Off Grid Log Cabin Built by One Man: Laying Extra-Thick Logs Solo

Building a Log Cabin Without Cutting Trees

This is the second part of the series of short videos on one log home builders' successful attempt to develop a wild and secluded place. They decided to build their log cabin without chopping down a single live tree. They chose a round notch (also known as a saddle cope) to join logs in the log cabin. The log house construction takes place in a Russian forest where such hot weather is not common. In the summer it is fairly warm and never gets dark. The rest of the year in this area is very harsh, which is why it is important to build a reliable shelter for protection from the elements. This log cabin was built without cutting down any live trees. A lot of the tall trees in the area were downed by a severe storm that took place a few years before the log house construction. The extra thick logs were reclaimed for the log house construction.

Understanding Log Cabin Notches

If you learning about log house construction methods, you will know that there are many options, and this is also true for log cabin notches. The large variety of log cabin notches can create some confusion on knowing which notch to use and why. Choosing the right corner to include the notch and scribe type for your log cabin is important as it will impact the log cabin aesthetics, cost, build duration, and weatherproofing. Notches are important in log house construction, where you will use scribing to create the notches.

Importance of Notches in Log Cabin Construction

When you are building your log cabin, where each two log walls intersect, a notch is scribed to enable the locking of the log walls, the notches are used to join the corners of your log cabin together. Typically, each notch is scribed or cut by hand, or using a template, to create an air-tight seal preventing air infiltration and weatherproofing your log cabin. Scribing a log cabin notch. The design of a log cabin notch (corner) should make the log house structurally sound and weathertight, four common designs log house builders have been using for centuries to build log cabins including the Scandinavian saddle notch (traditional full scribed notch), full dovetail notch, butt and pass notch, and corner post notch.

The Full Scribe Saddle Notch

The most traditional of all log cabin notches is the full scribe saddle notch. A saddle notch is not just one particular notch, it is a family of notches that can differ in both size and shape. The notch is used to join two logs together perpendicularly to form the corner of the log cabin. The saddle notch has a curved semi-circular scribe at each end of the log, which allows it to fit perfectly to the log below and form the corner. The most popular saddle notch is the compression fit saddle notch. This particular notch came to North America from Scandinavia. Del Radomske, a Canadian Log Home builder and inventor reinvented the early Scandinavian technique to allow the logs to get tighter as they shrink and settle.