Question about log houses
This old house is up in some woods, near my home. I haven't been there in years. Walked up there today, just looking. The clap-board siding has come off in places and I could see that it was originally a log house.
The joints are too perfect to be hand hewn, Abe Lincoln style. It makes me wonder if builders brought a saw mill for planing and shaping logs on site, or if they brought wagon loads of pre-fab logs.
The logs were planed flat on two sides, but still have the bark on top and bottom.
Looking underneath...even the floor joists are made out of logs
They built 'em to last, back in the old days!
The joints are too perfect to be hand hewn, Abe Lincoln style. It makes me wonder if builders brought a saw mill for planing and shaping logs on site, or if they brought wagon loads of pre-fab logs.
The logs were planed flat on two sides, but still have the bark on top and bottom.
Looking underneath...even the floor joists are made out of logs
They built 'em to last, back in the old days!
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nice pics..maybe they cut them with a whip saw...log over a pit, one man in the pit dragging the saw down...one man on top pulling the saw up...just an idea. 0 -
Don't see any ax marks in your pictures so I am going to go with the above and say they used a "backwhip" saw to cut the logs using a pit set up. Old log houses are awesome to explore think f all the time and effort that went in to building that house. 0 -
Too bad soneone don't restore the old gal.
If houses could talk............................0 -
Very interesting thread!
I am familiar with these houses because I have been building them since 1986. I have inspected dozens of old log houses.
Every old time log house that I have seen had the logs hewn flat on the sides, with an axe, or adze, or broad axe, or combination therof.
If times had progressed where a sawmill was handy, they just bought sawn lumber.
I believe I do see some faint axe marks on those logs so I believe they are hand hewn, I would like to see this place in person.
If hand hewn my hat is off to the carpenter, first class work!
A most unusual feature here is the notches. These are a flat notch, there is no slope to the top and bottom of the notch. I have never seen this on a house.
Most log builders use the dovetail, or half dovetail notch, because the top and bottom are sloped and water will run off. A flat notch could rot quicker due to water standing in the notch.
This house displays first class notch work, very tight notches.
Also unusual to see the bark left on the top and bottom, this is known to attract bugs. I always peel the bark off of mine, plus the smooth surface allows for a better chinking job.
There are many old log houses still standing, and inhabited, but they have long since been covered with siding, or bricks, and to see one you can't tell it is a log house.
Dennis, whereabouts is this house, I would like to take a look at it.
ps Without a doubt those notches were made with a saw.0 -
They used an adze to square the logs, and saws or axes to notch the ends. In my part of the world, youo see both round and square. In some parts of the West settled by Scandinavians, they prefer squared. Often with beautiful double-angles on the notched ends that I couldn't have ever figured out. I like the squared, because the inside walls are more functional and do't catch soot and dust so easily.
That's a cool house. Hope the owners aren't going to just let it melt away.0 -
They are an old hued log house near my Dads house that was built in 1862. Decedents of the original builders still own the land and live in the place.
Some of those old log houses are worth a fortune now days. Developers in the White Sulpher Springs area of WV have been building modern 1/2 million dollar houses integrating old log homes as part of the plan.0
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