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OutsideFun1
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# Posted: 4 May 2013 03:40pm
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My dream is to one day purchase a plot of land and build a log cabin home on it.
The problem is that where I live, there aren't that many good log building tree stands around, which means I'll probably have to order my logs from somewhere.
Does anyone have any experience with purchasing logs?
- What can I expect for pricing?
- Can you order them debarked?
- What dimensions were your logs? (I'm looking for at least 30' in length if possible).
I live in Ontario by the way.
Thanks
Nathan
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 4 May 2013 09:30pm
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Nathan, it's all what available in your area. Shipping logs is expensive. It can be half the cost. Handling is another issue. Not many log trucks have loaders anymore, and most that do are in the middle of the trailer for hauling shortwood. Talk to a government forester. He will likely have the best ideas.
I sell logs here in Northern Mn. on average $80 per tree, Norway pines. That is about 40' log from 14'' to 8'' top. That's a landing price not pealed for straight poles. I require payment before I kill a tree.
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 5 May 2013 08:26am
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look for aspen trees (poplar: bigtooth and trembling), they are a hardwood, very light weight and they grow relativly straight and long. a lot of old cabins were built from them due to unifirm characteristics and the light weight makes them easy to move.
their not worth much to logging, their bad firewood (don't burn very long) and the only thing they are used for is paper pulp (the fibers make them ideal for TP). often loggers around here will leave them on a landing after the other wood is removed since they are so low in value to logging they often cost more to move than they sell for ($10 a pulp cord, thats 8' x 4' x4').
i suggest calling local logging companies and ask if they will sell you log lenth poplar, you will need to shape them yourself (but their easy to work with) however some loggers may jump on the chance to sell the stuff they might have otherwise thrown away (they may sell it at a profit for them but for you it may be much cheaper than any other cabin logs).
your in ontario, I've been to southern ontario and quebec and these trees grow native to the region and have been historically used for cabins. as a logger myself i considered this but had already built my cabin, if i were to build another this is what i would do.
hope this can give you an idea
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OutsideFun1
Member
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# Posted: 5 May 2013 03:13pm
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Thanks for the helpful advice! There are tons of poplar where I'm from, so that's a definite option. I just never knew they were used for cabin building before. Good to know.
The poplar cabins that you've seen, have you noticed any sign of rot on them?
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Malamute
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# Posted: 5 May 2013 11:09pm - Edited by: Malamute
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I've bought logs from a couple different lumbermills and from a log builder. I'm sure it varies considerably, but $2/ft is cheap, $4/ft is more common for good, dry, dead standing, straight cabin logs. Lodgepole is very straight with relatively few knots. Other pines and perhaps some spruce may work, depending on how they grow in your area. Dead standing dry is much easier to work with as regards the weight of the logs, and the amount of shrinkage you'll get and need to allow for when building. Dry is harer to peel, but its not insurmountable by any means.
Hand peeling isn't that tough with a good drawknife or two. When you're done, you'll be in great shape too!
I built a hand powered log winch for moving logs on my build site, it worked well, I never had to move a log by brute strength. It was a triangle base with a triangle upright frame. It was on castors, and made moving logs pretty simple. I used a rope "come-a-long" (maasdam power pull) for the power, with log tongs, and a snatch block at the top of the upright triangle frame.
If you don't have a peavey and a few other logs tools, its money well spent in how vastly easier it is to work with logs.
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OutsideFun1
Member
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# Posted: 6 May 2013 07:56am
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Thanks Malamute. You gave me a lot of good ideas that I'll be remembering in the future.
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leonk
Member
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# Posted: 6 May 2013 02:49pm
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Interersting subject. I am in the same position - dreaming about log cabin since I was a kid 
Anyhow my research shows $1 per board foot in ON, .5-.6 in Quebec.
That's for white pine. We have plenty of trees here...
Owen's number is bang on. I plugged his log dimensions into a calculator
here and it's 80 bf by Scribner scale
(http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl)
I wouldn't build from poplar in ON - too wet. Poplar and birch can be used for log cabins in very dry location, not here, it will rot.
The cost of logs is a very small part of the cost of a log cabin, no need to go super cheap.
Malamute, love your cabin, do you have any pics of the 'crane'?
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Malamute
Member
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# Posted: 7 May 2013 12:30am - Edited by: Malamute
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I do somewhere. I was going to send copies to a lady in Ak that was going to finish a cabin. I saw them before Christmas, but havent seen them since. If I do locate them, I'll post some.
The triangle base had the narrow flat end forward, with the upright triangle vertical, and a backbone that connected both points at the rear base, and the snatch block pully hung off the top end of the backbone, it overshot the front triangle by about a foot. The tail of the hand winch was attached about 2/4-3/4 of the way back the backbone, and I had a platform to stand on, and a milk crate full of rocks at the rear for a counterbalance. For smaller logs, it was fine, for longer logs, like 35-45', with 14" butts, it would punch the steel wheeled castor through the 3/4" OSB subfloor. I had to put extra 3/4" OSB scraps under the castors before raising a log up. It couldnt be rolled with a log up, but once raised, a log can be pretty easily swung around 90 deg, set down, the winch rolled, the log picked back up and swung again to get it to the other side of the cabin to set. The smaller one I built and used for smaller logs could be rolled with a log up, it was really handy. That cabin was 16x22, so the logs were about 20 and 26' long, and smaller butts.
One issue, figure how high you need the ridge to be before building the winch frame, figuring in the loss of working height with the snatch block and skidding tongs. It can be sketched out on cardboard with a framing square, using 1/2" or inch increments equalling 1 foot to diagram it and figue out high tall to build the winch to be able to lift the ridge. I made both mine just slightly too short. I could get one end up, the other most of the way up the gable wall, and used my legs to scoot the last end into place the last couple feet up the gable incline.
I used 2x6 rough cut lumber for one, with a double 2x6 backbone. The smaller one, I used a heavy corral pole for the backbone, and 2x6 milled lumber for the triangle parts. I gusseted the corners with OSB or plywood.
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exsailor
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# Posted: 7 May 2013 08:24am
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Where ever you get your logs there are three things to remmber when building your cabin. Water rots logs. Capillary action will pull water into any wood jounts you have. Making your logs waterproof seals in moisture and promotes rot. Best things you can do is build large overhangs into your roofing system. Keep your logs at least 12 inched above ground level to prevent water splashing. a full porch around your cabin is even bettter it protects logs and gives you more livng space. All of this comes with a disclaimer. I have yet to build my log cabin in the woods, but thtis what I have learned through research.
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leonk
Member
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# Posted: 7 May 2013 09:11am
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Thanks, malamute, very interesting.
How heavy duty were the castors? logs are pretty heavy...
were you building with dry logs?
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BearPaw
Member
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# Posted: 7 May 2013 09:27am
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I bought my logs directly from the logger in the forest. He charged me $2 a foot and delivered them about 20 miles away for that price.
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Malamute
Member
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# Posted: 8 May 2013 11:08pm - Edited by: Malamute
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Yes, dry logs, from dead standing dry trees. Beetle kill I believe.
I don't know exactly what the castors are rated, I looked around, and ended up buying steel wheeled castors. I'll see if I can get pics of them. I have a winch frame thats about half taken apart out back.
I was probably technically overloading the castors by their rated load use, but never had any problems. I figured the steel wheeled ones were tougher than the rubber wheeled ones, regardless of the comparative ratings.
$2/ft is a good price here, though I can find smaller logs (say, 8-10" butts) for that price if I look in the right places, as most log builders and loggers want larger trees for most of their uses.
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