LOG CABIN BUILDING 
By CHARLES MEAKINS 
T his article makes no pretentions of 
clashing with recognized authorities, 
for while having read most of them 
on log cabin building it has never been my 
experience to quite adjust the authority 
with the practical construction of the 
cabin : — ^namely, with the help of two com- 
petent lumbermen I tried to build one 
some years ago by the standard authority 
and found it to the best of my endeavors, 
out of the range of possibility to make the 
building commensurate with the approxi- 
mate cost, plus the authority — the cost 
being so much greater in the actual build- 
ing than when written for the amateur 
builder to try and carry out. 
I will attempt to make clear to the 
lover of outdoors that it is possible for 
an amateur to build a log cabin in a 
workmanly way, in the back of beyond, 
far removed from rail or steamboat trans- 
port, cheaply and with every comfort. 
My intention in writing this article is 
to show each step in the construction of 
a cabin 18 feet by 24 feet, built eighteen 
miles, from the nearest road, where all 
material except the logs had to be trans- 
ported by canoe, carried over two port- 
ages and a lumber dam — which, with the 
help of an experienced woodsman I com- 
pleted in ten days. 
This locality may be more inaccessible 
than the average and the difficulty of 
bringing in the material greater, but to 
any nature lover, the very charm of a 
wilderness home lies in its being off the 
beaten track and therefore necessarily 
inaccessible. 
Should your preferred site be on Gov- 
vemment property it may be obtained 
through the State Dept, of Lands, Forests 
and Mines, for a small consideration. Care 
is to be taken regarding timber licenses, 
if any. In my own application to the 
Ontario Dept. I located a point of two 
acres, on an inland lake, through the 
local government surveyor at the county 
Beat, at five dollars an acre — “water 
frontage on any one location shall be ap- 
proximately one half the depth” (Gov- 
ernment Statute). State and Provincial 
Depts. are practically the same with 
minor rulings. 
In selecting your plot for building, 
it is advisable to locate as near as pos- 
sible to the timber where you are to 
obtain your logs. This will not be found 
difficult, as in most sections the “second 
growth” timber is from 8 to 10 inches 
on the “butt.” From 50 to 55 logs will 
be required, varying in number accord- 
ing to the size of the logs. This 
TJ7 E are depending upon the 
r r friends and admirers of our 
old correspondent Nessmuk to make 
this department worthy of his 
name. No man knew the woods 
better than Nessmuk or wrote of 
them vnth quainter charm. Many 
of his practical ideas on camping 
and “ going light ” have been 
adopted by the United States 
Army; his canoe has been preserved 
in the Smithsonian Institution; and 
%oe hope that all good woodsmen 
will contribute to this department 
their Hints and Kinks and trail- 
tested contrivances . — [Editors.] 
can be figured only on the spot, but a 
little calculation will assure the builder 
as to the number needed for a 9 foot 
wall. In my own case it required 52 
logs at an average of 8 to 10 inches on 
the butt. In cutting logs make certain 
of having enough, better a few over, to 
avoid possible shortage during construc- 
tion. Special care should be used in 
getting the straightest trees. 
Cut all your side timber 23 feet and 
your front and back 29 feet — this leaves 
a margin of 5 feet in the log. This is 
suggested as it is sometimes necessary 
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seven required of 5 to 6 men outt and 
23 feet long, hemlock or pine preferred. 
These must be selected particularly for 
their straightness, as they must be 
trimmed and flattened without losing too 
much of the timber. Then the poles for 
your rafters and joists. These should 
be about 4 to 5 inches on the butt and 
23 feet long, small cedar or pine if ob- 
tainable. The rafters should be selected 
with the same care as the floor sleepers 
and for the same reason. The joists 
mean very little and need not be as care- 
fully chosen, as in some cabins only a 
middle one is used. Personally I prefer 
one every four feet, making five in all. 
This strengthens the cabin and enables 
it to withstand the snow load in the 
winter. They also improve the appear- 
ance of the interior, as well as being a 
convenience for hanging articles when 
the cabin is completed. 
After felling all the trees, engage a 
man with horse and woods tackle — i. e. 
harness, whipple-trees and logging-chain 
for hauling of logs, which should not 
take more than one day at most. Place 
all front and back wall timber directly 
in front of proposed site, facing what is 
to be the front wall. Pile on two logs 
placed at right angles to pile — this is 
known as a “skid-way.” Then place all 
side logs facing one of your side walls, 
the reason for which will be explained 
in construction. 
Next remove bark from all logs. 
This should be done as soon after felling 
as possible; the bark is easily taken off 
while the sap is in the tree, but if left 
for awhile it adheres closely and makes 
a great deal of unnecessary labor. I 
have found it an excellent idea for one 
man to fell and top the tree while the 
other removes the bark as soon as felled. 
To do this chip a strip of bark with a 
draw-knife or axe, the entire length of 
the log. 
Then make what is known as a “spud,” 
with a piece of hard wood 24 inches long 
and sharpened flat like a chisel, with 
face 1 to 2 inches wide. Insert sharp 
end of “spud” under the bark from the 
butt to the top, and pry up. In this 
manner it will be found that the bark 
will come away without much labor. 
to trim the ends to the middle for the 
log to lay flat on its mate. 
If possible get four • dry, dead cedar 
trees to form the first round of your 
walls. Cedar, placed close to the earth 
will withstand the weather better than 
any other timber. 
Logs for floor sleepers come next — 
W ITH the logs in position the build- 
ing begins : First, with a builder’s 
measuring tape, adjust your front 
two comers and place pegs in position, 
then from these line the back square. 
Next place four large flat stones at peg- 
ged corners and add other stones to level 
as necessary. It is preferable to have first 
