Wood, which is so rich in our country, is still widely used for the construction of suburban buildings, from residential buildings to baths and cabins. The markets offer various types of timber for the construction of wooden houses. This is, first of all, a bar, as well as rounded and hewn logs. So what is better for building a wooden house - a bar or a log? Let's try to answer.

Hewn log

To obtain this building material, the tree trunk undergoes minimal processing. Only the bark is removed from it, most often by hand. Therefore, the resinous layer located under the bark (the so-called sapwood) remains intact. It also protects the wood from decay and delamination. This is the main advantage of a hewn log that has a reverse side. Manual processing is responsible for the high cost of this building material.

Recall that the finished hewn log has a different diameter at the butt and top of the sawn tree. Therefore, during the construction of a wooden house, you should alternate the logs in the crowns. That is, in one row of the log house, the top is joined with the butt, and in the next row, the butt with the top. If the log has a natural curvature, then it must be laid so that the bend is at the bottom. The bending will decrease under the influence of the weight of the upper logs.

Rounded log

This type of construction timber is produced in the factory. As a result of mechanical processing, a smooth and even log is obtained, which has no deflections and curvatures and, most importantly, the same diameter at the top and bottom. True, for this it is necessary to remove not only the bark, but also part of the sapwood mentioned here. Therefore, this material for the construction of wooden houses, in comparison with hewn logs, is more susceptible to rotting and warping.

But to assemble a log house without gaps in the crowns and cracks from such a log is easier and faster. And it will look more accurate. Especially if the rounded log is profiled. It has a groove in the lower part, and a spike in the upper part. This will ensure accuracy during the assembly of the log house.

Natural moisture bar

The low cost of such a bar retains its popularity among consumers for the construction of wooden country houses. The material is produced by cutting a tree trunk into rectangular elements. At the exit of the machine, a bar with a section of 100 x 100 mm and up to 200 x 200 mm is obtained.

The main disadvantage of this lumber is considered to be strong natural shrinkage, which gives cracks and distortions in the finished structure. And the very assembly of a wooden house from a bar of natural moisture requires careful sawing of the locks and fitting the crowns. This work is time consuming and expensive.

Glued laminated timber

From a technological point of view, it is the most perfect material for the construction of wooden houses. It is made from lamellas dried in chambers - specially cut boards. Then they are planed and glued under a press, after splicing them onto a thorn. The result is a timber that has the correct geometric shape. Moreover, it is not subject to deformation, warping or shrinkage. The disadvantage of laminated veneer lumber, in comparison with other sawn timber, is its high cost.

Profiled timber

The very name of this lumber speaks of a special treatment. On the lower and upper surfaces of such a bar, special profiles are cut along the entire length - grooves and protrusions. They are used to tie the crowns according to the groove-thorn pattern. At the same time, the rows of the log house are laid most tightly, ensuring the strength of the structure and thermal insulation. Yes, the process of assembling a log house goes quickly. The walls of a wooden house, assembled from profiled timber, have a smooth and even surface and do not require further finishing.

So which is better for building a wooden house - a log or a bar? It should be decided by the future owners of suburban real estate.

The main mistakes in the construction of chopped wooden houses.

Log houses have been serving people faithfully for more than one millennium. Solid wood houses give their owners incomparable pleasure from living in a comfortable micro-environment. Solid wood has a high heat capacity (2.4 times higher than that of ceramic bricks), which makes it possible to smooth out daily temperature fluctuations. Also, the porous structure of wood allows you to naturally regulate the humidity in the room through the cycles of absorption and evaporation of moisture. The blockhouse is relatively resistant to ground and foundation movements. Wood surfaces often require no additional treatment other than sanding and coating with antiseptics to create beautiful interiors.

However, only properly felled wooden houses will give their owners comfort. The construction of a log house requires high carpentry skills at the 6th grade level. Without experience and qualifications, it is almost impossible to cut down a wooden house without mistakes. And mistakes during construction can negate all the advantages of a log house. Houses built with mistakes are easy to recognize: builders or owners have to additionally insulate and sheathe them from the outside and from the inside in order to hide defects, eliminate the through-blowing of locks in the corners and inter-crown seams. One of the modern options for houses made of solid wood, practically devoid of the shortcomings of log cabins, are houses made of glued beams. Due to the peculiarities of this technology, blowing through the seams and cracking the tree in such houses is practically impossible.

In this article, we will briefly touch on the most common mistakes in the construction of log houses.

1. Errors in the preparation of the log house.

Errors when choosing a material for construction.

According to GOST 9463-88 "Round coniferous timber", round timber of pine, spruce, fir and larch is suitable for the construction of houses. Larch is the most expensive material, the hardest and most resistant to decay. Spruce is less dense, excessively knotty and prone to more cracking. The optimal tree for building a house is a pine tree aged 80 to 120 (140) years old, grown in the northern regions (Arkhangelsk, Angarsk, in Karelia) on dry sandy soil, at least 24 meters high. The best pine logs have a deep red or yellow-red core color, which indicates a high density of wood. Loose varieties have a pale yellow core. The forest of winter felling, contrary to folk legends, actually has a higher moisture content of sapwood (25-50% higher than in summer), a greater amount of starch and, therefore, is more easily affected by fungi. You can determine the round timber of winter felling using a qualitative test for starch: a stroke is applied to the debarked wood with an iodine pencil. If the stroke turns blue - in front of you is a tree felled in winter.
For construction, it is allowed (this does not mean that you have to agree to purchase such materials) timber with such defects as mushroom blue and colored sap stains (no more than 1/20 - 1/10 of the end diameter), wormholes (no more than 5-10 pieces per 1 running meter), side cracks from shrinkage no more than 1/20 -1/5 of the end diameter, trunk curvature no more than 1-2% (1-2 cm per 1 running meter). Logs used for construction must have a run-down (thinning of the log towards the top) of no more than 0.8 cm per 1 m of length.

Rot (sapwood, rotten, sound) and tobacco knots (decomposed knots of brown or white color, crumbling under load) are not allowed in round timber.

The minimum diameter of a round timber for a residential building is 22-24 cm. The width of the grooves should be at least half the diameter of the log, and in the northern regions it can be increased even more. With a smaller size of the grooves, the consumption of timber decreases, but the thickness of the joints between the joints becomes smaller, and the house becomes "colder".
Cutting of corners can be done without the rest "in the paw" or with the rest - "in the corner". The "corner" cabin makes connections more reliable, and the frame is more stable. In addition, the wood allowance better protects the lock from weathering. Cutting "in the paw" is usually used for the subsequent sheathing of corners or the entire frame. For residential buildings, the device for connecting logs in the corners must have internal locking elements that exclude through-blowing of the corner (connecting logs "into the bowl" with a stop or "in a flash" with a stop). Due to its geometry (overturned bowl), the cut-out allows for better moisture removal and faster drying of the joint. Cutting internal locking elements requires a high qualification of the carpenter, this work takes more time and costs more. Otherwise, the corners of the residential building will be protected from blowing only with tow (heat-insulating material). This is one of the main disadvantages of rounded log houses, where log joints are manufactured industrially without additional internal locking elements.

The moisture content of timber for construction. SP 64.13330.2011 "Wooden structures" allows the use of raw solid wood for the construction of houses with a moisture content of up to 40% under the following conditions: the predicted shrinkage of wood should not violate the devices and flexibility of the joints, and the timber itself should be antiseptic and conditions should be provided for them to dry out drying and moisture protection. It is optimal if the log house dries up, installed in place on the foundation and under the roof. Drying period from 6 months to 1 year. If the log house stood at the seller's feet (separate parts of the log house with 5 crowns each, convenient in height for processing) without a roof for 6-12 months, then with a high probability this means that the tree will be rotted. It is permissible to purchase log cabins that have stood under the roof.

It is important to understand that the higher the moisture content of the timber, the greater the shrinkage of the tree, and the wider the gap between the joints, the gaps in the corner joints (especially with cutting defects), the more the wood will crack.

Why don't they cut down houses from dry wood? Dry wood has a higher density and hardness and is much more difficult to process. The rounded log is subjected to the order of a chamber drying after processing. However, kiln-dried wood can bend as the equilibrium moisture builds up on the construction site. Finnish and Karelian dry-standing pine with equilibrium moisture content is used in construction, but this is already an exclusive product. In addition, a properly assembled frame made of raw wood, during drying in the assembled state, "sits down" in place, reducing the size of the through-slots and, accordingly, the coefficient of wall blowing. It is important to know that it is possible to paint (not mean treatment with antiseptics) wood only if its moisture content does not exceed 15%. Otherwise, the wood will crack strongly when it dries. Therefore, the treatment of log cabins is permissible only with vapor-permeable antiseptics. Treating a wet (damp) log house with a vapor-proof antiseptic will also cause the wood to crack as it dries.

For dowels (dowels), only dry (no more than 12%) straight-grained wood without knots should be used. Birch pins must be antiseptic.

Fastening of logs to metal elements (cuttings of reinforcement, long nails) is not recommended, since moisture accumulates on the media section, and the metal element becomes centers of biological destruction of wood. Usually, the reinforcement is used by unscrupulous builders for fastening and "tension" of curved logs, which then leads to a violation of the normal shrinkage of the frame, the formation of cracks and bulging of individual logs. It is strictly forbidden to pierce the corner joints of the logs with nails, as this will interfere with the movement of the tree during shrinkage, and will contribute to the formation of cracks (after the wood has dried, the nails will rise above the surfaces).

Types of timber processing for construction.
The most traditional for Russia is round timber. In Scandinavia they use a carriage (from the Norwegian "lafteverk" - log house) - logs hewn from two opposite sides on two edges, or a half-carriage - hewn one edge from the inner side of the log. The cost of a hewn log house can be 35-50% higher than a log log house. When processing round timber, builders sometimes leave unremoved sections of the bast (under-bark). According to the norms, no more than 20% of bast can remain on the round timber. However, it is better to remove the bast completely with the help of shaving (planing), since the bast contains a lot of polysaccharides, which are an excellent medium for feeding microorganisms and insects that can damage the wood. Also, when ostrozhka, young layers of sapwood that are less resistant to infection by fungi and insects are removed.

2. Errors in the assembly of the log house.

Waterproofing must be installed between the first flashing ring and the foundation. Until now, builders for some reason use a non-durable cardboard-based material for waterproofing - roofing material, in which through holes and cracks are formed in 7-10 years. For waterproofing, it is necessary to use modern bitumen-polymer materials with a service life of 25-50 years. Of course, the complete absence of waterproofing is also unacceptable. The use of a backing board under the flap reduces heat loss by heat transfer from the frame to the foundation, reduces the risks of biological destruction of the flare. According to the requirements of SP 64.13330.2011 "Wooden structures", such wooden pads (pillows) should be made of antiseptic wood, mainly deciduous species (oak, aspen). If necessary, the underlays can be replaced with new ones. Replacing the cap is a much more time-consuming procedure. The lower rims of the house must be protected from moisture. The greatest harm is caused by splashes of precipitation reflected from the ground and snow pressed against the wall. To protect the logs from splashes and snow, it is recommended to raise the foundation above the planning mark by at least 40-50 cm.

Additional protection factors for the log house include splash guards protruding above the plinth, long roof overhangs (75-120 cm) and roof gutters and pipes.

Orientation of logs during stacking. Each tree has a natural curvature due to wind loads during the growth of the tree. When laying logs, they are certainly laid with the curvature upward so that the loads from the overlying structures compensate for the bending of the wood. If you do not follow this principle, then the logs will stick out to the sides. Normally, the deviation of the crowns of chopped walls from the horizontal by 1 m of length should not exceed 3 mm.

The size of the inter-crown gaps should not exceed 1 mm. With the Russian felling system, it is quite difficult to fulfill this condition, since as the tree dries out, the cracks open. The advantage is possessed by the Norwegian felling system with a wedging longitudinal groove and a sliding self-wedging lock, in which, as the tree dries, the logs shrink relative to each other, reducing the size of the inter-crown slots.

In Russia, traditionally, they continue to insulate the mezhventsov slots of chopped houses with natural materials, such as flax, jute, felt, moss, etc., which are not elastic, subject to biological degradation, and are a breeding ground for microorganisms and insects. All of these materials require repeated caulking. Meanwhile, in Scandinavia, an elastic self-expanding polyethylene foam tape is used as a mezhventsovy sealant, the use of which eliminates the need for repeated caulking.

If possible, you should avoid joining logs in crowns along the length. Such connections weaken the structure of the log house, and the walls of the log house can deform. The logs used in the structure should be as solid as possible. And it is definitely not worth making connections at the intersections of the walls, where load concentrations arise.

Shrinkage and swelling of wood along the grain is more pronounced than across the grain. Therefore, all vertical posts and columns must be equipped with platforms-jacks, shrinkage compensators, which are twisted to the required amount of shrinkage, which can last up to 6-8 years or more. Perhaps a more aesthetically pleasing option is to install shrinkage compensators at the bottom of the columns, where they are less visible.

It is not recommended to cut openings for windows and doors in a log house until the end of the first active period of wood drying (6-12 months). During the same period, you should not hem the floor, ceiling and sheathe walls, as this will interfere with normal ventilation and drying of the wood.

Particular attention should be paid to the ventilation of the underground space when installing wooden floors. The minimum cross-sectional area of ​​one air passage must be at least 0.05 m 2, and the total area of ​​the air must be at least 1/400 of the underground area. It should be noted that this floor structure is already archaic. In the world, floors are mainly used on the ground, which allow you to use geothermal heat, avoid problems with moisture in the underground space and the flow of radioactive soil gases into the house.

3. Errors in finishing a log house.

When arranging window and door openings, remember that the minimum distance between openings is 90 cm. The walls must be reinforced with dowels. For installation in log houses, it is better to use windows and doors with frames with a width of at least 10 cm, which does not allow the window and door block to deform during secondary caulking of the house.

Fastening of window bars for door and window frames should be sliding - without the use of nails, since the shrinkage of a wooden house can last for a long time. Above the windows and doors, compensation gaps are left under the crease of the upper log for shrinkage in the amount of 5-8% of the height of the opening.

It is better to use self-expanding elastic sealing strips for sealing window and door frames. Conventional polyurethane foam, when expanded, can deform window frames, and when the tree shrinks, form cracks. If it is used, then after hardening it should be covered from the outside from the sun and moisture with waterproof vapor-permeable self-adhesive butyl rubber tape. The inside of the foam should be covered with vapor barrier tape. Unprotected foam breaks down quickly, as in the house in the photo below.

Finishing the inter-crown seams of the assembled log house after the end of the first stage of intensive drying (12-24 months) with glazing beads or a rope is only decorative, contributing to the waste of money and time, but not protecting the walls from blowing. Modern elastic and vapor-permeable mezhventsovye sealants (for example, from the domestic manufacturer SAZI) allow to protect the mezhventsovye slots from blowing through and create an aesthetic appearance of the walls.

Application of mezhventsovy sealant.

External insulation of a wooden house. Most often, external insulation has to be resorted to when construction defects are detected, such as blowing through walls. The main and most critical mistake is the external insulation of a wooden house with vapor-tight insulation (expanded polystyrene, polyethylene foam). In this case, the tree is deprived of the opportunity to dry out, it is moistened, which increases its thermal conductivity and accelerates biological destruction. In clause 8.8 of SP 23-101-2004 "Designing thermal protection of buildings" it is prescribed to arrange layers of multilayer walls in such a way that the vapor permeability of materials from the inside to the outside of the heated house increases, rather than decreases.

Aesthetics of a wooden house. Often, lovers of wooden houses, where all interior elements such as walls, floors, ceilings, beams, railings, furniture are made of wood, find that, perhaps, a little overdone with the number of wooden surfaces that create the feeling of life in a “wooden box”. Change of furniture and painting of walls comes to the rescue. However, it is wiser to plan contrasting surfaces in the house at the design stage. These can be floors, ceilings, kitchen countertops, steel elements of stairs and fences, decorative walls made of natural or artificial stone.

The smell of dry wood, the walls, which are pleasant to hold with your hand, the garden is beautiful at any time of the year ... Landscape designer and student of the "Details" school Elena Polevaya built a wooden house from hewn logs in the Kaluga region.

The layout is very simple: an entrance hall, a living room-kitchen and a bedroom with a bathroom.

Lunch group. Furniture from "Inlavka" collection "Estate" and "Province".

The wooden house, according to her, is being assembled quickly, but it did not work out quickly here: there was not enough money, so the construction was delayed for several years. It took about a year to design and erect a log house, for another year the house was shrinking. The hostess worked on the interior for only two months.

Almost all the furniture was bought at Inlavka, it was on budget and was in stock. Elena did not want to wait.

“For me, the most important thing is the atmosphere of this house,” says Elena. - The closer you come to it, the brighter the feeling that you find yourself in a magical place where time stands still. It's like opening grandma's chest with things dear to your heart! ”

The kitchen is combined with the living room and dining room.

The enchanting atmosphere is created not so much by things as by the walls: the house is built from a solid log house, the diameter of the logs reaches thirty centimeters. The smell of dry wood, the walls, along which it is pleasant to hold your hand, the garden is beautiful at any time of the year ... What else is needed for happiness?

The house was easy to build, the only challenge was the small floor space and limited budget. And a big advantage is the ceiling height, in the ridge it reaches five meters. This gives the space air and pushes the boundaries.

Paint the house

Houses made of hand-hewn logs

Everyone knows that the walls of a classic wooden house are built from round logs. And the thickness of such a wall is usually 35 cm or more. And untreated wood for building a house is processed in a special way. As a result, hewn logs are obtained. Processing is done manually, the bark is removed, all unnecessary is planed. Then the wood is dried and impregnated.

It should be noted right away that manual testing is a rather laborious process and is not so cheap. Used for planing with a planer or ax. Conifers are usually selected for cutting by hand. They are at least 50 years old. In this case, trees are selected that have the same age. There must be an appropriate size. On the north side, the rings of the tree are denser. And with this side, the hewn logs are laid out.

The master picks up the logs one by one for the construction of the future house. First, the thickened ends of the log are stacked on thinner ones, and then vice versa. When a log is hewn with an ax, the wood's porosity is greatly reduced. Essentially, the wood is compacted from all sides. I must say that most often used are logs with a diameter of 24 cm, as well as 32 cm.

Manual cutting has many advantages, among them:

But this processing method has its drawbacks. It takes a long time to trim. Drying naturally can take one and a half to two years. And I must say that hewn logs are inferior in appearance to rounded ones.

When a house is assembled from a hewn timber, then there are gaps between the logs, in which moss or tow is laid. During the year, the frame will shrink. Then you need to once again caulk all the seams with combed tow. But I must say that it is pleasant to live in such a house. It will delight you with its unique aroma and warmth.

Hewn logs were used for the construction of houses by our ancestors. Only manual labor is used in this laborious technology. And the technology has been alive for many centuries. I must say that not all logs are suitable for construction. The wood is selected with the minimum number of defects. They try to cut the forest in the winter season. The fact is that the winter forest has a lot of resins, it is drier, more durable, it withstands shrinkage better, and there are fewer pests in it.

After the logs have been selected and cut down, all branches are removed from them with an ax. The tree is cleared of bark. But after that, the trunk has a brownish tint. If you need to get a light shade, then you need to remove a few millimeters with a scraper or ax. The work requires real skill.

After the logs are prepared, crowns are formed from them. For each log, grooves and locks are cut to ensure a secure connection with other logs. Between the crowns, dowels made of wood will be poured. They fix the wall element, preventing the elements from moving. I must say that a log house, if built by a true master of his craft, looks great. The atmosphere in such a house is unique. The house turns out to be environmentally friendly, the material is inexpensive. And if you decide to opt for such a house, you make the right choice.

The technology of building houses from hand-hewn logs implies a high-quality connection of building materials in the corners. Professional builders of wooden houses distinguish between two main technologies for making corner joints: “in a cup” and “in a paw”. The first technology provides for a rather high consumption of wood and, therefore, takes more time than laying the logs “in the paw”. If you want to save time and materials for arranging the corner joints of a wooden house, use the “in the paw” technology. But this installation involves a large number of sealed joints.

Laying corner joints of a wooden house “in a cup” involves laying building materials on two walls located on opposite sides. Further, another log is laid perpendicularly on the logs, with the help of which the marking for the connection is carried out.

Laying corner joints of a wooden house "in a paw" involves rather complex manipulations that are difficult to perform without the appropriate skill tools. The back of the log should be trimmed into a square shape. Vertical sections should be divided into 8 equal particles. Thus, the outer and inner corners of a wooden house will differ from each other, forming a special “foot”.

After the walls of the wooden house have been erected, you can proceed to caulking them. It should be carried out from the bottom of the wall, gradually moving upward.

Buying round timber for the construction of a suburban bathhouse is the starting stage of a laborious series of actions. The result of the work should be a solid, beautiful log house. The complex of actions consists in the full preparation of timber for the laying of crowns and for their further service. Preparation for the construction of a log house can be ordered or done with your own hands. However, both customers and independent home craftsmen need to know how to competently process a log with their own hands. After all, most of the operations are performed manually in accordance with the special rules of wooden architecture.

We express our gratitude to the company VseDoma.com, which carries out the construction of wooden houses and baths at a very high level. If you decide to order a building for yourself, go there. Thanks to them, this article was written.

The ax and the scraper are your best friends

Advertising claims about the "cosmic" speed of assembling crowns, fully prepared by the seller for construction, are somewhat exaggerated. True, construction from calibrated logs with formed structural elements will undoubtedly go much more "fun" than from freshly cut wood. You will have to tinker a lot, because each future wall element is needed:

• cut to size according to a previously prepared project and the selected type of corner joint;
• debarking - to get rid of the bark, which is very attractive for the bug;
• chill - remove the layer of fresh bark left after debarking in order to eliminate the causes of premature decay of the bast. This operation is one of the optional, but strongly recommended procedures;
• cut according to the method of installation and place of installation;
• select grooves for corner locking knots.

If necessary, you will still need to cut off numerous knots, splicate logs, hammer nests and perform a lot of other operations. This is if the potential owner of the bathhouse purchases timber of the 4th, the lowest grade. However, let's forget about the adherents of such austerity. It will require the least effort from an inexperienced carpenter if the owner does not skimp on the second grade wood. In construction, the use of third-rate logs is allowed, but it is better to compare your own capabilities, costs and labor costs from the beginning.

To perform each of the carpentry actions, there is a specialized hand tool, often replaced by current builders with chainsaws and electric planers. Their use is not prohibited, but it is necessary to partially use them in the most time-consuming processes. Because round timber processed with tools with a gasoline engine or an electric drive is more susceptible to rotting than hand-hewn and chopped timber. Power saws and other super speed tools shag wood fibers and leave waterways open to moisture.

For more information on how to choose an electric plane, see the article

Working with an ax, a standard plane, a scraper, a traditional chisel, a home craftsman will "clog" the wood capillaries. The atmospheric and bath moisture will then not negatively affect the log structure. By the way, it will stand much longer than a similar building made of rounded material. In the latter variant, the fibers are also unprotected from water penetration. Moreover, during calibration, the machine removes the outer layer that is resistant to negative. Therefore, zealous owners are advised to buy round wood and process the logs for their favorite log bath with their own hands, using simple carpentry devices.

If you want to build a brick bathhouse, we advise you to watch the video

Rules for choosing good timber

Since we are talking about the type of forest, let's touch on the topic of choosing a log. Pine is rightfully recognized as the optimal material for independent, because:

• this type of wood is quite soft and easy to handle;
• timber harvesting is carried out in latitudes close to the upcoming construction;
• the surface rarely requires additional processing;
• the minimum number of knots on the whip;
• escape of the trunk, i.e. the difference between the largest and smallest diameter in a meter section of a log corresponds to the limits necessary in construction from 0.8 cm to 1.0 cm.

Pine attracts with its price, acceptable resin content and advantages of easy processing. It does not crack as intensely as spruce. In terms of density, pine logs are ideal as a wall material. With the exception of the lowest flashing ring, which takes all the load from the structure under construction. To form the first row of logs, it is advisable to purchase an oak with a maximum density, or larch resistant to ground moisture. The use of pine for the construction of the flap is not excluded, but the logs must be taken with a diameter of 5-7 cm larger than the entire timber.

An important criterion for choosing a forest is the width of the longitudinal groove, which is formed along the entire log for ordinary laying and joining the underlying crown with its upper brother. The recommended value for this size is 2/3 of the average diameter of a standard log from the purchased batch. The average diameter is equal to the arithmetic mean between the butt and apex diameters.

The width of the longitudinal groove is regulated by folk rules based on many years of experience in wooden architecture:

• with repeated winter thermometer readings in the region of -40 ° C, the width of the base of the lunar longitudinal groove, i.e. the distance between the projection of the extreme points of the notch on an imaginary straight line should be from 14 to 16 cm;
• for regions with winter temperature values ​​of -30 ºС, this size is 12 cm;
• for regions with frosts of -20 ° C, the longitudinal groove must be made 10 cm wide.

This means that for the construction of a log house in the northern regions, the best wall material will be a log with an average diameter of 21-24 cm. Further, according to the degree of climate mitigation, 18 cm and 15 cm.

Root-cut timber does not need to be stored for more than 2 weeks. Dried wood will make processing more difficult. Logs should be stacked with lumber or plank pads between the rows. Spacers are required for ventilation.

A log "overexposed" during natural drying is more warped and cracked, if a longitudinal notch is timely made on the side opposite to the groove. With a notch, the wood will still crack, but the process will be less active, because the tension in the log will be relieved. And after the shrinkage of the log house, the cracks will be almost invisible.

It is necessary to store the wood on a flat area prepared for its storage. It is advisable to arrange a canopy that protects the untreated whip from direct hitting UV rays and from precipitation, and a kind of "pallet" made of timber laid at intervals.

Step-by-step technology for processing logs

After the "correct" aging of the timber in natural conditions, you can proceed to the preparation stages: for debarking, felling and chipping logs in order to create wall elements ready for laying.

Stage # 1 - making working devices

Carpentry work is not easy and sometimes dangerous. The logs have a lot of weight and an unstable rounded configuration, the do-it-yourselfer has a double-edged tool. Comfortable work without the risk of injury will be ensured by simple devices - pads and staples. They are needed to fix the raw whip in the position required for the production of work.

The linings are made from chocks, hewn one edging from the side of installation on the ground, it is possible from scraps of large section timber or boards placed on the end. You can not choose in the workpiece, but it is better to choose a rectangular or triangular groove in cross section. The best fastening will be if the groove is triangular. The logs installed on the lining are necessarily fixed with iron brackets. When the staples are hammered, the fibers are not disturbed, so that such fasteners will not harm the material.

Stage # 2 - cutting the log to size

The size of the logs for the crowns should correspond to the design and type of the corner lock. The fundamental difference in corner joints must be taken into account:

• if a log house is cut into a bowl with corners protruding beyond its outline, the logs should be 60 cm longer than the design dimensions of the wall;
• if the felling is carried out according to the "in the paw" scheme, the length of the log is equal to the design value.

In length, the log dries out by an insignificant amount: 0.1% of the total length of the material. This value does not need to be taken into account when marking the cutting line.

It is more convenient to mark the cutting lines by strengthening the log on a lining. If the material was purchased with significant dimensional differences, it is better to take a segment with an approximate average diameter as a central reference point. From it, in both directions, you need to set aside half the required length. Although it is often advised to shorten the whip from the tip side to minimize flow.

Shortening logs that are too long is not prohibited with a chainsaw, but an ax is a legitimate priority. It is necessary to cut along the marked line with alternation of perpendicularly directed blows with blows at an angle of 45º.

Stage # 3 - removing bark from the trunk

Logs cut to size must be debarked, i.e. deprive the unaesthetic outer layer. Debarking can be done in three ways:

• perform roughing with an ax, which consists in removing the top layer with simultaneous chopping of knots. For adherents of rustic exterior and interior stylistics, this rough processing with the creation of a variegated surface is often enough;
• to carry out a more "detailed" removal of the bark with a scraper, which ultimately allows to obtain a smooth surface of a pleasant light color. The disadvantage of this method is insufficient processing of the trunk surface in the area of ​​knots previously cut with an ax;
• remove the loose top layer with an ordinary plane. The quality of processing is higher than the barking with a scraper, but the protective shell from the log will be cut off with a plane. Planed logs must be treated with an antiseptic compound.

A bayonet shovel with a sharpened blade edge is recognized as a completely suitable tool for removing bark.

Stage # 4 - weaving the logs for the cap

They did not forget that the first crown will be composed of the thickest logs. They have to be cut by one edging in order to lay them on a pre-waterproofed foundation with the exactly hewn side.

Please note that the chipping and cutting of logs for the subsequent construction of crowns must be done so that the "winter" side of the log with a denser arrangement of annual rings is turned outward. So the heat-technical qualities of the log house will be higher.

The sequence of work on a log slab for one edging:

• At the ends of the log fixed in the lining, mark the points of its central axis.
• Along the plumb line or the level at both ends, we outline the vertical lines, according to which the vertical border of the cut will pass.
• We "draw" a horizontal line of descent. At the top points of the drawn borders, we make splints with an ax or hammer in nails. Between the points, pull the coated cord, nylon thread or fishing line tightly, securing the ends in serifs or tying them around a nail. If we had a coated cord, we pull it according to the principle of the bowstring and the “shoot” type: the line will be drawn spontaneously. Along the line, you can draw a border with your own hand with charcoal or a marker. Because shrinkage will be carried out strictly vertically, there is no need to draw the opposite horizontal border.
• We carry out rough shaving, not reaching the outlined border of 7-10mm. To facilitate the work, we make transverse notches through the entire hump of the log. Then we remove the log segments between the notches with an ax. Instead of notches, it is wiser to make cuts with a chainsaw at the same depth and with the same step, and finish them with an ax.
• Then, with a medium-sized ax, remove the wood to the outlined line.
• We clean off the hewn surface of the log with a scherhebel.

In the logs of the crown, it is also necessary to make cuttings for connections in the paw or in the bowl according to the design solution. It will be about the methods of their production. If the basement of the bathhouse has already been poured and is ready for the construction of a log house, the prepared logs can already be laid on the waterproofed base. If not, we number the logs and send them to a stack.

Stage # 5 - cutting a longitudinal groove

Longitudinal grooves are cut out on all ordinary logs for tight joining of the wall material. Simplified, the process can be called cutting 2/3 of the hump of a log followed by the formation of a moon-shaped notch that repeats the shape of the underlying or overlying wall element. In general, the location of the longitudinal groove is directly related to the type of the locking bowl. More precisely, it is turned up or down. It is preferable that the corner joints, together with the longitudinal grooves, were, as if, covered with a log, i.e. upside down to prevent atmospheric moisture from flowing into the connections.

The basic principle of wall construction in timber construction is “butt to top”. The alternation of the narrow and wide end of the log is necessary to align the crowns into the horizon. This indisputable rule must be taken into account when marking grooves.

The marking of the rounded groove is made with a carpenter's line - a kind of compass. The semblance of a line can be done independently by tightly screwing a wire with sharp edges to the handle of a hammer or to a stick. According to folk technology, a groove is drawn with considerable effort:

• we put the log in the place it should be in the log house, then we accurately draw the outlines of the hump of the lower log at the end of the upper element using a carpenter's line or a homemade "compass" with two wire legs;
• by analogy with the marking of the chipping, we mark the longitudinal lines;
• we transfer the marked log to an area convenient for work and fasten it in pads:
• we make notches or cuts along the entire length of the processed log;
• we carry out a rough and final teska, then we process the groove with a sherhebel;
• We coat the entire surface of the groove with coal and put it on the place for checking it in the blockhouse. If unpainted areas are found on the lower log, remove the excess from the groove and try again.

According to the rules, longitudinal grooves are formed simultaneously with cutting into a paw or into one of the types of bowls, we will talk about the methods of their manufacture separately.

We introduced you to the general principles of preparing timber for the construction of a log house. They will help both the independent home craftsman in his hard work, and the customer of the builders' efforts who wants to control the literacy of the execution.