log time

Well anyone who read the last blog noticed I was working on staining a log cabin when I discovered rotten logs.
It ended up the whole bottom log was rotten for about seven feet including the bottom plate. The log was eight inch high red pine and since I was unable to find any kiln dry pine that large, I cut one on my property to match.
You can see I then split the log in half as I built the back of the log up with treated lumber to the half way point. The first log isn't visible from the inside of house since it is under the floor or I would have needed to put in an entire log or log side both sides.
Since these logs are very green I am trying to fast dry them on the south side of my house under a plastic sheet. I figure in 2-4 weeks I can get quite a bit of the moisture out. The rest of the drying will need to take place on the cabin after they are installed. I am hoping for them to be dry enough to take on some preservative. Of course the preservative will need to be put on again toward the end of next summer when they are drier.
Once I get them in place I will post them again. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Robin transplant and log cabin

Good news for this baby robin. I was working to power wash a log cabin for painting and there was a robin nest with 3 eggs in the way. I decided to see if I could move it to a bush a few feet away. I wasn't sure mother would find it. But she did and hatched at least one of the three eggs. The baby is hungry all the time and hopefully it will survive and fly.
Anyone who loves the woods loves the sight of a little log cabin nestled among the trees. Such is the cabin I am working on now a little 20 foot by 22 foot cabin with a loft. A new owner bought it and wanted it stained. While power washing it I noticed it had an infestation of powder post
beetles. You can see the holes about the size of pencil lead in the logs especially in one corner. Unfortunately, this has gone on too long. Previous owners stacked firewood and other wood under and near the cabin. The wood rotted and brought the pests. The have eaten through about 10 feet of this bottom log and as you can see eaten the plate board it was sitting on.
The log will have to be replaced along with the plate. Wood cabins must be stained every five years now with the changes in safer paint(shorter lasting paint). If you want the beauty of logs consider the work of maintaining them and never stack firewood near any wood camp during summer months when bugs are active. It will be a lot of work to fix the damage on this place. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.

Log Cabin by the creek

This little log cabin is half-way between our camp in Leetonia and Cedar Run. We use it as a marker in the winter to know which way to walk for help. Before it...Cedar Run after it home.

It has to be the quintessential log cabin when you think of a little camp in the woods. Nestled among the trees with the waters of Cedar Run running past the porch and water trickling down the side of a cliff opposite the camp. It is tiny only about 16' x 24 and one room. The privy is outside and the only running water goes past it in the creek. It is truly the kind of place a pioneer would have built small efficient shelter, close to water and easily heated with wood. A man that built this out of red pine logs cut in the area, not a log kit milled into straight lincoln logs from a factory, rough irregular logs, fresh from the woods.

So many of the log cabins today are pretentious, large 3000+ sq ft mansions that have long since departed from the wisdom of the early pioneers. Make it large enough to keep you dry and warm and not a foot bigger.

Well, today brought rain and gloomy weather. Just in time to perk up the mud on the roads. So Mud warnings are still in effect. Mountain Girl, Paula, typing out.