are often preceded by the words, “Don't worry, she'll be alright” or “Don’t worry, it will be fine”).

Life is unpredictable. Sometimes, we make decisions that make our life softer and easier. At other times – based on our current view of something shattered, stuck, bent, wedged, broken, or bleeding – it becomes crystal clear that the decision we made just a few seconds back was a little substandard.

Generally, an individual that chooses to build his or her cabin is getting a little older. With a few years on us, our ability to bounce (after sudden contact with the planet which is an inevitable result of a fall from heights) is somewhat compromised. When, you are ten years old, you can fall 35 feet out of the pine tree you shouldn't have been climbing; hit the ground, bounce three times, stand up, dust yourself off, and you are ready to roll. I am 50 and, when it comes to bounce-ability, I'm thinking, well, maybe, no so much.

So, for your safety when cabin building, it is critical to understand why log cabin builders do what they do. We can learn from those that were successful and we can gain a great deal of knowledge from those that experienced various levels of adversity.

We must understand that there are many approaches to log cabin building. Opinions are readily available from from both experts and quacks. And, at times, quacks will be dressed in expert clothing. To further complicate the situation, advice from a recognized, self-proclaimed quack could be the missing link and exactly the bit of information you need to proceed. Evaluating advice and acting on a recommendation from a known whack-job in lieu of alternative expert advice seems like crazy business. Yet, you will find that occasionally this is the path we need to take.

To be clear, to build a log cabin, you need to be willing to gain an understanding of why another chooses to do what he does and then make your own decisions and apply what you believe will work best to your project. And, if it doesn't work, it was your call so move on.

I do need to mention that if you can see yourself suing a fast food organization because your coffee was too hot or jamming up your neighbor because you slipped on his driveway – you have no business building a log cabin. Because, things won't go as planned and you have to shoulder the responsibility and keep plugging along....cold, wet, broken doesn't matter much, you will experience it. We must figure it out and move on. The only one responsible for the success or failure of the project is the builder.

How To Articles

2011-02-05T19:33:00.001-08:00

Starting a Series of How To Build a Log Cabin Articles. Link is in the upper right hand corner or the following URL: http://peelinglogs.blogspot.com/p/stump-ranch.html.

First article (introduction) is below.

Introduction—Building The Stump Ranch

2011-02-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

Jon Anderson—Red Wing, Minnesota

I was born, bred, and raised in the great white winter wasteland—Minnesota—within a clan of narcoleptic Swedes who had an inexplicable fondness for the unique taste and snot-like texture of Lutefisk (Cod soaked in lye). Delicacies such as salad made using green Jell-O, carrots, Miracle Whip, and marshmallows as ingredients served with a side order of SPAM kabobs, were commonplace in our household. As you might have guessed, preservation of one's sanity under such harsh conditions required extraordinary measures, which in my case centered around consumption of alcoholic beverages and a wide array of pharmaceutical substances.

These days, I spend my weekends and employ both functioning brain cells building a hand-scribed log cabin—The Stump Ranch—on 40 acres in northern Minnesota

When I decided to build a log cabin, I was clueless. I wasn't much of a carpenter, I had never operated a chainsaw, and I was certainly not known for my mechanical aptitude. However, on occasion, folks have said that I am somewhat obsessive, extremely persistent, and when I decide on something, there really is no changing my mind. These are exactly the characteristics required of a guy or gal on a mission to build a log cabin.

The Stump Ranch is a dream, she lives just beyond my psyche—wanting, longing—she is integrated with the woods, she sits high up on a bluff, she is so close to the lake, she can feel the waves lapping up on the shore. Yet, The Stump Ranch is tucked back where no one goes—no one knows. I built her with my own hand. She stands sturdy; she stands tall. And, 100 years from now, she will still be standing

The Stump Ranch is unique in that she sits a few miles back in the woods and there is no way to get a vehicle any closer than a mile or two. Access is by foot, snowshoe, or ATV, which clearly makes logistics a challenge. This location makes even the easy tasks quite time consuming as you have to haul or skid in everything you might need. However, the pay back is peace and solitude. No one bothers me. There are no building inspectors, no neighbors, and no casual visits. To get to the Stump Ranch, you have to want to get there. To find us, you will spend a few hours hiking the woods and you best know how to navigate with your compass, otherwise you will find yourself hiking in circles. We have no use for the tourist type that drive up in their big-ass-Buick, sporting their high-waist Bermuda shorts and Polaroid shades, who expect to experience nature within a foot or two of their V8.

I've always wanted a cabin–wild, remote, and handmade. A structure crafted by one's own hands: the design developed from my thoughts and my desires. A building that when you slow down enough to listen and think, you can clearly see and feel the harmony between nature and the structure. Things fit; everything feels right.

My choice was hand-scribed log cabin construction. This was an excellent choice, except I had never done any ax work, I had never fired up a chainsaw, I didn't own a chisel, and I thought an adze was something you might encounter in a dark alley sometime after midnight. Yet, with a little persistence, a little desire, and the willingness to listen and learn, I was able to develop the skills and expertise necessary to build The Stump Ranch. If I can build it, anyone can.

Work Shop

2011-01-30T16:00:00.001-08:00

I was sort of thinking I was making a stool. As this project progressed, it is clear now that I am making an end table.

The shop (aka the garage with the car and ATV sitting in the driveway).

Shaving horse.

Pieces of project.

Legs ready for wedges.

Fitting pieces up. Eventually, I will level it up and cut the legs.

Practice timber frame joints.

Timber Frame Shed Plan

2011-01-23T19:40:00.001-08:00

Plans, sketchup files, and shop drawings are located here.

I've been working on learning Google SketchUp. I believe I have my shed plans pretty much dialed in. And, I found an add on for SketchUp called Timber Frame Rubies. This code was written by a framer with a shop in Minneapolis. This works very well as the add on converts each of the pieces from the frame into a shop drawing. This way, when I get everything final I an print out a set of plans.

Here is the shed plan. This is a 10’ x 12’ shed with a 1/2 loft. The posts are 6'” x 6'” and the ties, plates, and ridge is 6” x 8”.

Here is an example of the shop drawings. This one if for one of the tie beams. The software also lets you put the dimensions on the drawing (I just haven’t gotten around to this yet).

Clark Bremer is the owner of Northern Lights Timber Framing; Clark also developed the Timber Frame Rubies add on for SketchUp. You can get an idea of what this add on can do at the following url:

http://www.northernlightstimberframing.com/su/

Snow at the Stump Ranch

2011-01-09T18:34:00.001-08:00

-15 degrees; no problem. We have enough insulation that the cabin stays 65 degrees without burning up too much wood. We still need to install insulation in about 1/3 of the roof and run the stove pipe out the roof in lieu of out the window. Once that is done, it will get even warmer.

Find-Me-Spot sending a message home to Jackie. This satellite service allows you to send a check in message back home. It also has a method to request help from friends. And, you can directly access a 911 service in case some type of rescue is needed. This sure gives my wife peace of mind.

New ATV chains. I was able to haul my equipment back through the woods. There was about two feet of snow on the ground. With the chains, no problem. Although at the low spots, where the snow was built up, I bogged down a little.

The Stump Ranch as I was leaving Sunday afternoon.

An Evening Hike

2011-01-09T18:00:00.001-08:00

I walked the woods and McGowan Lake as the sun was setting. At this point the locals that had been fishing earlier in the day had already departed. So, I had the lake to myself.

Don’t Ask…

2011-01-02T18:46:00.001-08:00

If you get everything ready for winter before winter actually gets here, you don’t have to tote a battery across the lake. And, up to the top of the bluff. And, then leave said battery so you can go and retrieve the orange saucer sled.

Oh, I forgot to mention. I charged one of two batteries in my garage so I could haul it out to the Stump Ranch. When I hooked this one up to Oliver, it became very clear that the battery with the charge is still sitting in my garage in Red Wing. So, next week I get to haul another battery across the lake and up the hill.

First Snowshoe

2011-01-02T18:40:00.001-08:00

First snowshoe trip of the year. Crossed the lake, checked out the ranch and spent half the day in the woods. 5 degrees and sunny…excellent day.

My snowshoes.

Crossing McGowan Lake.

The front of the ranch.

Outhouse.

Warming things up some.

Oliver.

The bunkhouse.

Snowshoe tracks.

A beaver pond.

Lake Lena.

Another shot of McGowan Lake.

Sunrise

2011-01-02T18:34:00.001-08:00

On the way to the Stump Ranch.

Shaving Horse…Finished

2010-12-31T15:19:00.001-08:00

Building a Shaving Horse

2010-12-27T11:31:00.001-08:00

I’ve been assembling the pieces so that I can put together a shaving horse. This bench will be used to peel and shape poles for furniture and other projects.

If this works correctly, then I can use the bench in lieu of a vice which is very poorly designed for shaping poles.

I needed a couple of spacers so the arms would clear the legs. This gave me a chance to check out my new Japanese Pull Saw.

Test fitting the spacers.

About 1/2 done with this project.

Another view.

Colleen at the Ranch

2010-12-26T07:42:00.001-08:00

Last fall my sister, Colleen, surprised me with a visit to Red Wing. Unfortunately, I was stuck working extended hours over that weekend. Colleen did find time with Jackie to make her way to the Stump Ranch.

Checking out James’ sawmill supervisory and kibitzing hand-carved aspen stump-chair.

Colleen suggesting the cabin should be moved about a foot to the right.

See…I can fly…I can fly. Yup, Colleen can fly like a chicken.

Thanks for the visit. Love you.

Solar Shower Anyone?

2010-12-13T19:35:00.001-08:00

I haven’t gotten the opportunity to make it back up the the Ranch since November. This solar shower photo was taken then. We now have temperatures that are –10 and –20 along with about two feet of snow. I’m thinking solar shower will not be on my “to do” list till we get a little closer to spring.

I still need to make a trip in the short term to make sure everything is ready for winter, which I should have done last month and did not. However, this will give me a chance to do some snowshoeing and maybe a little ice fishing. And, this year we have an insulated cabin so we can heat it up and after a long day outside actually kick back and relax in a warm cabin.

Making A Stool

2010-12-05T10:25:00.001-08:00

I really like the thought of making furniture from the poles and stumps from the cabin. However, I really do not like the look of the work done by the standard log furniture work where they use a tenon and mortise cutter and every joint looks the same.

For some time, I’ve followed Brian’s work on his blog Talk From the Timber. He makes some unique wood projects in his shop while taking advantage of the natural curves and shapes of the stock he has to work with. After thinking about Brian’s method, I asked myself, “How hard can this be?”

I had a Red Oak slab sitting in the garage and a few small Maple poles, so I figured I could try making a stool.

I scooped out the slab some with a chainsaw and axe, peeled some the poles, drilled the leg holes in the slab and then wedged in the legs with a piece of Walnut.

For a first try, I am generally happy with the result. I certainly learned some about how to approach this type of project. I think once I clean up this project and complete the staining and finish work, it should look pretty good.

I peeled the poles by holding them in a vice so I could use a drawknife to clean them up. What a total pain in my ass. After this effort, it is clear to me why shaving horses were invented. So, to get some more practice, I’ve started working on a shaving horse. And, this will give me something functional to speed things up once I get it completed.

A Little Cold, A Little Snow, A Little Insulation

2010-11-20T19:57:00.001-08:00

Hauled in some insulation.

Jackie waiting for the Four-Dog Stove to get fired up.

We insulated the gable ends and the roof over the loft.

Just a touch of snow.

The Oliver was not very happy; her battery needs to be charged up.

After we installed the insulation, the cabin was warm. It is amazing what that little stove will do if we don’t have to heat up the entire forest.

Cabin Door Installation

2010-11-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I installed the front door. Today, insulated and sealed up the door and frame. I framed up a true and square rough opening such that I would have 1/8” clearance all the way around. The door was an old door that Jackie acquired from a a friend. Well, an old pre-sagged door doesn’t fit too well in a nice square opening. I ended up cussing, swearing, and reframing.

Also, the door is Hobbit sized. One of the downfalls of building without a plan. I sort of cut a door opening and never did account for faming, eave overhang, wall settling. So, in the end we have a door fit for a Hobbit.

Cutting the groove for the 2” x 4” key-way.

Installed the key.

Rough opening. The faming is nailed to the key-way. That way, the logs can settle without damaging the door.

Door installed and sealed.

Two More Days

2010-11-14T13:09:00.001-08:00

Won’t be long now. Starting Wednesday, I am on vacation for a week and half. Wednesday through Saturday (next week), Jackie and I plan to spend a couple of days installing insulation and putting in the front door at the Stump Ranch. This will finally, bring the cabin to lock-up.

When I think back, we have accomplished a great deal in a few years. Most folks don’t take on things like building a hand-scribed log cabin. And, then taking on this project at property that is located three miles back in the woods accessible only by goat path. Well, that, for sure, will test your patience.

The first trip to McGowan Lake. The property was listed on Thursday; we made an offer on Sunday. When Corey and I walked down the property, it was 15 below zero.

One one of our ventures getting to know the adjacent property, Corey and I encountered this scene. What you don’t see is the two folding chairs, a butchered cow, and the remains of a fire which is just out of camera range. The was the weekend after we purchased the property; we had no idea what to think. Turns out the neighbor raises foxes to train dogs and this was how he took care of them over the winte3r.

Building the bunkhouse so we have a place to sleep and store tools while working on the cabin.

Hauling in materials for the foundation. Holes were dug and the cement was mixed by hand.

The foundation in place, worked over the winter so the decking would be finished and ready of logs in the spring.

Stacking the logs on the building. I cut these logs in a building yard close to Red Wing. The walls were hauled up the the Old Wilder Foundation and, then, I hauled back one at a time with an ATV.

Plate log installed.

Ridge installed; working on the rafters.

Roofing in place, wood stove run out the window for now.

Finishing up the loft.

The last window is in place.

Planted the spruce just after my 50th birthday.

Organic Timber Framing

2010-11-09T19:50:00.001-08:00

I spent this past weekend taking a Timber Framing class with Craig “They Call Me Rooster” Roost. The course was geared toward introducing students to timber framing structures and techniques. The class was held near Janesville, Wisconsin in a workshop located in the basement of one of Craig’s barn restoration projects. Rooster had previously disassembled this barn, completed all the restoration work, and then re-assembled the structure for the owners in a new location. The restored barn is now used as a carriage house. This venue provided plenty of room for timber framing and allowed the students the opportunity to see a real-world barn conversion timber frame project.

Rooster is not exactly a traditional timber framer. He is a regular guy that is quite intrigued with understanding the massive old barns scattered throughout Southern Wisconsin. And, clearly, he spent a great deal of his time inside these old structures asking himself, “ When the boys put this thing up 120 years ago…what where they thinking?” The frame builders from the late 1800s were on to something as their structures are still standing. Rooster uses what he learned studying the construction of these barns as the basis for his timber framing technique.

I think engineers tag this type of thought process as “reverse engineering” which allows them to and add on a hefty consulting fee for providing advice. Rooster doesn’t bother with esoteric philosophical theories. He simply climbs up to the top of these old structures marks all the parts, disassembles the timbers, fixes the parts that need fixing, and re-assembles the structures in a new location. The restoration and re-assembly is done in such a way that the intent of the original craftsmen that built the structure is maintained.

Now Rooster has decided to use his experience and pass on the timber framing technique that he has developed and refined. Last weekend Rooster’s held his first timber framing workshop. I attended the workshop with seven other students. During the two day workshop, we covered the basics such as sharpening, joinery, frame design, square rule layout, tool use, and barn construction.

One of the main focuses of the class was designing the frame and then cutting parts for the frame. However, here, Rooster’s approach is quite different from the approach of other framers and instructors I’ve encountered. Rooster doesn’t work from a specific plan. Instead, he works from an understanding of the function of the frame. What is needed? What is wanted? How can we balance needs and wants with the timbers we have available?

Rooster spent a couple of hours with the students walking though, and talking through, what is needed from the frame. He focused the class on thinking about form, function, and making adjustments so the frame would serve the desired purpose. He used a technique of story boarding to develop a memory stick.

This method doesn’t restrict the frame design to a specific layout that was specified in a book or a set of plans. Rather, the framer integrates his thoughts and ideas and adjusts the frame layout to suit his or her need—or in my words, “Organic Timber Framing”. The memory stick ensures that once the framer decides on a plan and approach the layout of the frame parts is accurate, precise, and consistent.

After designing the frame, the students did the layout work on the timbers. Critical measurements were checked using a memory stick to ensure consistent measurements among beams. And, finally, everyone in the class had the opportunity to develop their skills with chisel, mallet, boring machine, and saw while cutting timbers for a frame.

If you have an interest in timber framing techniques or structures, I certainly recommend Craig Roost and CRW Timber-Framing and Barn Restoration.

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Weekend with Jackie

2010-11-01T10:45:00.001-07:00

Boots? I don’t need no stinking boots! I will wear slippers if I feel like it.

Joe the Plumber.

Wrong-side up.

Have Great Stuff, will travel.

Just drilling!

My new tree.

Log Cabin Window Installation

2010-11-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to installing the larger window on the north side of the cabin.

The window opening was cut back when I built the walls. However, I needed to cut the sill the flat and then brush it smooth with the backside of the chainsaw. After that I cut a slope on the outside edge of the sill so it would shed water.

To frame the window you have to cut a key-way f0r a 2”x4” key. This supports the window framing but allows the log walls to settle without crushing the window frame.

Here is the start of the cut. When making this cut, you have to very careful making this cut as it is very easy to get the top quarter of your saw in contact with the header, which causes kickback.

2” x 4” installed in the keyway and insulated with “EM” seal and wool rope.

Installed the window framing. On the top, I left a couple of inches to account for settling.

Window screwed into the rough opening.

Checking that everything is plumb, level, and operated smoothly.

Installed some sheathing. This will be covered over when we get around to finishing the exterior. In the meantime, we sealed and insulated the inside and the window will hold the heat much better than a sheet of plastic full of holes.

Planting Tree

2010-11-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

For my 50th birthday, my mom was thinking. Hmmm….what would a guy with 4o acres up north need for his birthday? How about I get him a tree. A guy can never have too many trees, eh?

So, mom got me a Black Hills Spruce. Jackie and I toted the little green conifer out to the stump ranch and planted her just south of the cabin so she could get plenty of light.

Friday evening before we left the tree was stowing away in the back of the truck. That way we wouldn’t forget as we did last weekend. And, I’m thinking the tree will like growing in the woods over the winter much better than sitting in a frozen pot in my driveway.

The baby-green-she-tree enjoys her ride through the woods in the ATV trailer.

Coffee break.

Jackie digging hole number two. The first location was too full of clay.

Planting complete. Located just south of the cabin.

50th birthday present from Mom…Thanks.

Fighting the Rain

2010-10-25T21:25:00.001-07:00

It has been nothing but rain for the last three days. The sun showed its face for, like, 30 minutes. Otherwise, it has more or less rained for three days straight. The leaves have dropped and when you add a little rain, things get slick, muddy, and wet. I spent the better part of a day getting some logs up to the mill. They were down in the lower area and I just couldn’t get any traction with the ATV, so I had to winch them up by hand. In the rain….which, pretty much sucked.

I tried for about an hour to get this log up the hill with the ATV. This is a 17-footer that I will use for the ridge or plate on the shed. It is large enough to easily get a 6” x 8” beam out of the log. Since the log was right at the bottom hill and it was fairly good size, there was no way to get it up the hill with the log arch.

I had to set up a rope-puller and pull this thing up the hill. With the rope puller, you can move the log about 1/2” at a time. So, to get the log up the hill it took well over an hour.

Taking a break from fighting logs in the rain.

Too lazy to shed my boots.

Eventually, I managed to get the Aspen logs up to the mill. Then, I cut a few beams and boards.

Restroom in the rain.

This morning I cut some board and batten siding and stared closing in the outhouse. I used 3/4” material. The boards are 7” and the battens are 4”.

Poking Holes in Trees

2010-10-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Mr. Henderson

2010-10-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Color Change

2010-10-08T18:17:00.001-07:00

At the Stump Ranch, it is always something different. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been up north. Last time, everything was green, with just a hint of color change. Today, we are already past peak, leaves are everywhere, ferns are dead, and it won’t be too long and there will not be a leaf left on the trees. It looks like the bow hunters are ready to roll and folks are starting to scope out ducks, deer, and bear.

Corey and I left early and returned late, which made a 15 hour work day. But we managed to cut down a number of Aspen trees and milled up a few beams. Then, we hauled the beams home for use as the posts for this winter’s timber frame project.

Corey is ready to haul some logs out the the woods.

The log arch, she takes a beating and keeps on skidding. We had to cut out a section of cable cause it was about trashed. And, one of these days, I will need to haul out the frame and get the tongue straightened up and re-welded (she has been dumped over a time or two).

10-foot logs sections ready for milling. I am getting much better at dropping trees right where I want them. Cut about 10 trees; every one landed right where I planned. However, two trees got hung up. I miss-estimated how tall they were before they were felled. And, every time a tree is hung, it takes a great deal of time to figure out how to get down to the ground safely, which wastes some time.

Corey, doing some thinking. Then, he set up a tarp and drying area where we could stack the milled lumber for dryting.

We were cutting 6” x 6” x 10’ beams that will be used for posts in our storage shed project.

Google Sketch Up

2010-10-01T19:39:00.001-07:00

I never have been much of a detail guy. That is precisely what attracted me to log cabin building to begin with. Just get her close enough; she will be alright. An inch off? Simply find a bigger log next round, that will fix her right up.

Then, somewhere along the line I was introduced to timber frame projects. I’ve taken a class with Corey, made a few tables, learned to cut and draw-pin joints, and figured out how to both operate and sharpen up a chisel.

Now with timber frame work, I’ve been forced to become a little more accurate and, to be successful, a plan is in order.

A plan? Like, actually, writing stuff on paper? Your killing me Smalls. After I fully recovered from my plan-induced panic attack, I realized improving my knowledge associated with plan development was necessary. Ah, another endeavor to occupy my spare time (or keep me from mowing the grass, washing windows, and fixing the things I really should do around the house). In my quest to avoid the honey-do list, I decided it was of critical importance to gain an understanding of Google Sketch Up.

The photo above is my first run at Sketch Up. Actually, it is my second. I spent about 2 hours trying to make the software work by punching keys, hitting buttons, and swearing. Clearly, this approach didn’t work. Plan B was to actually spend an hour following the tutorials and learning to navigate the software. The plan shows a 10’ x 12’ storage shed that I plan to cut this winter and install next spring so I can move some things out of my garage.

So far, I am reasonably impressed with Google Sketch Up capabilities. And, the instructions if you opt to use them work quite well.

The First Log

2010-09-22T18:56:00.001-07:00

Seem like just yesterday that we were starting on the cabin. Mid 2007 I rented a space in Frontenac to start the wall logs. This photo shows the sill log ready for splitting.

When we started on this journey we didn’t own the Stump Ranch property, we had no clue as to how exactly to build the cabin, and we decided that if we built the walls we would be probably be able to figure out how to move it. And, when we purchased our property, which was 3 miles back in the woods, at times, I had to question my sanity.

I’ve had to be patient and persistent. Often, I’ve had to figure out how to get something done with a single set of hands, when the task demanded a dozen or so. And, I’ve learned to appreciate my own company and truly value the time my family and friends have spent helping and visiting.

A Few Projects

2010-09-19T18:59:00.001-07:00

I had a few days off work; I managed to make a little progress at the Stump Ranch. I worked on a number of projects such as siding, planking, and an outhouse roof. As always things move slowly, but I enjoy the process.

The weather is starting to cool off some. I am very grateful for the four-dog stove (and I’ve got most to the gaps closed in so we can hold onto a little bit of the heat).

Jackie, Corey, and Addie visited for a day and helped out on a number of projects. Here Jackie is working on the I think I will try and stay warm project.

Corey and Addie, right near the crack of noon or so.

I framed the window openings up for 30” x 40” windows.

Well, the windows we purchased, they were no where near that size. I had to do some cutting and re-framing.

1/2” aspen cut into clapboard siding and nailed up around the .window. The siding was 7” wide and nailed in place with a 1 and 1/2” overlap.

Planking installed on the eaves. This was cut from Aspen (3/4” x 6”)

Starting the outhouse structure. I used the wood we milled from cutting down trees to make room for the sawmill.

Rafters installed.

A place for the paper…

The outhouse is framed and roofed. Once I haul in a few more logs, I will cut some siding with the TimberKing and finish off the outhouse.

Jackie and Corey built a new fire-pit. This one is much larger than the old one and closer to the cabin.

5 Days Off

2010-09-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

5 days off; weather forecast is in the 60s and I am heading for the Stump Ranch in the morning. My wife, my son, and my future daughter in law will join me for a couple of days, too. Things don't get much better than that.

Cutting Some Flooring

2010-09-07T19:46:00.001-07:00

A friend, Dave, and I made the trip up to The Stump Ranch on Saturday in order to haul up a few of the treasures that Jackie recently acquired. Jackie has been searching the antique stores, the Salvation Army, the consignment stores, and the darker, dungier corners of Goodhue County for cabin furnishings. She has located quite a few things that are needed, like chairs, mirrors, and storage bins.

On Saturday we took the first load of things to the Ranch and used the Oliver and ATV trailer to haul things in.

Since we had a little time after moving the things back to the ranch, we found in necessary to fire up the sawmill so Dave could give her a try. He made short work of a Red Oak log and cut the log into 3/4” Red Oak planking. After the planks dry, we will cut them to a consistent width to use for flooring.

Oliver…she is always ready to roll when we need her.

Dave is checking out the sawmill controls.

Eyeballing the log scale, lining things out so he can cut the 3/4” planking.

We started a stickered, stack of Red Oak.

Stump Ranch Frog

2010-09-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

Re-Engineering

2010-08-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've heard from multiple sources that my open-air outhouse had a serious design flaw that, on occasion, resulted in internal fluids deposited on the back of one's legs when using said outhouse. Additionally, the seat was not designed to properly support the buttocks – and, clearly, the seat did not hold up to repeated use. The outhouse architect failed to properly calculate the number of butt-weight cycles that the seat could withstand before experiencing brittle-fracture failure.

The characters that frequent the Stump Ranch are, in general, mendicants; mooches; scoundrels; and villains who would think nothing of engaging a barrister to accuse me of neglect that allegedly resulted in perforation of their posterior. To avoid large sums of cash extracted from my personal estate, re-engineering the open-air outhouse was necessary .

I conducted extensive research on outhouse form, fit, function, and design. My investigation was exhaustive; yet, I was stumped. Resolution of this issue was beyond my capability. I was depressed and down-trodden; quite certain that I was on my way to bankruptcy. However, a casual discussion with a local professor who is tenured at the Red Wing Community College of Body Geometry and Plywood Ergonomics revealed the solution…gaps. Too many gaps. Gaps create an opening between internal fluid exit points and the backside of the user’s legs.

I was stunned and elated; I could use this information and insight to re-engineer the outhouse and preserve the integrity of my retirement fund. Under the professor's tutelage, I installed aircraft quality plywood at critical locations; the plywood functioned as an internal fluid shield. Additionally, the support structure was re-enforced such that it can now withstand thousands of cycling loads of 300-butt-pounds at a crack.

I believe – through extensive outhouse re-engineering – I have resolved the design defects such that even my harshest critics (James and Jackie, that would be you two) are dry and satisfied.

Windows

2010-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Jackie and I spent the weekend working on the Stump Ranch. We finished installation of the facing boards and drip edge on the eaves and managed to get two windows installed.

Jackie is working on the eave facing board. The facing was Red Oak that was 3/4” by about 10”.

Eaves finished on the south side of the cabin. You can see the live edge we left on the eave facing board.

Windows ready for installation.

Self-portrait.

This is about as clean as it gets.

Southern view from the front of the cabin.

View looking west from the cabin.

Jackie, just goofing off.

Windows installed on the south side of the cabin.

TimberKing 1220

2010-08-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Added a TimberKing logo and set up a page keep track of milling information;

http://peelinglogs.blogspot.com/p/timberking-1220.html

Green Muscle, Table; Fox

2010-08-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hauling in windows.

Red Oak table I made in the garage.

Fox out near the cabin.

Window Shopping

2010-08-21T09:23:00.001-07:00

Jackie is a window freak—light, air, ventilation, and, oh yeah, she don’t like the cheap crap either. Since it is time to get the cabin closed in, I was thinking I would make the windows. I made a few draft plans and priced some materials; it became clear that this was going to be a little spendy and take a great deal of time.

A co-worker told me about an outfit located in Egan, Minnesota called Building Materials Outlet. They have a large warehouse and sell left over materials on consignment from local builders. They have windows, door, cabinets, vanities, etc at very low prices. The builders want to dump the supplies and make a little extra coin (since this stuff was probably already paid for as part of the builders project) and the Building Materials Outlet adds 12% on the top to cover their operating costs.

So, Jackie—the princess of natural light and room ventilation—made two trips to the Building Materials Outlet. One with Corey and Addie and second trip with me. She picked out and we purchased all the windows we need for the cabin. I can’t wait to get them installed.

The windows are not perfectly matched, but we located the sizes we needed and the windows we selected were high quality (Anderson and Pella). And, the prices were great. For example we got a new 42” x 42” Anderson double casement window for $120.

Cabin windows stored in my garage. Jackie and I will haul them out to the Stump Ranch and start installation next week.

We found what we needed. However, for future buildings I will buy the windows and then cut the openings and frame things up. When purchasing windows at reduced prices it would be much easier as we wouldn’t be so limited by size on our selection.

Soon to be…Eave Facing

2010-08-15T20:00:00.001-07:00

High winds and storms knocked a good-sized Red Oak branch out of a tree.

The branch is bucked into tow 8’ sections to account for a bow about 1/2 down the branch.

No problem for the log arch and ATV.

Two pieces of Red Oak that will be used to cut the facing boards for the eaves.