Do-it-yourself manual cutting of log cabins. Round timber house: construction technology

Currently, an increasing number of people are starting to build a log house with their own hands from profiled timber or round timber. This is not just a tribute to fashion. Cutting a wooden frame is not such a complicated process, the materials are relatively inexpensive, and the result is reliable, simple and brings a lot of positive emotions to the master.

The advantages of a wooden house are that it is environmentally friendly, has low thermal conductivity, which ensures a comfortable temperature inside the building at any time of the year. There are not so many disadvantages: the service life of a wooden structure is in the range of 50-100 years, it is problematic to make an extension to it, the fire hazard of the building is high even with special wood processing.

Necessary materials and tools

You can build a log house or a log cabin with your own hands in one season if you have the material and the necessary tools. For this you will need:

• chainsaw;
• axes;
• chisels;
• mallets and hammers;
• electric drill;
• staples, nails and other fasteners.

We remind you that dry logs or special profiled beams are used for a wooden log house, so the material must be prepared approximately 7-10 months before the start of construction, but the foundation for a log house can be prepared even 1 month in advance. The wooden elements of the structure are light, so the probability of shrinkage of the foundation is very low. The exception is foundations that will be built on light soils. Sandy ground and too deep clay layer indicate that the foundation must be reliable and prepared at least 6 months before the start of the main construction phase.

The order of construction work

So, the foundation has been made, all the tools are available, there is the required amount of dry logs at hand (pre-prepare them before cutting the log house), you can begin to build the bowl of the building. A layer of waterproofing is laid on the foundation. You can apply roofing felt (in 3-4 layers) or use more modern materials. The lower part of the log will have to be cut under the cord to give it a flat plane. The same operation is recommended to be done with the upper part.

Two prepared logs are laid longitudinally on the foundation. In the place where there will be a connection with a transverse log, it is necessary to give it the appropriate profiling. Usually the connection is made in a paw: the edges of the log are profiled so that they have the shape of a rectangular trapezoid in the end part and are reduced to a rectangular shape at the junction with the round part of the log.

The transverse log is profiled in the same way. The connection of the angle to the paw requires accurate measurements and calculations in order to avoid gaps. Sometimes additional wedges driven between the profiled parts of the logs help to eliminate miscalculations. But this cannot be considered a way out: as a result, a cold zone will form in the corners, which will cause the structure to freeze and the material to be damaged by a fungus from excess moisture entering the joint. The dovetail connection resembles the same paw, but in the central part it has a protrusion that helps to make the corner more airtight.

The first crown and reliable connections

The first crown of the log house is the key, so its quality must be taken very responsibly. For additional strength of the joints, a vertical tenon is often used. To do this, both logs need to be drilled through and a wooden spike (oak) of a slightly larger diameter should be hammered into the resulting hole. To prevent spikes from falling into each other, arrange them in a checkerboard pattern. Properly organized connection with spikes will not allow the walls to walk.

An important point is the longitudinal density of the walls. Between themselves, the logs should be connected as tightly as possible. In this regard, the felling of a log house can be carried out in various ways. Specially prepared profiled beams do not need to be adjusted. Round timber does not have this quality, so it must be customized. The two most commonly used options are:

1. Logs from opposite sides are given flat profiling. In the log crowns, these planes lie on top of each other and provide a tight connection.
2. Each log initially needs to be “selected” - to make a longitudinal recess of a rounded shape. This recess will provide a large area of ​​​​contact with the log of the lower crown. The advantages of this method are also that the wall elements will have an additional opportunity to avoid precipitation from entering the junctions. The service life of the building will be much higher.

The second profiling option seems to be more practical. To prepare such a chopped log, it is advisable to use a special ax (in the form of a chopper) or a regular one, but it will be somewhat more difficult to work here.

The need for sealing

In any case, the walls will require additional sealing. The crowns are stacked on top of each other by additional processing of the seams. Various modern means for this are available in specialized stores.

Since you are building your own house or bathhouse from environmentally friendly wood, you should not use synthetic sealants for sealing. It is better to return to tradition and use moss to seal the seams. It is easy to prepare, it dries very quickly. And it is easy to caulk the seams with moss: we lay it at the joints, seal it with a wooden wedge and a mallet.

A simple tapping will allow you to detect all the shortcomings in the connections in a timely manner and eliminate them in time.

The antiseptic properties of moss will allow the logs to remain dry and unharmed for a long time.

With such a careful approach to the material and finish, you yourself will be able to give advice to friends on how to make a log house yourself.

One of the oldest building structures - a wooden frame - is now confidently returning to individual construction. The reason is not only the prestigious appearance of log buildings: a log house breathes very well - in summer it is not hot in it, in winter it is warm without additional insulation, and the humidity is kept optimal. Putting a log house with your own hands is a rather difficult task., but feasible for a hardworking and attentive beginner, and saving money in this case, compared with a custom-made log house, can be 2-3 times. But no less important is the fact that the service life of a home-made log house can exceed 100 or even 200 years, while the standard for chopped building structures is 40 years; really the best typical log cabins cost 50-70 years. Reason - to put a log house for several generations, you need to observe a lot of subtleties in your work about which this article is written; they will also help to extend the life of a typical log house and make it more resistant. Good carpenters most often know them, but not every millionaire can afford to pay for such painstaking work. And with your own hands, for yourself, it will cost only about a year of extra time: before the construction continues, the correct original log house must stand from heat to heat through the winter.

Prerequisites

Not only before the start of work - before all thoughts about them, you need to clearly understand certain rules and apply them to your own conditions. After that, the material is selected - a wild log, rounded, timber - and the actual construction technology.

Bar, cylinder or savage?

Dimensional sawn timber is commercially available up to 12 m long. But edged 3- or 4-edged timber can be spliced ​​in length (see below), so a log cabin on a normally buried foundation can, in principle, be very large, at the top left in fig. below. A profile bar for a log house is quite expensive, but it is sold as ready-made kits for a house, a bath, etc. (see the figure on the right), which are often accompanied by a standard project. Its approval passes without problems, and the log house itself can only be assembled according to the attached instructions and let it stand for weight shrinkage for the time indicated there. The real service life of a house made of such a bar will be 60-70 years, and with high-quality caulking and regular annual care (renewal of the impregnation outside) - up to 100 years.

There are no reliable ways to connect longitudinally round logs, therefore the maximum length of a round log house is 12 m outside. You can add living space by erecting an extension along with the house and on a common foundation with it (at the top right in the figure), but taking into account all the restrictions on cutting into a log house, the width of the extension is no more than 2/3 of the length of the wall to which it adjoins. The maximum possible variant of this type is a 12x12 log house without walls, from each wall of which a 6x6 extension sticks out. The service life is the same as that of a timber structure, tk. rounded log is actually a kind of profiled timber.

Basic Rules

A wild log house made from self-purchased and prepared logs can stand for more than 200 years; log cabins from wild logs are known, which are more than 600. A wild log is not a measured material and can be harvested more than 12 m long. But the assembly of a log cabin from a “savage” is so peculiar that we will return to it a little further, but for now we will complete the analysis of log house construction rules (see fig. and list below):

• The fire safety of log buildings is not higher than average. Impregnation with the best modern flame retardants (impregnating materials for fire resistance) will extinguish a burning rag that has fallen on the floor and slow down the spread of flames from a strong fire so that people have time to evacuate and, possibly, partially remove property. But, even if the fire is quickly extinguished, the remains of the house will have to be demolished and a new one built.
• The cost of the materials themselves for a cheap wild log house is at least twice as much as for a frame or panel house of the same usable volume.
• The complexity of building a log house is very high. If you manage to make a log house for 12 crowns over the summer without experience (this is a ceiling of 2.5-2.7 m), and at the same time you will waste no more than 10% of the harvested material, then you are a nugget carpenter.
• A chainsaw, a drill, and perhaps a stationary circular saw and a planer will greatly help to reduce the time of building a log house, but the proportion of skilled manual work is still high. To assemble a log house, just swinging your arms until your bones ache is not enough. It is necessary to work measuredly, carefully, slowly, all the time using the eye, accuracy and ingenuity.
• It is possible to build a log house from a wild log for a bathhouse or a non-residential house (dacha, country summer, hunting) on ​​an unburied foundation on soils up to strongly heaving.
• The assembly of the log house is carried out entirely at once - along with the chopped porch, veranda, summer kitchen, hallway, dressing room, etc. outbuildings. There are technical possibilities to postpone the completion of the entire building “for later”, see pos. 1 in Fig., they are technically unacceptable: the duration and nature of the shrinkage of the log house is significantly different from those of other wooden building structures.

• Cutting a log house into a corner without residue (see below), which significantly saves material, will require the use of joints that are asymmetric about the longitudinal axis of the log or beam. In this case, the overlapping ends of the units of material must pass from one side of the corner to the other on odd and even crowns, pos. 2. A template for marking grooves and spikes can be used alone, but when marking the next crown, it must not only be rotated, but also turned over so that the marking comes out in a mirror image. To do this, the sides of the template are marked "H" (odd) and "H" (even).
• Do not put the log house on the backing bars, pos. 3. The log house does not need either a bearing support or a damping pad - it holds itself. The foundation is covered with waterproofing and a log house is assembled right on it. And the slats under the frame can be, and often are, a loophole for rot and pests.
• The installation of the log house is carried out immediately on the spot, i.е. on the foundation of the building, while immediately making a rough caulking stretch (pos. 4); however, . Assembling a frame to make it easier to work upside down next to the foundation and then shifting crown after crown into place is a crude hack, suitable for temporary or completely unassuming buildings, for example. taiga winter quarters.
• The floor in chopped buildings is made only floating, pos. 5. It is unacceptable to cut the load-bearing beams of the floor (beams) into logs or logs!

Building from timber

A log cabin is suitable for all types of log buildings. It is the most resistant, durable and can stand on a non-buried foundation on moving soils. So let's start the analysis in more detail with him.

Tool

In addition to the usual building to a tree, a special tool, which was mentioned above, is absolutely necessary to cut down a log house. For the construction of a cut timber frame, you can do without it.

You will need at least 2 axes: a carpenter's with a straight blade and a carpenter's with a convex one, on the left in fig. If there is a chainsaw, a cleaver is not needed - with its help, the logs are cut in half in the old fashioned way and chipped off from them. An ax with an asymmetrically convex blade (top right in the figure), and a set of adzes (bottom right) will also be very useful. A wooden sledgehammer-barsik will greatly improve the quality of work and reduce the muscular efforts required for it by 2-3.5 kg, in the sidebar.

The devil's carpentry tool will be absolutely necessary. On sale under this name there are many similarities of calipers, but they can only be accurately marked on the most expensive rounded logs. A real carpenter's trait is a weighty, rough, visible tool (see the figure on the right), which allows you to mark manually debarked wild woods. You can make a line for marking logs yourself (see the drawing at the bottom right in the same figure), and it will be more convenient to work with it: a longitudinal through hole is drilled in the handle away from the axis for a guide pin, which is fixed with a screw or wedge. With such a feature, even a completely green one, but a neat beginner will be able to correctly mark a very clumsy log, see below.

About wild logs

It is a wild log house that can withstand hundreds of years, gradually caking into a kind of monolith. A house or a bathhouse breathes in full force from a wild log. If the Finnish bathhouse can still be built from galvanized logs or timber, then the original Russian bathhouse is cut only by a “savage”. How to put a wild frame for a bath, see for example. video

Video: log cabin from a wild log

To understand the secrets of a wild log, let's look at the structure of its cut, see fig. on right. The wild log is debarked by hand along, and not rotated in a peeler; therefore, it is necessary to purchase wild timber for felling from the loggers, and from sellers - only unbarked. When manually debarking logs, the cambium is preserved - layers of wood of a special structure. In a living tree, it is the cambium that gives the trunk an increase in thickness and the formation of the layers underlying it. And in the frame - the best breath of the tree; in a Russian bath - the optimal ability of the walls to receive and give off heat. Manual debarking (barking) of logs is a laborious task, but if you want your descendants to be surprised: “In great-grandfather he built!”, Then it’s worth it, see the video:

Video: removing bark from logs (barking) yourself

Note: The cambium is most developed in the ancient contemporaries of dinosaurs - conifers. In flowering dicotyledons it is thinner and of a different structure, while in monocotyledonous trees (eg palm trees) it does not exist at all.

Lumberjacks sell wild wood for self-delivery most often freshly felled or, sometimes, last year's, otherwise it makes no sense for them to give a discount (and a considerable one at that). Wild timber purchased from loggers for a log cabin, and taking into account the payment for a timber carrier flight, will cost much cheaper than even a bare log aged at a timber exchange. Which also look for - here it is more profitable for merchants to give the savage for processing and sell the seasoned lumber. That is, the purchased wild forest will need to be dried in their pile, see the plot:

Video: drying timber for a log house

Which one to buy?

Of great importance for the stability and durability of the log house is the time of harvesting wood. A number of experts believe that the best wood for a log house is chopped in the second half of summer and early autumn. At this time (after seed maturation), the tree's own moisture content is the lowest. The natural moisture in a tree is not just water, but saps with nutrients that are attractive to pests. Closer to winter, the tree again gains sap for wintering: in winter it sleeps, but lives, and maintains its life with reserves of sap. Indeed, the Mediterranean peoples cut down ship timber at the autumn equinox, but in regions with severe winters, this argument is invalid.

In the northern countries, the best forest for felling has always been considered winter. It's not that in the old days the forest was cut selectively - logging by quarters in countries rich in wood was practiced centuries before the appearance of the Gulag and convicts; The NKVD used the already proven methods of forest management. And it’s not that it’s easier to take a log out of the forest on a sleigh than on a cart: the carrying capacity, cross-country ability and maneuverability of a horse-drawn sleigh outside a well-trodden road is worse than that of a cart.

The point is in the ways in which the tree is protected from freezing moisture in the vessels. If the juices of the tree freeze, it will die without being damaged by frost. Higher plants "got used" to use one of the anomalous properties of water - in the capillaries, its freezing temperature drops; nanotubes manage to keep water viscous, but still liquid at –130 Celsius (!). Coniferous plants are very ancient, their vascular system is not yet so perfect, so for the winter they add more resinous substances to the juices; it is this juice that flows out in the spring when conifers are tapped onto the resin. From a tree cut down in winter, water evaporates during drying, and the resin remains. In a loaded structure, it is still fluidly squeezed out to the open ends of the vessels, where it quickly bituminizes in the air and blocks the way for pests, and only occasionally very rare species of them are able to bite into or leak spores through a dry cambium.

Note: as a result, the highest quality timber for log cabins is harvested in regions with high air humidity, abundant snow and fairly low winter temperatures. In the Russian Federation - from Karelia in a strip to the south to the Pskov region.

Log selection

Not measured timber for suitability for processing is rejected by geometry very roughly, and measured timber is calibrated as far as the properties of wood allow: 1% in length. That is, the curvature of the log, and, what is even more important for us, the difference in the diameters of the butt and top parts of the pole (butt and top of a raw business log) is allowed 1 cm / m. If you throw logs into a log house as you have to, then the warp of a 3x4 m bath from 10 crowns of 30 cm logs can run up to half a meter. Therefore, the logs prepared for the log house must be sorted before drying, disassembled along the sides of the building, and marked - which crown of which wall and in which direction will fall.

If you collect a log house in bulk, it will turn out the same as on the left in Fig. below. Not only is it not worthy of the standard term - for a 12-crown, due to the need to trim each crown, it will take 4 more logs. Which cost a lot of money. After 5-10 years, the log house splits in bulk, caulk climbs out of it, and rots or is affected by a bug. But the frame, assembled from logs, the butts and tops of which are mutually oriented from crown to crown (on the right in the figure), only settles down and gains strength over time.

In a log cabin made of rounded logs, it is also desirable to orient the butts with tops in the opposite direction; this increases the real life of its service by 1.5-2 times against the calculated one. In both cases, in addition to the evenness of the calculation, the direction of convergence of annual layers plays a role. The resinous balsam is squeezed out more towards the butt, and in a properly folded frame, the logs seem to help each other resist external influences. It is difficult to determine the direction of the convergence of the layers according to the texture of the rounded log, and on spruce and larch it is often impossible, but the “tails” of the knots serve as an excellent indicator: in crowns adjacent in height, they should be in different directions, compare on the left and right in Fig.

Note: when sorting logs into a log house, put those that are thicker on the crowns, which are lower. Up the thickness of the logs should decrease. How can a beer bottle stand better - on the bottom or on the neck? A log house made of logs, dispersed in size in height at random, will stand at best for a standard period.

Which cut?

A log house in a corner has one advantage: a significantly lower material consumption. The correct protrusion of the obla is from 1 foot, i.e. more than 30.5 cm. Now they give an oblo of 20-25 cm, but this also reduces the maximum possible service life of a log house from this log by 1.5-2 times. A short oblo makes sense only in a frame made of re-glued logs. Let's estimate: a log house in the oblo 6x9 of 12 crowns. A total of 96 protruding ends of 30 cm each - 28.8 m of a log! The obla took either almost 5 short logs, or more than 3 long logs. For money - it bites painfully. In all other respects - in terms of strength, rigidity, durability, appearance - a log house in a corner is inferior to a log house with a remainder. Especially - in terms of durability: none of the log cabins, which are more than 100 years old, are cut into a corner. The obla serve as a kind of bituminized plugs that do not let pests into the tree, and the grooves of the log house (see below) are closed. The ends of the logs in the corner are more open to external influences.

crown crown

Salary is the lowest and most responsible crown of the log house. The quality of the entire log house as a whole depends a lot on the quality of its assembly. The conditional plane covering the flashing crown must be horizontal, so the logs for it are selected and prepared very carefully.

Not only in RuNet, but also in many old printed manuals for carpenters, one important point in laying the blind crown is missed: what to do with the gap between it and the foundation, which is formed on 2 sides, if the crown crown is done like the rest (shown by red arrows in pos. .1 and 2 fig.)

Lay with a board or a beam? Gate for harmful living creatures, rot and mold: there is no cambium on lumber. Lay the foundation with ledges (pos 3)? And where is it said about such people with SNIPs? It will crack when settling. A correctly crowned crown of a log house, especially a log house for a house, is assembled using a half log (pos. 4):

1. On the short sides of the log house, 1 (one) thickest log, the least converging to the top, is selected; ideally cylindrical.
2. On the long sides, 2 logs are selected, possibly more equal in thickness and also less converging at the tops.
3. Edges are removed from long logs for laying on the foundation so that the heights of the cross sections of the logs from the edge plane to the top of the cut D are equal along the entire length, see below.
4. The log on the short sides is halved lengthwise or a chopping block is cut out of it (still useful) so that the height of the resulting slabs T is equal to half D along the entire length.
5. The slabs are laid on the foundation.
6. Long logs are placed on the slabs with the edges down and the tops in opposite directions.
7. A line is marked on long logs for cutting grooves for assembly into a flake (an inverted bowl, see below).
8. Long logs are removed and grooves are selected in them.
9. Long logs are put in place - they will be protruding halfway over short slabs.
10. Further assembly of the log house is carried out in accordance with the daily manuals (see below).

Note: do not forget here and everywhere further when selecting grooves, give an allowance of 5-7 mm for caulking! And how to make a carriage for a chainsaw for longitudinal sawing of logs, see the video below.

Video: carriage for longitudinal cutting of logs for a log house

How to remove edging

Removing the edge from long logs (they, by the way, are called beds in the crown, and short croakers are called boys) for laying on the foundation is also a responsible matter. Walking along the bed with a chainsaw will not work, you will have to work with your hands. Bring down the edge into the prone, as shown in the inset at the top left in fig. lower, maybe an experienced carpenter, and even then in a hurry. The fact is that the ax under its weight will turn with the blade down, and the tactile (muscular) feeling of a person has a threshold of sensitivity. A beginner without developed muscular skills will feel the departure of the ax when he is already biting below the cuts (see below), automatically turn it up, and the whole edge will turn out to be humpbacked. Correctly, the edge is removed from the bed with an ax in the air (see also the figure below):

• From a pair of beds, a thinner one is chosen, placed with its top (!) On a support (preferably in a groove on it) and temporarily fixed with brackets, pos. 1 in fig.
• The axial (central) line is marked with a plumb line, a notch is made along it on the support, and a plumb line is marked corresponding to the width of the edge in half the diameter of the log (forming the edge). Measure the height of the bed at the top D, pos. 4, pos. 2 and 3.
• Shift the bed with a butt on a support. On a plumb line, the axial one is set vertically at the top. D is laid on the butt, and according to the marks on the butt and the top, the outline of the edging is beaten off with a coated cord, pos. 4. It will turn out to be slightly divergent, but when laying down, its top line will be horizontal.
• Repeat operations with another bed, setting aside the resulting value D on its butt and top.
• They put beds on the boys, mark the bowls on them and collect the crown crown, as described above.

Longitudinal grooves

Before continuing work, we will decide what will be the longitudinal grooves in the logs of the log house, or buy logs with which grooves. The stability and durability of the log house depend on this more than on the methods of cutting, because. it is the longitudinal grooves that keep the caulking, and if they are not properly executed, are the most convenient place to start warping and / or introducing rot and pests.

The corner groove (pos. 1 in the figure) can be cut with any ax, incl. marching. But it needs a lot of caulking, and when the log cabin shrinks and shrinks, the wings of the groove diverge, revealing layers of wood without cambium, less resistant to external influences. Waste material is large. It is used for self-construction of non-residential buildings in haste from waste or free materials, for example. taiga huts from deadwood.

The lunar groove (pos. 2) is often called Canadian, and the angular Russian, which is wrong. Both of these grooves are Russian, because the traditions and techniques of wooden architecture were brought to Canada and to America in general by the Russian pioneers of Alaska. The lunar groove does not open during shrinkage / shrinkage (pos. 3). To cut it down (see below), you need a carpenter's ax, or, better, an ax, or, even better, an adze. The disadvantage is that the caulk needs quite a lot of rough (in a puff), and to it - high-quality finishing (in a set).

If a log house is cut from a wild log, then so that the rudimentary crack goes as it should, and the groove is made shallow, 2-3 cm, longitudinal pioneer washed down (marked in bright green in pos. 2). If the frame is made of galvanized or glued logs with a moon groove, then it has already passed its own shrinkage and shrinkage, and only the weight remains in the structure. Then a deep, through the entire sapwood to the core, a pioneer gash is made on the vault of a log, pos. 4a. Under weight load, the groove will not diverge by itself, but will compress the arch of the lower log.

Note: over time, cracks will appear on the outer surface of the log, but they are not dangerous - they do not violate the strength of the structure and occur when the core of the log turns into pure lignin, which is unsuitable for the settlement of pest germs.

You need to be very careful when choosing ready-made logs with a moon groove (and Finnish, see below). The groove should sit on the lower log with wings in a small, up to 7 mm, gap inside, pos. 4a. If the upper log sits on the lower one, somewhat softening the professional jargon, “booty on the pussy”, pos. 4b, i.e. the gap is “squeezed out” onto the wings of the groove, this is an unacceptable marriage - caulking from such a groove will immediately climb, and a log house from such logs is unlikely to stand for more than 10-15 years.

Finnish groove, pos. 5, is also performed without an upper cut on wild logs (pos. 5a) and with a cut on rounded and glued logs, pos. 5 B. Moss suitable for caulking a log house is less the further north, and flax, hemp (on tow), and even more so jute, do not grow in Finland. Therefore, the Finnish groove requires a minimum of rough caulking and does not require finishing at all. However, you can choose it only at the sawmill or, manually, with a special tool being a very experienced carpenter. Just in case, we give a drawing of the Finnish groove for the most common log with a diameter of 260 mm (see the figure on the right); the required accuracy is 0.25 mm.

Log cabin in oblo

Depending on the local conditions and the type of foundation, the log cabin can be assembled in various ways. It will come out of the wild forest from the harvester and not overly expensive.

Cutting the logs into the bowl, see fig. below., or Russian (but - see above) is the easiest: the marking of the bowl and the longitudinal groove is carried out at the same time along the upper log, which is not processed deferred, see fig. on right. The upper log is placed in place, the groove on the lower crown is marked with a line. The upper log is removed, the groove is selected, the upper log is put back. The marking accuracy is the highest possible: a good frame can be folded into a bowl from completely clumsy waste logs. But the stability of the frame in the bowl is low, even if it is from a selected winter savage - water flows into the bowl and the longitudinal groove. Temporary and non-residential buildings are hastily cut into the bowl; sometimes - log cabins with a relay. They are collected away from the foundation upside down (from the upper crowns to the lower ones) and then the crown by crown is transferred to the foundation, see above. This is a bad way, because either during a rough assembly, the log house will not converge exactly, or, if you do not give allowances for caulking, it will come out initially slitted.

Assembling the log house into an okhlop, i.e. into an inverted bowl (“Canadian”, and again - see above!) requires careful marking and selection of grooves (see below), because they are also marked in place, but separately, and the upper log after marking is processed separately to the side. But every one of the log cabins, which are over 100, are collected exclusively in a hood.

There are several varieties of grooves in the upper log for a log house, see the right in fig. above. A cut into an okhryap is also called a Russian castle, and from this point of view it is “even more rustic” - choosing a groove with a flat bottom is much easier than a circular (semicircular) one. It is used for non-residential buildings (baths, etc.) without internal load-bearing partitions; if on a non-buried foundation, then on stable, well-bearing (from 0.7 kgf / sq. cm) non-rocky and slightly heaving soils.

Cutting into a comb into a comb (sometimes they write - into a oval comb) is made for the same buildings, on the contrary, on moving soils in areas where the tree is not subject to decay. A little common way, because. water flows into the longitudinal groove, and the upper log must be removed and processed to the side to select the groove. The cut into the okhryap with finishing (edging) of the ends is decorative - this is how log cabins are placed, the outer and inner surfaces of the walls of which are hemmed under the finish. Log cabins for residential buildings are placed in a hood with a fat tail in areas where the tree is prone to rotting, on moving soils, and in a hood with a fat tail and a comb - on them, but in drier places and where pests are not so common.

Marking logs for a log house

The marking of grooves on logs for log cabins in the oblo and in the corner is done in various ways, but in both cases it requires the utmost accuracy from the master. And therefore it is considered in one section.

When marking the logs of the log house into the flank, the bowls are first marked (on the left in the figure; the calculated ratios for both grooves are also given there), but they are not cut down yet. Attention: if you put up a frame from a wild log, then the diameter d for marking the bowl must be taken from the lower, already laid in the frame, transverse relative to the new log!

The longitudinal groove is also marked in place and along the lower, but now the longitudinal log, i.e. lying under the new, pos. 1 on the right in fig. It is extremely important not to skew the line (pos. 2), so it is either put on the hammer handle or equipped with a guide pin (see above); experienced carpenters do not disdain this technique, who care primarily about the quality of work, and not about window dressing.

After marking, a longitudinal groove is first sawn under the sample. With a chainsaw (pos. 3), this is not so simple: you need, without seeing the end of the blade with the chain, to draw it exactly along the arc of the circle, so many craftsmen still prefer not to cut the groove, but to cut it with an ax or, in extreme cases, carpentry axe. In any case, cuts / notches are made evenly along the length so that the groove is, as it were, divided into squares. After that, the groove is cut down with diagonal blows with a carpenter's ax (pos. 4) or, better, with an ax. If the log house is made of wild logs, this is enough - the logs will sit tightly on top of each other. If the groove is on a rounded log, then it is not completely selected with an ax, but is brought clean with an adze. Now you can also choose a groove-bowl, lay a rough caulk and put the log in place.

Note 6: the selection of grooves and the laying of logs in place are carried out in pairs - two short, two long. After assembling each crown, its horizontalness is checked and, if necessary, trimmed. And do not forget about 5-7 mm allowances per caulk!

Log cabins in the corner (corner) are assembled almost exclusively in the paw. There is no need to use methods for connecting beams (see below) for a material length of up to 12 m: a round log is much stronger and stiffer than a rectangular beam of that transverse area.

How to mark logs for a log house in a paw is shown in fig. A paw with a notch is used if any of the sides of the log house is longer than 4.5 m.

If you are going to put a log house in a paw, be sure to consider the following: first, due to the transition of the spike and the groove under it from one side of the corner to the other on odd and even crowns (see above), the markings must be made, respectively, straight or mirror. The second - when assembling from a wild log, the smallest of the diameters of the logs of the previous already folded crown is taken as the base size for breaking down into 8 shares in height (see Fig.). The matter turns out to be troublesome, therefore, often the upper and lower edges are removed from the logs for a log house in the paw, so that a semi-edged timber of the same height is obtained. Then the same template is suitable for marking, the log house will come out stronger, warmer, and more suitable for a bath. True, it will cost 4 extra logs for 3-5 crowns, so in the end, a log house made of logs in a paw turns out to save material only in length, and its consumption in cubic meters may turn out to be even more than not chopped into a cloud.

About the reinforcement of the log house

When dismantling old, but still quite suitable for their intended purpose, log cabins on either side longer than 14 feet (4.27 m), it turns out that almost all of them are additionally fastened with oak or beech dowels, see fig. on right. The strength of a frame made of wild logs on dowels becomes extraordinary over time: it can be torn off the foundation with jacks without gun carriages, loaded with a crane into a truck and transported intact to the museum. And if you still need to break it, then sometimes you had to use a ball-woman, otherwise the disassembly turned into an unbearable burden.

The diameter of the dowels for fastening the log house is 40-60 mm. Length - 100-130 mm. Blind holes for dowels are drilled 1.5-2 mm after marking, processing the fit in place of all logs of the next crown. In rough caulking, holes are cut out for dowels at the site, on the contrary, 3-5 mm wider. The dowels are carefully hammered into the lower log with a leopard. Then the top log is placed and set in place with a heavy piece of log with a handle, the same as a wooden rammer.

Log cabin

A log cabin is predominantly “homemade” - it gives, in addition to the ability to increase the size of the building (see above), walls that breathe more freely than log cabins, which is more suitable for residential premises. A bath from a bar is best obtained by Finnish or Russian light family, see video:

Video: do-it-yourself log house using a bath as an example

Longitudinal connection

The possibility of building up beams for a log house in length is so significant that it should be stopped first of all: if the joint of the beams disperses, then the best thing that will follow is a complex repair. And in the worst case scenario - temporary eviction from the house and the bulkhead of the log house.

Connection in a direct lock (on the left in the figure) is the most reliable mechanically and technologically simple, but locks. It is recommended to use it if it goes under an additional finish that protects against moisture, for example. siding sheathing. The connection in an oblique lock does not draw in moisture, however, it is more difficult to perform and it is less durable. The junction of the beams into an oblique lock must be reinforced with dowels fastening the crowns (see below), 0.6 m on both sides.

Half-tree connections, straight and oblique (on the right in the figure) with dowels at the joint in the log house, are absolutely unreliable: operational stresses can simply cut off the dowels, and the beam will suddenly turn out of the log house; especially if the joint is oblique. The author of these lines, in the days of his rather careless youth, had a chance to witness how a beam that “shot” from a log house killed a covener on the spot. Literally brains blew out spray. The case is already painful, and then there is the investigation - the corpse after all. The local district police officer sided with the hard workers, but an investigator for especially important cases came from the region. And this Stalinist last child with a circular trace from a cap on the brain, instead of all the convolutions, was tightly sewn up where people have thoughts: nothing happens without a culprit. The accident is a Trotsky-bourgeois invention. As it turned out, not at all from ideological considerations: in order to please the excuse for this, I beg your pardon, garbage from the Soviets, the team had to fork out almost half of their summer earnings. There was simply no more available. As the men discussed this incident among themselves, the boatswain from the flagship of the fleet of Peter the Great would have heard. But enough of the black lyrics, back to the topic.

Corner connection

A log house from a bar can also be assembled into a cloud and into a corner without residue. It is not so rare to put log cabins in the field: more or less “primordially” they still look, but most often log cabins are still assembled in a corner: the savings on material here are not relative.

Methods for assembling a log house from a bar into an oblo are shown on the left in fig. The half-tree connection is the simplest and least durable. It is used for non-residential buildings of small size (up to 4x6 m) without load-bearing partitions. There is no big difference in putting such a log house in the okhlop or in a bowl, because. grooves with a flat bottom and sheer walls. The connection in the fat tail is used if the log house is made of beams that are composite along the length; in okhryap - for log cabins of residential buildings from a single bar. Most of the sales kits for log cabins are prepared for joining into ocher.

The connections of the corners of the log cabin are shown at the top in fig. The butt joint of high-quality bars noticeably saves material, but is fragile. Assembly on a plug-in spike for corners is rarely used, and only for buildings no larger than about 3.5x5 m. More often, a plug-in spike connection is used as an additional one when installing load-bearing partitions.

If, however, the corner of the log house is butt-joined on the plug-in spike, then it is highly desirable to use a pair (more precisely, three) spike-groove (s) of the dovetail type, see fig. The thorn itself is made of hard, thin-layer hardwood, resistant to external influences, for example. oak. A mirror template for marking the dovetail is not needed, it is enough to alternate the overlapping bars of the crowns adjacent in height.

The connection in the paw is most often used in log cabins of baths and non-residential buildings; we will dwell on it below in more detail. The butt joint on the root spike (see Fig.) is technologically the most difficult, but durable, suitable for residential buildings and has the most valuable quality: it allows the use of defective warped timber for the assembly of a log house. After a year of exposure to shrinkage, it levels out, and if you remove it from the log house, it will be no worse than the standard one. However, at least 4-6 high-quality bars should be placed in each of the log walls between the “screw” ones, i.e. it is impossible to buy a complete substandard for a log house at a cheap price: the connection in the root only allows you to put into action a marriage that accidentally wormed its way into the party; In no case should you put a defective beam in the crown crown!

When assembling the log house, the warped beam is gradually pulled into place with hoists, in the course of straightening it is fastened with the already laid dowels, see fig. on right. When it comes to the spike, it is cut to fit into the groove, hammered into place with a leopard and wedged, turning the very end of the warped beam so that it fits snugly on the bottom. Now we need a technical break in work for 2-3 days, so that the strongest internal stresses disperse in the forcibly stuffed timber.

The half-tree connection on the plug-in spike is rarely used, because. requires the most selective ideally even timber of natural drying (not in a heat chamber or microwave). It is more used when installing partitions, butt joint on the plug-in spike, see fig.:

Note: about the corner joints of a log house from a bar, see also the video review below.

Video: about the corner joints of the beam

Partitions in a log cabin

Another important advantage of a log cabin is that it is much easier than a log cabin to partition it inside with both load-bearing and simple planning bulkheads. Methods for inserting partitions into a timber frame are shown below in fig. above with the connection diagrams of the timber.

Butt joint assembly on a plug-in spike is used to install light bulkheads: it does not weaken the frame itself, and the bulkhead beam may not be the same size as that in the frame. A half-pan tie-in (so to speak, on a dovetail “half-tail”) is most suitable for load-bearing partitions of a residential building, because. practically does not weaken the chopped box, but, on the contrary, strengthens it and itself adheres to it tightly. The spikes of the semi-frying pan should be mirrored from crown to crown (shown by the red arrow).

The insertion of a single partition with a frying pan (dovetail) weakens the frame, but strengthens it if the box-shaped structure that holds the load well is attached: chopped canopy, summer kitchen, bath at the house, and other chopped extension on a common foundation with the house. On the 2-sided main tenon, partitions are cut that are subject to periodic operational loads; preim. thermal. For example, enclosing the kitchen, cold hallways, a bathroom, or next to which there is a house stove. In this case, the tie-ins on the root spike of the crowns, starting from the 2nd, should alternate with butt joints on the plug-in spike (shown by the red arrow), otherwise the frame itself will be excessively weakened.

Installation of a log cabin

The main problems of a log house from a bar are the transverse displacement of the bars due to warping and squeezing out the caulk. There are a lot of beam profiles for log cabins designed to avoid both (see some samples in the figure), but there are no methods yet to put a log cabin without reinforcing it with pins (through dowel pins).

How the installation of a log house in a paw from a bar is carried out, shown in the following. rice. on the example of a bar 150 mm. Marking for other sizes (top left) is carried out similarly: top - square; on the side - a bevel at half the thickness. The tongue-and-groove junctions should alternate mirror-like from crown to crown, bottom left. Hardwood dowels should enter the lower beam at 1/3 of its height; based on this, the drilling depth limiter 5 is set on the right in fig. Plus an allowance of 5-7 mm for caulking, don't forget! The diameter of the dowels is 30-40 mm; the diameter of the holes for them is 1.5-2 mm smaller. It is better to hammer pins with a snow leopard, so much less expensive oak or beech round timber will go to waste. From the edge of any opening to the nearest dowel must be at least 120 cm.

Beams for a log house imitating a log

Sometimes, to imitate (however, not very convincing even for a non-specialist) a log cabin for a log house, a 3-edged edged beam or a lamella of the same profile is used. It's so popular that 3-sided timber is sold under the clever name D-log. D-logs are often sold with ready-made tenons and grooves for butt joint (in a corner) or in a cloud. When buying these, keep in mind that they are “mirror-like” and go on sale as “round-flat” and “flat-round”, see fig. on right. From those and others, opposite walls are assembled in pairs (if the bars are of the same length) or adjacent crowns adjacent in height, if the length of the bars is different.

Openings in a log house

A log house without windows and doors was placed only in the old days as a cruel punishment for dangerous criminals, rebels and those objectionable to the authorities. Given a choice, many convicts preferred the death penalty by beheading or by hanging rather than being cut down. So anyone will have to make openings for windows and doors in a log house.

An opening in a log house is much easier to make than in any other wall: it is simply cut out, see fig.:

It is necessary to fulfill only 3 conditions: at least 1.5 logs or at least 2.5 beams must remain at the top and bottom of the opening; the opening cuts into the upper and lower logs / beams at half their height, and from the edges of the opening to the adjacent, corner, partition or the nearest dowel must be at least 1.2 m. logs; in all respects it would be better to make them from ordinary edged boards. So the work - to put up a log house with your own hands - does not consist of difficulties alone.

Now it is fashionable to talk about the special energy of wood, beneficial effects on humans, etc. But, even if we discard esotericism and turn to modern science, we can see that the characteristics of moisture absorption, air microfiltration parameters and other properties of wood correspond to the needs of the human body many times better. the most advanced materials.

They talk about a house made of wood as a “living” one that preserves the health of the owners. With certain reservations, this is true, but the flip side of such properties is the need for mutual care. A "classic" log house made of natural wood requires much more care and supervision than a brick or concrete one.

To begin with, wood is a material with a high degree of fire hazard. At the same time, various kinds of fire-fighting impregnations and coatings either significantly worsen the notorious environmental component and (or) the aesthetics of wood, or lead to a noticeable rise in price. In addition, most flame retardants have a limited service life, usually not exceeding 10-15 years. Then the processing must be repeated.

The tree is also largely subject to biogenic influences:

• rotting caused by various kinds of fungi and algae;
• damage by insects - woodworms (various kinds of larvae, beetles and worms);
• rodents (mice, rats).

Measures to combat these troubles are as controversial as the treatment with flame retardants.

The main types of material for the log house

The severity of the problems described above can be largely reduced at the stage of procurement of materials. The question of how to make a log house with your own hands is preceded by the question of what to make.

The options are:

• log house made of natural logs;
• log cabin;
• log house from pre-processed logs (rounded).

In turn, when deciding how to make a log house from a bar, you have to make a choice between ordinary construction timber (1), profiled timber (2) and glued timber (3).

Timber: building (1), profiled (2), glued (3).

From the point of view of convenience and manufacturability of work, the timber is noticeably superior to ordinary (natural) logs. A rounded log does not fundamentally differ from a beam, except, perhaps, for a higher expressiveness and originality of the design of buildings.

The first, salary crown, in the absence of a foundation, is laid on linings. They are placed under the lower logs of the crown crown at a distance of about half a meter from the corners of the future log house. Strictly in the horizontal plane, with a deviation of the upper edge from the horizontal by no more than 5 mm.

The bottom of the logs lying on the foundation is cut off by 3-5 cm, and a layer is laid between them and the foundation.

Having exposed the longitudinal logs, longitudinal grooves are cut in them, for the next row of logs and semicircular recesses - bowls into which the logs will form a perpendicular wall. Then perpendicular logs are laid, in which longitudinal grooves and bowls are also selected. The first crown is ready.

Here is everything you need to know in order to build a wooden house chopped “in the paw”, 6x8 m in size in plan (6x6 m - its warm part and 6x2 m - the veranda). Such a house is quite compact (which is important if your site does not exceed 6 acres), but spacious enough and convenient in terms of layout. However, we do not limit your desires, imagination and possibilities only to this option. Having understood the technology of building a log house, using our practical tips and "little tricks", you can build any other chopped wooden house according to your taste. All construction work can be done together without the use of special complex mechanisms. Our description of the practical methods of making a log house for an experienced craftsman would seem too detailed, but we hope it will help a novice builder to make his dream come true. Building a house with your own hands is a great way of self-expression and active recreation!

Read the material carefully several times. This will allow you to clearly present the entire technological process, all the work as a whole, and when building a log house, you will no longer have to look into the book so often. The work will go faster, and you will succeed!

The first thing you need to learn is the professional language that carpenters speak and that we will communicate with you throughout the book. So let's start with terminology.

It is known that the house should stand on the foundation, and you should start with it, but this is a slightly different topic, so the figure shows temporary linings instead of the foundation 1. When the opportunity arises (even after a few years), they will not prevent you from getting a permanent one under the log house foundation.

A log house is a log building without a floor, a batten or a roof, that is, the main structural part of the house. It consists of several crowns, the number of which determines the height of the frame. The crown is a rectangular structure, consisting of perpendicularly laid logs, fastened together in the corners by a lock connection.

The first crown of the log house is the flashing crown 2, the second and main one is the lower trim 3, into which the logs 4 are cut. Over time, it can be replaced. The crowns from the lower trim to the beginning of the window opening are called window sills 5. Next come the window crowns 6, then the window crowns. The first crown crown is the closing crown 7. The structure that serves as the basis for the roof is called the upper harness. It consists of two upper runs 8 and rafters 9. What are rafters 10 and corner veranda pillars 11, it is clear from the figure.

Let's agree to call the logs in the crowns, lying perpendicular to the girders, transverse, and the crowns, in which there are window or door openings, - split. The logs forming the openings are called "shorty". They can be of various lengths depending on the location of windows and doors.

Traditionally, as a log house was being built in Russia, logs were processed at a height. In some films, you probably saw how a carpenter, sitting astride a log, famously and quickly wields an ax. Let's take a closer look at what operations it performs. First of all, he needs to drag the prepared log up. Then, having made the markup, make a felling along it and lay the log in the place determined for it. Agree, such work at height requires great qualifications and skill. You, as a novice carpenter, are unlikely to be able to process the log with the required accuracy the first time. Surely you will have to repeatedly remove and re-lay the log, adjusting it in place. The slightest carelessness in such manipulations leads to injury. You can make your work easier and significantly protect yourself by installing scaffolding. They must be made comfortable and reliable, supporting not only your weight, but also the weight of the processed log. Therefore, the installation of such scaffolding requires a lot of additional building material and time. But even if all the requirements are met, working at height with an ax (including scaffolding) without sufficient skill is dangerous!

We offer you to build a log house in parts, each of which has a height of human growth. This method is called cutting with subsequent shifting. It consists in the fact that the individual parts of the log house, after being made on the ground, are disassembled and transferred to the main log house. Relays will allow you to do all the work with the ax while standing on the ground, and outdoor scaffolding will not be needed. In this case, we use two relays, since, in our opinion, this is the best option for a novice builder. Let you not be confused by the time spent on additional disassembly and assembly of crowns. They are more than offset by the convenience and safety of work, because a well-equipped workplace is a guarantee of high labor productivity. You will learn more about how the translation is carried out later, but for now we will continue our acquaintance with the terminology.

The part of the tree trunk adjacent to the root is called the butt. Starting to cut a house, you should know that there is no perfectly even log. Any log has a slope, that is, it decreases in diameter from butt 1 to top 2. Therefore, when stacking logs one on top of another, it is necessary to alternate butts and tops.

When assembling a log house, in order for one crown to adjoin the other more closely, groove 3 is selected along the logs. Another frequently performed operation when processing logs is the manufacture of edging 4.

The end of the log, hewn from two parallel sides, is called a "doodle" 5, the planes formed in this case are called cheeks 6, and the raw, convex surface is called wane 7.

The main structural elements of the log house, which serve as locking joints of the logs, are the "paw" 8 and the "dovetail" 9. For additional fastening of the logs in the crowns, the dowel 10 - pocket 11 connection is used, and the pillars and rafters are securely installed with the help of spikes 12.

You should pay special attention to the selection of the instrument. The most important of them is a carpenter's ax 1. It should fit your weight and fit comfortably in your hand. The purpose of tools such as chisel 2, plumb line 3, hacksaw 4, two-handed saw 5, bracket 6, bayonet shovel 7, as well as tape measures 8, ruler 9, square 10, colored pencils or wax crayons 11 should not raise questions. A low-stretch cord 12 and an awl 13 are used for marking, and a level 14 is used to check the horizontal position. To make a level, take an elastic rubber hose 5-8 m long, about 1 cm in diameter, the ends of which are put on two transparent glass tubes of the same diameter, 15-20 cm long. The resulting device is filled with tinted water. In addition to the level, you yourself need to make a template 15 from plexiglass 2-3 mm thick and line 16 - the main marking tools, as well as “babu” 17 - the main “impact” tool made from a birch chock with two brackets hammered into it.

If you have the opportunity to purchase a chainsaw - do not miss it. A chainsaw will greatly facilitate your work, save your time and energy.

To avoid injuries and other “troubles” during construction, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the pages of special working methods and safety precautions.

You need to start construction with logging. It is best to use conifers - pine and spruce. Aspen is good for making log cabins for baths and wells - it is not afraid of water. But birch cannot be used, as it quickly begins to rot and behaves very “capriciously” during processing. Since it burns well and gives a lot of heat, save it for your fireplace. After the forest is cut down, it must be debarked and dried.

Structural element	Number of logs	Log length	Log diameter
crown crown			30 - 50 cm
Bottom trim			30 - 50 cm
lags	5-6 pcs	620 cm	20 - 35 cm
window crowns	10-13 pcs	620 cm	20 - 40 cm
Split logs (window and door)	22-27 pcs	540 cm	20 - 35 cm
Closing and overhead crowns	5-9 pcs	620 cm	20 - 35 cm
Top runs	2 pcs	820 cm	20 - 35 cm
Subrafters	7-9 pcs	720 cm	20 - 35 cm
rafters	14-18 pcs	520 cm	at least 10 cm
porch poles	at least 2 pcs	300 cm	at least 20 cm

Note: the indicated dimensions are chosen with a margin for trimming.

Now let's choose a place for the construction site. From the side of the future veranda, it is necessary to provide a place for assembling the components of the log house. Then you can start marking the plan of the future home, which is done using a low-stretch cord and pegs. Our task is to get right angles.

The basic rule of the builder - markup determines the quality

We will implement it in the following way. We determine point 1. Set aside 800 cm from it and get point 2. On a cord 1600 cm long, measure 600 cm and tie a knot. We fix the ends of the cord at points 1 and 2. Taking the knot, we stretch the cord and get the desired point 3. Similarly, we find point 4. We mark the points obtained with pegs and check with a tape measure all the required distances and the equality of the diagonals with an accuracy of ~ 3 cm.

Next, we will make and install linings for the log house (temporary foundation). Choose wooden chocks about 1 m long and at least 30 cm in diameter. Aspen is good for lining. It is resistant to moisture if it is pre-barked.

Linings must be installed under the purlins of the flashing crown, near the corners of the log house, in order to ensure the correct distribution of the load. The pads are installed according to the level with an accuracy of ~ 5 cm.

Making edging is the most common operation in the processing of logs. In order to complete it, it is necessary to trim the log to size, choose a side for the edge, position the future edge plane approximately vertically, and fix the log with brackets. Do not be alarmed if the log has a curvature. It won't stop you from using it.

On a plumb line at the ends of the log, we draw vertical lines that define the plane of the edge.

We fix the cord with awls in the plane of the edge. Then we make a visual check, looking from the end of the log, and adjust the position of the cord. With a colored pencil we transfer the projection of the cord onto the log. To obtain the second edge line, repeat the same operations by turning the log over.

After that, we fix the log for the teska with brackets, but not much, so that you don’t have to knock them out later with a crowbar. Let's position the plane of the future edging vertically, make notches and, having hewed the log, we will get the edging.

Having a chainsaw, instead of notches, you can make cuts, which will significantly speed up the work.

Finally, we proceed directly to the manufacture of the log house. We begin to make a frame from eight-meter logs (runs) of the overlay crown, on one side of which an edging is made about 10 cm wide. Now we need to process the ends of the runs.

First, cut down the "boobs" with a width of 2/3-3/4 of the diameter of the log. The length of the “doodle” L is a constant value equal to the maximum diameter of the logs of the log house.

At the end of the "doodle" we select point 1, through it we draw the line of the "paw" according to the template with an extension inside the house.

Similarly, according to the template, through point 2 on the outer cheek and through point 3 on the inner cheek, we draw a line of “paws”.

We draw vertical lines on the cheeks of the log, spaced from the end by the width of the "doodle" of the counter log, and we get points 4 and 5. We make a vertical cut down to line 4-5.

Then it is necessary to lay transverse logs on the “paws” of the runs with “blocks” and, fixing them with brackets, check and correct the dimensions of the log house.

Now you can fasten the runs with linings tightly with brackets.

Drawing is a parallel transfer of the points of the junction lines of the lower log to the upper one. The opening of the line when drawing the “paw” of the overlay crown is chosen to be minimal, but such that the line of the “paw” of the transverse log does not fall on the wane.

In the process of drawing a log, the solution of the line cannot be changed! Let's draw the lines washed down from top to bottom, mark the top of the "paw", and then cut it down. Let's make an average “dummy” on the runs.

To simplify the cutting out of the cheeks of the middle “doodle”, we will make cuts.

According to the width of the “doodle” of the transverse log, we will cut down the “dovetail” in the run. With the help of the line, we transfer the lines of the “dovetail” to the “doodle” of the transverse log and cut it down. Let's lay the middle transverse log on the runs of the crown crown.

Now let's take a look at the bottom strap. Let's make "doodles" on the runs of the lower trim, lay them over the runs of the flashing crown. Using linings and a level, it is necessary to ensure that the upper parts of the runs are horizontal and lie in the same plane with an accuracy of ~ 3 cm. It should be borne in mind that the butts and tops in the crowns alternate. We fix the runs with brackets.

For drawing, we select a line solution corresponding to the maximum gap between the logs, plus 1-1.5 cm.

Let's check the selected solution of the feature along the ends of the log. It must be greater than distance 1-2 on both ends. Point 2 - the border of the wane and the inner cheek.

Let's mark the top of the "paws" under the transverse logs.

For further work, we need to master the operation of sampling the groove. Along the entire length of the groove, we will make cruciform notches with the “heel” of the ax, and select wood with the “toe” of the ax along the groove lines. When these two operations are combined, a groove is formed.

After that, you should cut down the "paws" and, having laid the log in place, check the tightness of its fit. To do this, the stacked log should lie on the inner cheeks with a slight overhang. When tilted, it will easily fall into the right place. Then we return the log to its original position and evenly lay the underlying log with tow (moss). Now you can finally lay the top log on it.

Next, three transverse logs of the lower trim should be made and laid on the runs. To complete the lower trim, it remains only to embed the logs. On the runs of the lower strapping, we outline the places for inserting the lag. As a zero mark (upper lag level), we select approximately the middle of the transverse log of the lower trim. Let's move the zero mark to the corners of the log house and make notches. We put the finished logs in place, outline, and then cut down their contour to the level of the tie-in. Let's beat the lags with a "woman".

In the course of work, you may encounter typical errors.

The log "plays" (the gap between the "paws", loose fit of the log in the groove):

the reason is a knot on the lower log or a poor selection of the groove; correction - cut down the knots on the lower log, knock the upper log with a “woman”, select the places of wrinkling in the groove.

The gap between the "paws":

the reason is that the opening of the line when drawing the “paw” was greater than the opening of the line when drawing the groove, or there was a “blockage” of the line; correction - with a line with a solution equal to the width of the gap, draw a groove on both sides of the log and make a selection.

The log "hangs" on the "legs" (loose fit of the log in the groove, there is no gap between the "legs"):

the reason is that the opening of the line when drawing the groove is greater than the opening of the line when drawing the “paw”; correction - with a line with a solution equal to the width of the gap 1, draw "paws" 2 and trim them.

It should be said that the following gap sizes are acceptable: in the "paw" - 0.5 cm, in the groove - 1.5 cm.

Now it's the turn of laying the first window sill crown. First, mark the doorway. It should be noted that openings (both window and door) are made 5-10 cm smaller than the design size. Split logs are fixed with dowels, for which markings are applied on both sides of the logs.

To mark the axial lines of the dowel on both logs, it is necessary to remove the "short" (log in a split crown). Then, along the center line, the pockets for the dowel are selected with a chisel. The total depth of the pockets should be 1 cm more than the height of the dowel. The dowel should fit tightly into the pocket.

When laying the crowns, a constant check with a plumb line of the verticality of the corners should be carried out. The last window sill in the doorway goes uncut. The uncut log of this crown is also planted on two dowels.

Tow (moss) does not fit under the logs of the last window sill crown, since this crown is removed for the first re-laying. Starting the shifting, first from the zero level we set aside the same distance upwards and make notches at the corners of the removable crown. Then we will remove the last window sill crown and install it on the ground, placing linings 15-20 cm high. In this case, it is necessary to observe the verticality of the cheeks. Using the level, restore the horizontality of the crown along the notches. Let's check the equality of the diagonals in the corners.

Let's start laying out the window crowns, having previously marked the window openings. Recommended height of openings: windows - 110-130 cm, doors - 180-190 cm. "Shorty" window rims are fastened with dowels. Let's lay the closing crown, which consists of continuous logs, and put it on the dowels, transferring the zero mark to its corners. Draw a vertical line at the corners of the frame to be moved, which serves as a control during assembly.

Now it is possible, having marked the logs, to shift them to the main frame, laying each crown with moss or tow. For convenience in work, we recommend making simple scaffolding inside the house at the level of the window sill, for which you install chocks in the corners of the house and fasten them together with poles (two poles along each side of the log house). For the stability of the scaffolding, the poles in pairs must rest against the opposite walls of the log house.

The upper harness consists of two upper runs and rafters. At the ends of the runs, "boobs" are performed, and in the middle - only the inner cheeks. For correction, we will lay the upper runs (eight meters) on the transverse logs of the last window crown (the top of the “paws” on them is not necessary).

Check and correct the dimensions A-B, C-D. Using linings and staples, we will achieve the horizontal top of the runs.

Let's transfer the lines of the inner cheeks of the runs to the transverse logs. Having rolled back the run, we will cut down the “paw” on the extreme transverse log, and the “dovetail” on the middle one. Let's make the cheeks in the upper runs, respectively, the "dovetail" of the transverse log. On the underside of the girders, we will make pockets 4 cm deep for the spikes of the veranda pillars. Again we will lay the runs and, having drawn them, we will cut them into the appropriate place.

We will prepare logs for rafters with a length of 7 m. All of them, except for one, should be hewn into two parallel edges, obtaining sleepers of the same thickness (at least 15 cm). We will cut the raw end rafter with a “dovetail” into the run so that its top is horizontal.

Let's mark the tie-in points of the remaining processed rafters on the upper runs. Then we cut the rafters (checking by level), cutting the run by no more than 1/4 of the diameter.

You can also correct the upper level of the rafter by cutting it itself, but not more than 1/4 of the thickness.

Next, we make platforms for the rafter legs and under the wind board on the extreme (first) rafter (flush with the rest). If necessary, it should be precipitated by re-drawing. Pull the cord along the ends of the extreme rafters and align the rest along it.

Make marks on the substrings and runs for subsequent alignment and mark them.

On the veranda sub-rafter, make pockets for poles (the number is determined by the design of the veranda). To eliminate the gap between the level of the lower edge of the rafters (ceiling) and the last log of the veranda wall, draw and cut in a log - a “plug”.

Now let's start making rafters. The choice of material, marking and manufacturing of rafters require special care and accuracy, since the strength of the roof depends on their quality. Rafter blanks are selected with the least number of knots. In no case should knots fall on the top of the workpiece, because the tenon in this place will be significantly weakened. It is allowed that the rafters have a slight curvature in the plane of the roof slope. The length of the blanks is determined by the angle of the roof and the length of the rafters. In our case, the angle of inclination is 45°.

Prepared blanks of rafters must be disassembled in pairs and numbered. On the blanks of the rafters, the side on which the crate will be attached should be flat, without protruding knots.

Let's start marking the base of the rafters. Let's make a wash down along the ellipse line and cut the workpiece under the spike, and then, having made the end cut, cut down the spike itself. Next, mark, cut down and cut down the tops of the rafters. We will disassemble the finished rafters in pairs and install them to fit and check the quality of the connections to the rafters. Adjustment is carried out by trimming the spikes or widening and deepening the pockets.

Sometimes they simplify the work on the manufacture of rafters. At the tops they are connected into half-logs, and the bases are attached to the rafters with nails without making a spike. By simplifying the task for yourself, you significantly weaken the rafters and reduce the life of the roof in advance.

Now let's remove the rafters and proceed to the last shift, not forgetting to lay the tow (moss). Then we will lay all the rafters, except for the verandah, and fasten them with brackets apart, in order to avoid their rotation along the axis.

We have come to the final stage of construction - the manufacture of pillars. In a log house, the pillars form the frame of the veranda and, according to their functional purpose, are divided into corner, door, window and intermediate ones. Corner posts are a support for the upper runs, door and window frames are attached to the door and window frames. Intermediate pillars do not carry any additional load and are only a frame for sheathing. The corner posts should have the largest cross-sectional area, and the intermediate posts should have the smallest. The distance between the intermediate pillars is determined depending on the length of the boards used for sheathing the veranda, but in any case should be no more than 1.5 m.

The manufacture of corner posts begins with determining their length and marking pockets. For the convenience of marking, we will make a “fishing rod”, at the end of which we will fix a plumb line. With the help of such a device, we will design any of the corners of the upper pocket onto the platform of the verandah transverse log of the lower strapping, while obtaining the distance H. Using the designed corner, we will restore the reciprocal pocket at the bottom.

Corner posts must be processed into three edges, and the distance between two parallel edges should be at least 16 cm. Next, the post should be cut to size.

Then we will make a pocket for the lower spike with a depth of 7 cm. We will install the corner posts, placing linings 5 ​​cm high, which should be removed six months later, after the log house shrinks.

Having installed the corner posts, we put the verandah rafters in place and fix them with brackets. The rest of the pillars must be made and installed after shrinkage of the log house. Door and window pillars, as well as corner ones, are processed into three edges, the rest - into two. The lower spike of all pillars, except for the corner ones, should be 3 cm long.

The installation of the remaining pillars should begin from the side of the log house, grabbing the already installed pillars to the upper run (veranda sub-rafter) with brackets.

The final operation is the installation of rafters. For its implementation, it is necessary to lay bridges from poles (boards) across the rafters, prepare jibs from poles about 1.5 m long according to the number of rafters and nails 100 mm long. Lay out the rafter legs on the rafters, orienting the spikes opposite the pockets.

We will collect the tops of the rafters with nails and install them, securing them with jibs. When installing the extreme rafters, a plumb line should be used.

It is more convenient to install rafters with three people. Raising the rafters, you should simultaneously move forward, and fixing the spikes of the rafter legs in the pockets, fix them with jibs, checking the verticality of the rafters.

It remains only to fasten the rafter legs with rafters with thin brackets.

So, the log house is ready! But a log cabin is not yet a house. Next, you will need to make a foundation, sew up gables, cover the roof, lay down a stove or fireplace, lay floors, sheathe a veranda, cut in window and door blocks, etc., in general, a lot of interesting work awaits you.

The project of a log house offered by us is universal. If its dimensions are proportionally reduced, then you get a very good log cabin of a bath, for example, with a size of 4x4 m. By the way, it is better to start learning carpentry from such a building, gain the necessary skills, gain self-confidence, and then you can safely offer your services in construction other gardeners.

Wood, being an environmentally friendly material, not only effectively retains heat, but also gives the air in the room a special aroma.

To build a wooden one, you must first prepare a beam.

Stage 1. Preparation of round timber

Attention! To determine the quality of logs (you can at any time refuse low-grade sawlogs), you need to know about the ideal harvesting conditions, which we will discuss below.

Round timber must be harvested at sub-zero temperatures, that is, in winter. It is at this time that the amount of moisture in the wood is minimized, therefore, during drying, the material will deform and crack less.

In order to ensure the durability of the log house, certain sections of logs are used during construction (the so-called butt logs). These sections start from the rhizome and end at the crown. Such butt logs are denser (which compares favorably with the tops) and there are practically no knots in them. Also, the selection criteria include the round shape and the degree of curvature of the trunk. In both cases, a marriage is an error exceeding 1 cm per linear meter.

Attention! If the length, for example, is 5 m, and the error exceeds 5 cm, then the log can be safely rejected.

The same applies to the diameter. For example, the diameter of the base of a log is 35 cm, while the tops are 25 cm or less. Such round timber is categorically not recommended for use in construction.

Finally, pay attention to the type of wood. Ideally, coniferous trees (spruce, larch, etc.) should be used for the bath. Larch is characterized by resistance to moisture, although in extreme cases, you can resort to a combination of "pine-spruce", in which the first few crowns are erected from pine. And if only spruce is used in construction, then the material must be treated several times with an antiseptic.

Perform further actions in accordance with the previously drawn up project. This can be done by yourself, found on the Internet or ordered from specialists. It is with the help of this document that you can calculate the required amount of consumables, determine the area and shape of the base.

Stage 2. Processing of timber

Step 1. After the consumable was brought to you (or you cut it down and delivered it yourself), it needs 25-30 days to lie down.

Step 3. Then start processing. First, remove the bark from the logs (do this carefully so that they do not crack), leaving it a little on the sides - about a 15-centimeter strip on each side.

Step 4. After processing, store the logs about 25 cm from the ground. You can stack as you like - in stacks, bundles, etc., the main thing is that the distance between the logs is 7-10 cm.

Video - Preparation of logs

Stage 3. Construction of the foundation

We will immediately make a reservation that massive monolithic ones can be abandoned due to the insignificant weight of the future structure. In order to save money, you can resort to one of two possible lightweight designs, namely:

• strip foundation;
• columnar.

Let's consider each of the options.

To build such a foundation around the entire perimeter, as well as under future walls, dig a trench 40 cm wide and 50 cm deep, lay a “pillow” of sand and gravel on the bottom. Next, lay the reinforcement, build a formwork 50 cm high and pour the concrete solution. As a result, the height will be approximately 1 m.

Attention! A more specific height depends on the depth of soil freezing in a particular region.

Video - Foundation pouring

Inside the perimeter, pour strips of sand and gravel. In the future, the strips can be filled with concrete or a wooden floor can be built on them. The choice of one or another option depends on personal preferences and financial capabilities.

Column type foundation

If necessary, erect supports. There are two options here:

• brick;
• from asbestos pipes.

Place the supports at the corners of the perimeter, as well as under all walls in 1.5 m increments. Under each support, pre-lay a concrete "cushion". In each support, fix several reinforcement bars so that the latter protrude at least 30 cm above the surface.

Build a formwork 40 cm high, lay the reinforcement in it and tie it with the rods protruding from the supports. Fill with concrete. After four to five weeks, when the concrete is completely dry, you can proceed to further work.

Stage 4. Base waterproofing

Treat the surface of the foundation with melted and lay a layer of roofing material on top. After the bitumen has completely dried, repeat the procedure. As a result, you will have a reliable two-layer.

Stage 5. Preparation of tools

To work, you will need the following equipment:

We will pay special attention to the last tool - the "line". For the manufacture will require steel wire with sharply sharpened ends. Bend the wire in half so that it takes the form of a compass, you can additionally fasten the handle. This tool will be required when marking logs.

Stage 6. Construction of a log cabin

There are several assembly technologies:

The first option - Russian felling - is the easiest to perform, even an inexperienced carpenter can handle it. Therefore, we will consider this technology.

Step 1. The construction of the log house should be carried out in stages and begin with the crown crown (in other words, from the first). Logs, which will serve as a crown crown, otteshete on the edge for the most snug fit to the foundation.

Step 2 Lay the first pair of logs on top of the waterproofing layer. Lay the next pair at an angle of 90ᵒ relative to the first and connect everything into a “cup”.

Attention! "Cup" is the simplest connection option in the construction of log buildings. It is carried out quite simply: at the bottom of the log, the boundaries of the future “cup” are measured, then with the help of the “line” a recess is marked. After re-checking the dimensions, the recess is carefully cut down with an ax.

You can use a chainsaw - it will save a lot of time. Although the final finishing of the “cups” will still have to be done with an ax.

Attention! In the starting crown, the "cups" will not be deep, as a result of which the logs will not come into contact with the base. Therefore, in the gap that appears, lay a lining - a small piece of board of the required thickness, treated with an antiseptic and covered with insulation.

Step 3. Next, lay the second crown, using the thickest possible logs. This is due to the fact that in the future you will cut sexual lags into them. For the purpose of a snug fit, make a longitudinal groove in the upper log, which would be equal to a third of the diameter of the previous log. To draw the boundaries of the groove, lay the upper log on the lower one and mark it with a “line”.

Attention! The longitudinal groove can be semicircular and triangular. If you have a chainsaw available, then you can handle the triangular groove in two to three minutes. But remember: logs with a similar groove will not connect tightly, which will negatively affect the thermal insulation properties of the walls.

Obviously, the best option is a semicircular groove. Do it with a chainsaw, use a chisel to remove residues.

Step 4. Insulate the log joints, preferably with linen jute. Lay one piece of canvas on the lower crown, seal the longitudinal groove with the second (especially if the latter has a triangular shape).

Step 5. Connect the crowns to each other. Here you can use:

• square dowels;
• round dowels made of wood.

The second method is preferable, because the dowels can be purchased ready-made and make holes with an electric drill.

Make holes in increments of 1-1.5 m, simultaneously flashing a pair of upper crowns completely and not completely - the third (from below). To avoid distortion, at the end of shrinkage, sink the dowels into the upper crown by at least 6-7 cm.

Step 6. After raising the walls to the desired height, lay the ceiling beams and rafters on top of them. If wet wood was used, then lay sheets of slate instead of rafters and wait for the structure to shrink. Usually, it is enough to spend the winter once, but ideally, shrinkage should last a year and a half.

In the spring, when the shrinkage is completed, proceed to the caulking.

Video - Aspen shingle roof

Stage 7. Door, window openings

We specifically started talking about openings after construction was completed, since there are two options for their arrangement.

Stage 8. Caulking logs

At the end of the shrinkage, the caulking of the log house is performed. To do this, prepare the following equipment:

• hammer;
• caulking (wood or metal).

Attention! If you compacted the interventional space with tow or moss, then you can skip this step, since you most likely will not need a caulk. But if you find even the slightest cracks, then the procedure is still better to perform.

Start work only after the insulation has completely dried. First, twist the material (tow or moss) into a bundle, then hammer between the crowns with a hammer and caulk.

You can use tape jute - in this case, the material is simply fixed with nails or a mounting stapler.

Video - Log Caulking

Stage 9. Roof

As soon as the tree shrinks, you can start building. If you do this earlier, then the roof will simply lead.

Step 1 Lay wooden beams on the wall trim (we have already talked about this).

Step 2. Fix the beams and attach the rafter legs to them in 1 m increments. In the ridge part, cut the rafters at an appropriate angle for connection.

Step 3. Nail a solid boardwalk to the rafters (if you plan to use rolled roofing material) or make a crate (if you use slate, tiles, etc.).

Step 4. Install the roofing according to the instructions for the specific material.

Step 5. Cover the ridge with galvanized sheet steel to protect it from aggressive environmental influences.

Step 6 Sew up the gables of the roof with siding or clapboard.

An example of a log house with a shingle roof

1. Sometimes, during assembly, it becomes necessary to join the logs. In this case, do not allow the joints to be located on top of each other. Moreover, in the lower crown, docking is unacceptable.
2. When laying a log house on a finished foundation, you can collect logs even before drying, laying a sealant between them.
3. It is advisable to equip windows after shrinkage, because otherwise they may warp.

Now you know how to builddo-it-yourself log cabin.