Reassembly

Reassembly went well. It took about two and a half days to unload the two trailers, place logs on the building and install the lag bolts.

The second floor has been framed and the ridge beams have been set. 

Transport

One of the challenges of building the log home has been getting supplies and services to support the process. Log home construction has some very specific needs. As an instructor told me, "You are the one that knows what you need and must insist on that. Many times a business will want to sell you what they commonly sell, which may not be what you need."

The logs are heavy enough that they can dent and ding when bumped into things, so minimizing the number of times they are moved is critical. During disassembly they were placed directly onto a trailer. And when unloaded they went from the trailer directly onto the building. This meant that I would need the trailers for an extended period of time, something that trucking companies were not interested in. I talked with several trucking outfits, two that specialized in log and pole transport, and came to the conclusion that I was going to need to put together my own equipment for the move.

When the logs were delivered in the fall I snapped a couple pictures of the bunks they had built for their flatbeds, so I had some idea of what would work. This is the sort of thing you can't rent, so I built two sets and plan to sell them.

I rented two flatbeds on a weekly basis, rented a truck from Ryder and hired a driver.

Disassembly time lapse

In memory of the late and great, Chico

I  got Chico in the spring of '03. He was on every job from that time forward. He had an obsession for fetching and a keen memory of everyone that had ever played with him. He would see someone that had played with him in the past, get excited and bring him something to throw. If a ball wasn't available he would happily settle for a rock or even a pebble.
Chico was not only a big part of my life but a big part of my work life. This is the first project without him. He developed cancer and passed away last fall. Just a few weeks before the logs were delivered. When I found out about his condition, I knew that I wanted to bury him at the home site. As I've been back at the site working this spring I can see him frolicking around with all of his personality and mannerisms.

Chico

April 15 2003- October 15 2014

Disassembly begins

During disassembly is when I will drill all of the logs for electrical and when the gaskets will be installed. Once gaskets are installed it's onto the flatbeds for transport.

The electrical chases have all been marked on the top round of logs, basically a mark above every junction box. I begin by drilling through the top log and slightly into the log below. When the top log is removed there will be holes started in the next course to guide me as to where to drill. I have glued a bullseye level onto my drill so my holes should be fairly plumb, and should line up well.

I'm also countersinking and pre drilling all of the structural screws. Once drilled I insert a dowel to measure the screw length, mark this length on the log and on a list to be ordered. Because of taper in the logs and variations in diameter, the screw lengths will vary. So far they're between 15" & 20".

I'm using a "P" gasket inside of the lateral grooves and notches. Goes in pretty easy, stapling with a wide crown lathing stapler. Both sides of the lateral and notch get gasketed as well as some short pieces around electrical chases. Using a small scrap cutoff of log you can see how the gasket will compress and come in contact with the adjacent log. Builders that take their time gasketing are getting blower door test results that surpass frame homes.

Right before disassembly

The building as you will see it from the street and driveway. I tried to use some of the nicest and biggest logs on this front corner that I'll walk past every time I come or go.

Got this with my lunch the other day.

Fitting..

All logs are in place

All logs are now on the building. The log shell is almost complete and ready for disassembly. Tasks that remain are finishing up the window openings and cutting in the last few electrical boxes. Will probably start to disassemble next week. Now it's time to head up to the site and start getting things ready there.
Below is a time lapse video of the construction process.

The above log has been rough notched and is ready for scribing.  Rough notching is a notch cut at each perpendicular intersection that allows the worker to get the bottom of the upper log parallel to the top of the log below.

The scriber is a tool that writes on the surface of the log leaving a road map of the contours of the adjacent log. The distance between the pens, or scriber setting, is adjustable while the ball point of the pens are plumb from one another. Once a log has been rough notched and the remaining gap is as consistent as possible, then the scribe setting is determined by the widest gap, so that the long groove is at least 3" wide at that point.

First cut is approx 3/4 deep, just inside the scribe line.

Next cut is a shallow angle or waste cut. You learn to get comfortable holding the saw in any position, you can see my hand is rotated on the handle so my thumb operates the throttle.

Although out of focus, you can see the angles and depth of the first two cuts.

Once the cuts have been performed from both sides the middle triangle falls out. The remaining needs to be removed. This is a point where I think most all log builders differ, how to clean out long grooves. Some use a chainsaw, a chisel, an axe or adze, a scorp, some make tools specifically for this. I've tried out a chisel and a scorp, with mediocre results. It works but is time and energy consuming. Currently I'm working on a technique where I use a router that is fastened to a sled that guides its distance off the edges. So far it's fast and accurate. Will post more on that later.

Above, a lateral groove finished.

The first step in cutting notches is to score with a chisel, which prevents splintering within the wood that is outside of the notch. Next is to cut just inside the scored line with an angle that is slightly concave, so as to leave the notch concave.

Above is a notch, cleaned out and ready for install. You can see the edge is crisp and smooth, that was the portion scored with a chisel.

Almost three rounds complete. Will be 8 tall total.

Ripping logs

I've chosen the logs for the base round, determined their heights and ripped them flat. Ripping was a two person operation. We used a Stihl MS660 with a helper handle bolted to the tip of the bar. We cut with the top of the bar, so the guy holding the helper handle is getting sprayed with wood chips. Mike said he's been a carpenter for 20 yrs and that night he found wood chips in places he'd never had them.
After ripping they received a once over with a hand-held planer and out to the building yard they went.

Finished Peeling

I debarked and peeled the last log on Wednesday.
All together it took about two months. Starting out I peeled about three days a week. Which was all I could handle. After a few weeks I was able to peel four days a week. At times I would push myself, either to work a longer day or add a day, which several times ended with a lesson that I needed to pace myself and that time for recuperation was very important.
During the designing of this house, I really struggled to come up with a floor plan that worked on the site and that was build-able with logs. Several times I considered giving up on logs and going back to conventional construction. At one point I was discussing the challenges with my architect, and he simply said "I don't know why you're doing this to yourself."
As I encountered difficult times peeling, that really echoed in my mind.
Around that same time I attended a log builders gathering. I had considered not going, and giving up on the idea of building with logs. Somehow I talked myself into going. While there, Earl, a log builder and timber framer, encouraged me to see it through. Earl had built his own log home, had a sense of how satisfying the experience could be, and tried to share that with me. But he was clear to say "This will be the most difficult thing you've ever done, but it could also be the most rewarding."
About mid December I had completed 18 logs, but I had pushed too hard. I ended up having to take a few days off. I made a trip to my physician and physical therapist to get some advice. I was having quite a bit of soreness in the tendons in my hands. When I would wake up my hands were clinched into fists, I could barely straighten them out. My pinky fingers would have trigger finger for the first hour or so.
I also made a call to Earl, the professional log builder, for some advice. He heard me describe my situation, chuckled and repeated himself by saying "This will be the most difficult thing you've ever done, but it could also be the most rewarding." Earl and I talked for 15 minutes or so. He had quite a few useful suggestions. I got off the phone knowing that the road ahead was going to be difficult, but knew it was something I could do.
I tried out a peeling spud for debarking. At first it was a little akward to use, but with a little technique it proved to be a great tool. The biggest benefit of using a spud is that it uses different muscles. My shoulders got more of a workout which took some getting used to, but gave my hands a bit of a break.

So it's time to actually start building something!