(known as rafter plates) and flatten 
these to hold notched rafters. 
When entire walls are built, take your 
1% inch auger and bore through your 
top logs into your next round below, 
four* holes to a side, close to the comers 
and drive wooden pins through the two 
logs, to insure stability. 
After figuring the pitch of your roof, 
select your rafters and notch them to 
fit rafter plates, as per illustration. 
Notches should be placed leaving butt 
end of log with an overhang of at least 
24 inches. The woodsman has a simple 
and accurate way of cutting the rafters : 
— take one of your extra logs and bore 
two 1% inch holes in the sides, put in 
wooden pins, four feet from butt of log; 
then, two feet below these pins place 
another pin, directly in the middle of 
your log. After you have figured the 
length of rafter required, nail two boards 
on each side of the log and saw the 
boards, making a mitre the bevel of 
your gable points. Placing the hewn 
notch of the rafters tightly against peg 
in middle of log, saw the poles in the im- 
pro-vnsed mitre box. The entire sixteen 
poles will then be accurate (see illustra- 
tion) No. 6. 
I N putting up rafter, first slightly 
flatten your front and back plates, 
then, nailing a pair of rafters to- 
gether, place notches in position on flat- 
tened plates, as in illustration No. 7. 
Standing on side top log, raise rafters in 
position at end of plate. Prop in posi- 
tion temporarily by nailing pole to side 
logs, then repeat at other end. Place a 
ridge pole between the extremes of the 
two gable points, then, after nailing all 
gable bevels together, place all rafters 
in position three feet apart, nailing se- 
curely each notched rafter to the plates. 
Take roofing lumber and start 8 to 
10 inches below the eave and lay your 
roof up to gable. Next lay your patent 
roofing, or tar paper, lengthwise of the 
roof, to gable points, folding three or 
four inches over gable top. 
Finish with a “Saddle board” i. e. a 
long pole entire length of roof, hollowed 
in a V, invert and nail V to fit gable. 
Now saw out your doors and windows. 
Remove one handle of your cross-cut saw 
and put saw through notch or saw mark, 
made when building walls. After re- 
placing handle, saw, using board as 
straight edge guide. It is possible to 
build your ovm door and window frames 
and sashes, but as those Sought at any 
lumber mill are better and just as reason- 
able, I would advise purchasing them. 
They are stronger and add greatly to the 
appearance of your cabin. 
It is unnecessary to explain putting , 
them in, as it is apparent from their con- 
struction. After putting them in and 
before removing the wedges and plank 
holding the logs in place, spike each log 
with 6 inch spikes through the side piece 
of the frames of both doors and windows 
and into ends of logs. 
Flooring can be of any material the 
builder desires. I used 4 inch tongue 
and groove bass wood, which, with a 
coating of oil allowed to dry in and then 
painted, makes a floor which will wear 
like iron and is much easier to keep clean. 
The veranda is next built. The floor- 
ing which is placed on long stringers, 
running parallel with front of cabin, 
can be on the level with the interior or 
some inches lower, as desired. Build 
up foundation of flat stones at each cor- 
ner of veranda and place log stringers on 
these stones. Nail your flooring one- 
half inch apart across stringers; this 
Of , Kf)Tfr 
half inch opening enables the veranda 
floor to be kept clean, as sand and dirt 
can be swept through. 
Now comes the veranda roof. Cut 
four holes 6 inches on the butt, for up- 
rights; place one long pole underneath 
your projecting top side logs (left long 
as described in building) and cutting 
your four uprights to fit snugly under 
the pole, nail securely to floor and pole, 
at outer edge of veranda. Next, take 
4 small poles, 4 to 6 inches on the butt 
and round notch them, 24 inches from 
butt, to fit pole supported by uprights. 
These poles should be long enough to 
rest on the roof of cabin, 4 feet above 
the eave and must be beveled on the same 
side as the notch to lay flat on the roof. 
(v88. siDf F'lRB'PL^ce 
Aft«r nailing rafters securely 8 feet 
apart, to veranda pole and roof, lay 
your roofing, starting 6 inches from the 
butt of the rafters; this will leave an 
18 inch overhang. 
T O complete the building, fill the 
space between the logs; this is call- 
ed “chinking.” To di this, take 
a small cedar pole if obtainable, or small 
straight grain pine, 3 to 4 inches, on the 
butt. Split lengthwise in quarters and 
according to irregularity of openings be- 
tween logs, cut your quartered poles to 
fit as closely as possible, then drive the 
V of the quartering securely between the 
logs and nail in place. As the logs are 
green and it takes six to eight months to 
season or dry, during which time there 
is shrinkage, do not plaster the cabin 
the first season. When logs are sea- 
soned and cabin has “settled,” gather 
moss which is found on the rocks or 
fallen trees and after leaving in the 
sun to thoroughly dry, pick apart and 
with a “spud,” caulk the crevices be- 
tween the “chinking” and the logs. Then 
if lime is convenient make mortar and 
plaster over “chinking,” inside and out, 
between the logs. Blue clay if obtain- 
able, can be used in place of mortar. 
The fireplace is then to be built. First, 
directly behind where you have already 
left hearth box, nail planks to the height 
of 5 feet, to the back wall, across the 
entire width of fireplace. Nail only to 
upper end and do not drive nails fully 
home. Then take large flat stones for 
hearth, (the larger and flatter the bet- 
ter) and lay them, as level as possible, 
in the foundation already in place, in a 
thin bed of cement and bring hearth one 
inch above flooring. Lay stones with 
tops exposed. Next, build a rough box, 
the shape and size of proposed opening 
of your fireplace, leaving space in top of 
box, for the flue and place on hearth 
stones in position, 6 inches from the 
temporary planks on back wall, directly 
in centre of hearth. Next lay stones all 
around the back and sides of box, cement- 
ing as laid, just touching it, but not 
close enough to displace it. When sides 
and back are flush with the top of the 
box, take two flat pieces of % by 4 inch 
iron and wide enough to be laid with 6 
inches resting on the stone sides. Lay 
your top stones on these irons, leaving 
space for flue, behind the iron supports. 
These top stones of fireplace should be 
selected with care; about 4 inches thick 
and oblong. After covering the entire 
top, begin to build your taper for chim- 
ney around the flue. The chimney can be 
built of graduated stones to roof. Per- 
sonally I prefer it away from the wall 
and straight up from the top of the 
flue. After cementing the main part 
of the fireplace, up to the taper for chim- 
ney and allowing the cement to set, draw 
the nails of the planking behind the fire- 
place and remove planks ; this will leave a 
space of one inch between the back wall of 
the fireplace and the logs. This insures 
safety and when stones are heated, 
radiates more heat than a fireplace which 
is cut through your log wall, as is usually 
done. 
F INALLY, a word about tools used, 
materials and mode of transporta- 
tion. My own experience in trans- 
porting material do\\m a 12 mile stretch 
of lake, a 4 mile haul up a small stream, 
including two short, but difficult portages 
and “a carry” over a lumber dam, into 
the Lake upon which the cabin is built, 
was accomplished in this way; Two 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 630) 
