Construction Of A Country House: Marking And Laying Logs, Making A Frame (Himself A Builder - 3)

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

My own builder

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6

Building the walls

In the May issue of the magazine, we ended up marking and making the lower "paw" of the flap of the frame temporary enclosure. Based on the existing experience, we continue our construction work and proceed to the next operation - marking the upper part of the corner.

Top corner marking

We apply a level on the line A - A1 (Fig.1A) and mark the end of the log along the upper plane of the level from point D to point D1, then we apply a level to line B - B1 (Fig.1B) and mark the outer plane of the upper log along the upper level plane from point C to point C1. Both drawn lines should coincide, which will confirm the validity of the marking.

Figure 1A

From the inner corner of the leg of the lower log, transfer the size to the upper one, connect the resulting point with the previously made markings.

Figure 1B

The ax itself will show the correctness of the marking. All four corners should be marked in turn. Do not forget the rules for chipping wood - exclusively from the corner!

After beating off the staples, turn the logs over with the markings up and carefully fasten them again. In this case, the logs should not lie on the lower "legs" of long logs.

It is better to do this work together, which is much more convenient and safer. Don't forget about cutting with a hacksaw.

I sawed down such angles "in the paw" with a chainsaw, although I still like to do it with a carpenter's ax. By the way, about the ax. A real carpenter's ax is sharpened at the end of the abrasive wheel and has the shape of a blade (Fig. 2). In this version, it does not stick to the wood when cutting.

Figure 1C

All marking of the upper log along the lower one is usually done according to the "line", and it is very useful to have it for the future. In our version, there is enough level.

Having adjusted the "paws", we put them in place. Now it makes sense to secure the cap with staples - they will remain there, although such a strengthening of the structure is not necessary. A correctly executed corner holds itself without any brackets, and due to its shape, water practically does not get inside - if a few drops still penetrate during "oblique" rain, then immediately due to the slope they will roll out.

Picture 2

The next step is to align the support planes of the upper logs to the spirit level, since an error could have crept in here. We look at the first part of the article and act in accordance with the description given there. After checking with a spirit level, we mark the level and remove the excess wood from the supporting planes prepared for the frame racks. Simultaneously with the marking of the level of the platforms for the posts, we make marks on the level for the floor beams. This operation looks like this: stepping back from the transverse logs about 50 mm, put a cross on the log, setting aside about a third of the diameter of the log from its top down.

Figure 3

Next, using a spirit level, we make markings in other corners. We give up control and, if everything is accurate, with the help of a cord and nails driven into the centers of the crosses, mark the level of the top of the floor beams. We do the same on another long log.

Figure 4

Now we need to designate the location of these very beams. Five of them will be enough for our construction. We mark the extreme ones half a meter from the transverse logs. We divide the resulting distance between the extreme beams by four (Fig. 3) We transfer the same dimensions to the second log. At the points of intersection of the axes of the beams and horizontal markings, attaching a level to the cord, we make horizontal markings of the upper part of the floor beams.

Figure 5.1

After that, we proceed directly to their manufacture. Why on the already existing lining "hump" upwards we fasten the blanks with staples. The length of the beam is three meters minus the diameter of the long log.

Figure 5.2

We start marking from the top of the log (Fig. 4):

1. Measure 20-25 mm from the edge of the log.

2. By level we draw a vertical line on both sides of the log.

3. At points A and A1, make a small gap with an ax.

4. Drive a nail shallowly into point D and put a loop of a chopping cord on it, which is not made of synthetic materials. Insert the cord with an interference fit into the slot.

Figure 6

5. On a small piece of foam rubber, pour a little blue and rub the cord with it without effort. At the same time, we avoid sudden movements and shaking.

6. The cord with the blue applied to it is tightly inserted into the slot A1 and we wind several turns around the nail driven from this side.

7. Grasping the middle of the cord with two fingers, pull it straight vertically with effort and release it. You have a line broken off by a cord on the log. To avoid mistakes, the beat is done only once.

Figure 6A

It is clear that the staples are driven into the log from the side opposite to the markings.

Further from the top to the butt of the log, tweaks are made to facilitate further work. After that, the edge protest begins.

Figure 6B

I remind you of safety precautions - the ax must be securely fastened to the ax handle, and your foot should not be on the line of impact, but rather behind the log. The blows must be applied with a guy (saber). They should not be strong, but accurate. At the same time, the marking line remains intact. In some cases, in order to avoid large nicks, you will have to hang up towards the ax move - in the area of knots or a large twist of the wood. Focusing on the verticals on the ends of the logs, maintain the vertical along the entire length of the groove, otherwise you will get a kind of propeller - and we don't need to fly, but we need to build!

Having finished the protrusion, we beat off the staples, put the beam over the markings made under it and set it with the hewn side straight up (see. Fig.5.1)

Line A we divide the end in half. Dimension B is equal to the distance from the center of a long log to its sidewall. We cut and cut the shaded part C.

Further, using a hacksaw and an ax, we make a "frying pan" (Fig. 5.2) from both ends of the log, the dimensions of the angle K are arbitrary, at your discretion.

After that, having set the beam strictly according to the markings on a long log, transfer the "frying pan" shape to it. Let me remind you that the depth of the cut is determined by your markings on the spirit level.

After sawing the side edges with a hacksaw, start cutting down the wood with an ax. The pan should fit into its socket with effort, but without undue deformation. It is necessary to hammer it with the butt of an ax through the bun, alternately on both sides.

First of all, the extreme beams are made and installed, then the rest. A cord is thrown over the extreme beams to check the intermediate ones and, if there are flaws, they are corrected.

You have received a cap, which has become almost monolithic due to the cut-in beams. Using a wagu, put pieces of roofing material in half on the foundation - the waterproofing is ready. Between the roofing felt and the log, it will be useful to put a 40-50 mm thick piece of board impregnated with used oil or other antiseptic, the dimensions of the board should not protrude beyond the paw.

Making the frame of the temporary hut

Figure 6C

Now you need to decide on the layout of the hut and, in accordance with your plan, make the actual frame. Given the dimensions, two rooms suggest themselves - a kitchen and a room. The location of the corner posts is unchanged, but let's talk about door and window posts separately. To do this, you need to decide where the doors and windows will be. Ideally, already at this stage of construction it is desirable to have door and window frames with appropriate filling. This will save you a lot of time and money.

I can offer option No. 1 or No. 2, which provides for a decrease in the area of the kitchen by moving the partition to one rack to the left and increasing the area of the room.

Figure 6D, E

The location and number of windows and doors in a building may vary, but it is worth remembering that the shortest passage in the room saves usable space, and the mutual arrangement of windows and doors should minimize draft and, accordingly, heat loss. For fire safety reasons, the doors must open outward.

Also, when planning a house (a house, a makeshift, a bathhouse), one should " dance from the stove ", that is, from its location. A light stove is made right on the floor, and a separate foundation is arranged under the heavy one.

By the way, in our case, only one wreath (salary) was made. This simplifies and reduces the cost of construction. But for greater durability, you can put (already on the groove) several more crowns, and cut the floor beams between the third and fourth crowns.

We start making racks. If you have a timber available, this will greatly simplify the work. And if there is only "round timber" - there will be a place for the application of your imagination. In this case, we will consider this particular option as the most laborious.

For corner posts it is necessary to make a four-edged beam. This will require the most solid of the remaining three meters. The markings on both ends of the rack are done completely without moving the log. This should provide a fairly high accuracy. All the markings are done using a level, a cord and a carpentry square, which we will use as a template.

Figure 7.1

After placing the logs for the manufacture of racks and securing them with brackets, we begin the marking - Fig. 7.1

1. From the center of the top of the workpiece, apply horizontal and vertical axial markings.

2. We enter a square into the conditional circle of the log, the sides of which should be equal on all four racks - for the other racks this is not very important.

3. Having attached a level to the A-A1 line, draw the B-B1 line along the lower part of the level, depending on the height of the level (from 40 to 55 mm). We used the level in this situation as a convenient template.

4. Vertically apply a carpenter's square to line В-В1, its width is 40 mm - also a template and draw around with a pencil.

Figure 7.2

5. From the end of the log set aside 100 mm on the side parts of the rack. The bottom spike markings are ready. Similarly, mark the top of the rack. With one difference - the upper thorn differs from the lower one by 90 ° offset relative to the vertical - fig. 7.2

6. Make the size from and to the end parts of the rack (excluding the height of the spikes) approximately 2600-2700 mm. This applies to the posts of the long side of the building, the length of the intermediate post of the short side of the building is determined locally.

7. Next, using an ax and a hacksaw, we complete the production of the rack. Everything is like a sculptor's - we just remove the unnecessary and the masterpiece is ready. And so 4 times!

To facilitate the installation of the spike into the groove, I recommend removing the chamfers on the end faces of the spike with an ax (hacksaw), i.e. some amount of wood - (Fig. 8).

Figure 8

Next, mark the grooves on the corner support pads (Fig. 9) and remove excess wood with a large chisel and hammer. Now you need to prepare jibs, a plumb line, 70-80 mm nails and, preferably, a partner. Jibs with a length of about 3-3.5 m are easy to make from a part of a board or trunk of a Christmas tree, previously freed from knots.

Figure 9

The spike should fit into the groove without significant effort, but also not dangle there. If the groove is too weak, wedge the stand from the side opposite to the end of the lower log.

It is not for nothing that the people say: "If it were not a wedge, but not moss, and the carpenter would have died."

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rest of the article → My own builder: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6