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Louslillanding
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2016 10:51pm
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Hello everyone, I am new to this forum so if Im not posting this in the right topic category please let me know. We learn by asking and doing. My question is has anyone ever set green logs or do they HAVE to be dried?
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 3 Jul 2016 11:28pm
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All log buildings are built with green logs. The design needs to account for shrinkage, as a log wall can shrink 4-6 inches in height over a few years. Since logs take many years to dry, no one waits for them to dry, and there is no reason to so long as you know how to accommodate the shrinkage that will occur in your particular design.
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Louslillanding
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# Posted: 4 Jul 2016 06:49am
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In my area there is a lot of talk about kiln drying and or letting the logs dry for more than a year, thank you
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 4 Jul 2016 09:52am
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It all depends on the type of wood you want to use as to how long it should air dry before you can use it practically. The choice of wood will also determine which method of construction is most suitable / appropriate for your intended application. Your regional location is also a determining factor in regards to Air Drying as the ambient air temps & humidity, winter season or not are all items for consideration.
Are you harvesting the logs from your own property or purchasing it from a local logger ? If your harvesting yourself, so you feel you have enough of the desired wood type ?
It's generally a good idea to stick with the same type of wood overall, so if your building with Cedar or Pine then all the walls should be the same.
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Louslillanding
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# Posted: 4 Jul 2016 12:26pm
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Yes planing on using the pines from my property, still waiting on a guy to come look at the trees to see if they are useable. He indicated when I talked to him about my project that the pines in this area would most likely not work for construction. Don't really understand why not but I will listen when he looks at them and maybe bring his info to this forum for input. Thank you so much for the info, lots to consider. Hope I can use my existing trees, been paying taxes on them this long. Lol
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leonk
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# Posted: 4 Jul 2016 04:55pm
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It can be done both ways and there's pros and cons to both.
Today most build with green logs - easier to carve, heavier, settle a lot, no need to wait for them to dry a few years.
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Louslillanding
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 12:15pm
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Thank you
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ShabinNo5
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 12:50pm
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If you plan to use logs for your gables, then you will need to build with dry logs. As Bldginsp pointed out, green logs will settle. The corners of the cabin will settle evenly ( assuming a consistent wall height ). However the added height to the peak of the gable will settle more, due to the added height. As a result the peak of the gable will pull away from the roof. That is one of the reasons the builders using green logs stick frame the gables.
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Louslillanding
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 01:27pm
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Wow, great info, I will be doing some rethinking. Thank you so much.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 01:43pm
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When you have a point load to carry with log construction, they frequently use a foundation jack or something similar to lower the post. So say you have a post in the middle of the building holding up a portion of the roof. Since the post will shrink very little along its length, it holds its dimension while the walls shrink. So they mount it on a screw jack, and gradually lower it until things equalize out.
Even if you use logs that have been put in a kiln, I doubt this will eliminate shrinkage. I suppose it's possible to thoroughly dry logs in a kiln, but it takes a lot of time to knock moisture content down that far. I don't know, but I bet the objective with using kiln "dried" wood is just to knock down the free moisture content a certain amount if you are using rot-prone species that typically are very moisture laden. Or perhaps it's just to lighten them up a bit. But I wager they don't dry the logs entirely (as with "kiln dried" framing lumber) and so you still have to be very aware of shrinkage rates.
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Nirky
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 10:05pm
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It takes about 2 years for a green log to reach equilibrium with its environment--the point at which it is no longer shrinking due to losing water but rather enlarging & contracting due to humidity in the air.
Our pioneering fathers did not wait two years after they cut down trees to build their cabins. They built green.
http://www.buildloghomes.org/
These guys teach how to build with either dry or green logs. They have a method of building either dry or green with no settling issues.
Pine is a good species to build a log cabin with, just make sure you have large eaves to keep the rain off. Water is the enemy of any wood.
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Louslillanding
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# Posted: 6 Jul 2016 11:06pm
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I had planed covered porches on two sides will look into increasing the eves on the other two sides thanks for the link I will check it out. I am so glad I found this forum, I think I might have made a few critical errors had I not. Thank you all for the great advise. I'm sure I will have more questions as the project progresses and hopfully I can help someone too.  
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