The Timber Frame Cabin Plans are Complete
After months of planning I have finally finished the plans for my Timber Frame Style Cabin. At first this was going to be a Timber Frame build but it has changed to one that also incorporates a log cabin style. The inspiration for this build comes from a few books and a video posted a couple of years ago on You-Tube by the Northmen.
If my latest video has sent you here then let me first explain the use for the logs in that film. The timber shown in that video was Walnut and Cherry. The logs were however too small to be sawed into lumber. Every board would have contained too much of the pith and sapwood to be marketable. The logs will make great cabin walls in this build, and will be better than making them into firewood which is where they were headed before I intervened. Walnut which is always sought after for furniture actually is very rot resistant and a great choice for logs in a cabin. Cherry is not very rot resistant but will fair OK if ground contact is avoided and a good roof is overhead. The Walnut logs have also been on the ground for just over a year so they should be nice and almost seasoned by now.
The cabin will be a workshop which will house all my sawmill sharpening equipment and a heavy duty wood planer. The building will be right beside of my dry kiln on the same existing concrete pad. The dimensions for the shop are
13 1/2ft in deep and 17ft long. This building will also have a second floor.
The corner post will all be made out of Hemlock with logs between them making up the walls of the cabin. As you can see in the photo below (northmen credit) this is how the joinery will work for the logs. The post have a groove cut into them that will accept a tenon on the end of each log. Every log also will be hollowed on its bottom face to accept the lower log which will produce a night tight fit.
For the walls I will be using the Walnut, Cherry and some smaller Hemlock. When the log supply for the walls runs low I will probably go to the farm and harvest some smaller White Oak.
This building will be a marriage of Timber Frame and Log Cain style construction.
Every since watching Richard "Dick" Proenneke's documentary video about building a cabin in the remote Alaska wilderness I have been wanting to take a stab at it. With the help from his books and others I am confident I will achieve this goal and build a one of a kind workshop. I also hope to incorporate some viking style construction as well on the inside of the shop. This building will be wired for electricity and have a small wood stove for the winter months.
I will document this entire build on this blog and via You-Tube over the next few months. I invite you to subscribe to the blog here as each video will have an accompanied blog entry. Thanks for stopping by.
Nathan,
