Finnish/Earlier Scandi axes - Kirves

I couldn't find a closer view but maybe you can tell that i Did half-dovetail the corners...However,it really Could have use that "lug" in the joint (the "air-dam"),and i too have plenty of sawn surfaces around...

The inside and outside were finished with an electric planer,and (most) of the joinery with a chisel,but that wasn't enough.

Much like in Finland i rely on two things very heavily: Our dry,cold weather,and the particuilar attention to the roofing system details.
Short-handed/underfunded (much like in rural Finland of old),we all just do the best we can.

However,all together these systems work. I've been talking to a builder in Swedish-speaking part of Finland who specializes in restoration. It seems they do get 200-400 years out of an average structure,provided the roof remains integral.

And again-cold/dry climate,resinous conifer for material,and a decent roof. all that may differ in many parts of US,the climate especially...

https://imgur.com/RPUGF7G
 
I couldn't find a closer view but maybe you can tell that i Did half-dovetail the corners...However,it really Could have use that "lug" in the joint (the "air-dam"),and i too have plenty of sawn surfaces around...

The inside and outside were finished with an electric planer,and (most) of the joinery with a chisel,but that wasn't enough.

Much like in Finland i rely on two things very heavily: Our dry,cold weather,and the particuilar attention to the roofing system details.
Short-handed/underfunded (much like in rural Finland of old),we all just do the best we can.

However,all together these systems work. I've been talking to a builder in Swedish-speaking part of Finland who specializes in restoration. It seems they do get 200-400 years out of an average structure,provided the roof remains integral.

And again-cold/dry climate,resinous conifer for material,and a decent roof. all that may differ in many parts of US,the climate especially...

https://imgur.com/RPUGF7G
 
Jake, as we all are seeing on the news, there is no ideal world. I am now looking at your closeup photo, and you do very fine work indeed! There is not one thing wrong with the half dovetail notch, yours in particular. The half dovetail is the second most common notch I have found on historic log buildings in USA. Second to the (inverted) saddle notch and far superior to the saddle notch. It is self locking and drains water, it also happens to be my personal favorite. In historic preservation you are bound to preserve whatever original construction details you find on the original structure. With new construction, including the new construction when the historic log structures were built, "time/hands/resources" always is part of the equation. A good roof with adequate overhang and a good foundation with at least 10" between the bottom of the sill logs and mother earth goes a long way toward a structure staying around.

In short Jake, you are building a VERY fine log structure.
 
Old Axeman said:
Jake, as we all are seeing on the news, there is no ideal world. I am now looking at your closeup photo, and you do very fine work indeed! There is not one thing wrong with the half dovetail notch, yours in particular. The half dovetail is the second most common notch I have found on historic log buildings in USA. Second to the (inverted) saddle notch and far superior to the saddle notch. It is self locking and drains water, it also happens to be my personal favorite. In historic preservation you are bound to preserve whatever original construction details you find on the original structure. With new construction, including the new construction when the historic log structures were built, "time/hands/resources" always is part of the equation. A good roof with adequate overhang and a good foundation with at least 10" between the bottom of the sill logs and mother earth goes a long way toward a structure staying around.

In short Jake, you are building a VERY fine log structure.
Click to expand...

Thank you VERY Much,it really means a great deal coming from someone with your experience.

This house is for a very deserving person,who'd not have had a chance at a decent place to live in any other way...

I've just shoveled out the snow and ice from the platform,having been caught by winter in mid-roof,and finally ready to hit it once again.

A hand to mouth project the entire way:Chasing drift-logs,milling,hauling mat'l to the site,further processing it down to size on a table-saw,and only then,Finally,i get to nail a stick or two together.

Stumping in the water (lots of fun):

[/MEDIA]
https://imgur.com/SIbQ52j

Rafting..:

https://imgur.com/8uj8ycj

Milling...I won't go on and on,we all know whence the lumber comes from...But it's what;s taking me forever to finish this one place..

https://imgur.com/Bvl4nmU
 
Yeah, it looks a lot of fun in the way it can be. I got to go, in my mountain desert conditions, up on the bench after basic materials these days.

I was not so clear up there. My meaning was related only to the openings n the walls, windows, doors mostly. Is the connection between the log structures and door and window frames etc... a straightforward anchoring like fasteners through frame into end of log or is there some wood to wood joinery involved for these specific elements?
 
Love the stumping in the water pictures Jake. This discussion about compromise on construction because of time and money restraints brought back a memory for me. When I contracted with PBS for the "Frontier House" series there were lots of compromises made. The finished series does not show very much of the compromise, but take a look at PBS "Making Frontier House" video. I would post it if I knew how, but I don't, and I am not interested in learning how either.

It shows that I am not above compromise for a good cause.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
I was not so clear up there. My meaning was related only to the openings n the walls, windows, doors mostly. Is the connection between the log structures and door and window frames etc... a straightforward anchoring like fasteners through frame into end of log or is there some wood to wood joinery involved for these specific elements?
Click to expand...
Yes,Ernest, well i wish i had a photo of a spline but i don't think so,will give this a shot in words:

In each opening a spline is cut into the ends of logs. It's a free-floating 2"x3" or x4",that is socketed into the top and bottom uninterrupted logs (also having free room at the top for log settlement).

When the wall-logs compact and settle with shrinkage they'll slide down the spline,without hanging up and forming any gaps between them.

Now when the window box is built (just a simple 4-sided box as thick as the wall),it'll go into the opening and be fastened to the spline Only. The logs will remain Entirely free of the window-,or door-boxes,so that they can settle without affecting the window glass,or the hang of a door in any way.

The window itself fastens to the box,so does the window trim inside and out,they all remain free and independent of the wall-logs.

A log cabin continues to shrink in height for as long as 3 to 5 years after the people move in and begin heating it.
A space of several inches (filled with fiber insulation) is left above all doors and windows,to prevent the header log coming down and impinging on these.
That space is normally covered by molding,that like all other parts attaches only to the box.

So the logs form the female of the sliding joint,and the spline the Male,and the box with all its contents and parts attaches to spline only.
Hope that wasn't too obscure...
 
Old Axeman said:
Love the stumping in the water pictures Jake. This discussion about compromise on construction because of time and money restraints brought back a memory for me. When I contracted with PBS for the "Frontier House" series there were lots of compromises made. The finished series does not show very much of the compromise, but take a look at PBS "Making Frontier House" video. I would post it if I knew how, but I don't, and I am not interested in learning how either.

It shows that I am not above compromise for a good cause.
Click to expand...

:)

Thank you,it looks Really neat-i'll try to watch some,let's see if my bandwidth (whatever That is:) ) will let me...
 
To see the compromises, look at the short video "Making Frontier House" Yes, what is bandwidth anyway?
 
Old Axeman said:
Love the stumping in the water pictures Jake. This discussion about compromise on construction because of time and money restraints brought back a memory for me. When I contracted with PBS for the "Frontier House" series there were lots of compromises made. The finished series does not show very much of the compromise, but take a look at PBS "Making Frontier House" video. I would post it if I knew how, but I don't, and I am not interested in learning how either.

It shows that I am not above compromise for a good cause.
Click to expand...
https://www.pbs.org/video/montanapbs-presents-making-frontier-house/
 
Jake, I want to share with you that the bandwidth is 1 3/4". I just checked the steel bands on my JORGENSEN Band clamps No. 6220-S (for steel) that are very useful in log structure construction and restoration work.

crbn-Thanks
 
Old Axeman said:
Jake, I want to share with you that the bandwidth is 1 3/4". I just checked the steel bands on my JORGENSEN Band clamps No. 6220-S (for steel) that are very useful in log structure construction and restoration work.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I was wondering what it was!:)

I've clamped full-scribed work before,it was Hugely satisfying...On this one i had a pipe-dream of running a 1" all-thread from platform through all the logs every oh 12' or so...(it was always the law in Japan,bolts from concrete foundation clear into the top of walls;now i hear CA and some other earthquake-prone states went to that as well).
But couldn't swing it financially,and the time requirement would've been considerable too,something like that needs to happen as the building goes up...

As it is this house is the most "naturally" piled-up one i ever done...Nothing but gravity and them pegs...Kinda scary...Hope it'll settle right....:(
 
jake pogg said:
I couldn't find a closer view but maybe you can tell that i Did half-dovetail the corners...However,it really Could have use that "lug" in the joint (the "air-dam"),and i too have plenty of sawn surfaces around...

The inside and outside were finished with an electric planer,and (most) of the joinery with a chisel,but that wasn't enough.

Much like in Finland i rely on two things very heavily: Our dry,cold weather,and the particuilar attention to the roofing system details.
Short-handed/underfunded (much like in rural Finland of old),we all just do the best we can.

However,all together these systems work. I've been talking to a builder in Swedish-speaking part of Finland who specializes in restoration. It seems they do get 200-400 years out of an average structure,provided the roof remains integral.

And again-cold/dry climate,resinous conifer for material,and a decent roof. all that may differ in many parts of US,the climate especially...

https://imgur.com/RPUGF7G
Click to expand...
What an extraordinary effort and result! Much respect.
 
jake pogg said:
Now when the window box is built (just a simple 4-sided box as thick as the wall),it'll go into the opening and be fastened to the spline Only. The logs will remain Entirely free of the window-,or door-boxes,so that they can settle without affecting the window glass,or the hang of a door in any way.

The window itself fastens to the box,so does the window trim inside and out,they all remain free and independent of the wall-logs.
Click to expand...
I love all this detail. It makes perfect sense. We actually do something similar in building modern steel and glass structures. When attaching the glass, called the curtain wall, one to several floors float independently from the glass above or below. Engineers determine how much possible deflection could occur on the floor a glass section is attached to. Then caulk joints are made to twice the height of the possible deflection. The caulk joints are tooled and shaped concave on both sides to accommodate the bulging that occurs when deflection occurs (imagine one floor gets loaded heavier than the next).

About 20 years ago a local building was built without consideration of deflection. About 6 months after it opened I started seeing windows bulging out! A few months later some started cracking. Then some popped out entirely and fell on the sidewalk below. Thankfully no one was injured or killed. But it illustrated the need to design for settling in a building, the same thing you're doing.
 
Old Axeman said:
To see the compromises, look at the short video "Making Frontier House" Yes, what is bandwidth anyway?
Click to expand...

crbnSteeladdict said:
https://www.pbs.org/video/montanapbs-presents-making-frontier-house/
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, CarbonSteelAddict.

Bernie, your beans look great. What time is dinner?

I'm afraid those folks learned a quick lesson that first day with the Dutch ovens. Too many coals below and the baking tin set right in the bottom of the oven. That's a recipe for a charred bottom. For baking I put 3 old inverted tuna cans in the bottom of the dutch. Raises the pan off the direct heat. Also gives you a wider area for your tin because the sides taper. Very few coals should be placed below, maybe 3-5, with 12-15 coals placed on top.
 
SP-In her pre Frontier House life Adrienne Clune was a formally trained chef. In the series she quickly became expert with camp and wood stove cooking. She even baked Nate and Kristen Brooks wedding cake in her wood stove !

You can stop by for beans anytime. I always have beans to eat. As mater of fact, I have been told all my life that I am full of beans.
 
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