Log Home Construction Methods: When is a Log Not a Log?

When is a log home not a log home?

When is a log not a log?

Well, to answer that question, lets us first define what a log is and is not.

As simply as possible – A log is a length of natural wood material, in part or in whole, of a felled tree of a diameter greater than that of a stick. Although its bark and branches may have been removed it is yet unaltered from its natural form and profile by a milling process thereby retaining its usually uneven surface and characteristics of the original tree that commonly identify it as a log.

A log may be of varied ultimate length and realistically no less than 18″ in length. Logs are commonly as short as 2′ and can be greater than 50′ in length. This may seem like stating the obvious to most of us but in the context of this discussion it is appropriate to lay the groundwork.

So when is a log not a log?

As soon as a log has been milled it is no longer a log but something rather different depending on the milling involved. Lumber mills take the raw material, in this case logs, and mill (cut/process) them into products that are available for purchase. Lumber mills are not in the habit of selling logs – they sell lumber. This is why they are called lumber mills.

Sometimes logs are cut, usually by large machines and sometimes by hand, lengthwise and their surfaces squared. This may be done in multiples depending on the size of the original log and the desired size of the end product. The pieces of the log that have been cut and squared are called lumber. The log is the raw material and when that raw material is processed (milled) you have lumber or various other wood product.

Lumber takes on various forms, terms, qualities, properties and a host of other characteristics depending on the size of cut, method cut, portion cut etc. Perhaps it is a 2×4, a 6×6, a timber or a multitude of other forms and sizes – the point is once you mill a log it is no longer a log (the raw material) it is lumber.

There are many companies that sell ‘log homes’ that used milled ‘logs’. These ‘log home’ companies square off the raw log by sending it though a mill. Doing so they create timbers. Sometimes they square off four sides or mill one side to have a D shaped profile (this is so the end product attains an outside convex curvature in an effort to simulate the profile shape of a log), sometimes, and more commonly so, they will create a groove much like tongue and groove flooring on the top and bottom of the timber so that it fits nicely into the timber both above and below in a wall structure.

Indeed homes built in this manner are beautiful but they should not be confused with log homes. These homes built of lumber frequently use creative methods by which they try to create the feel of a log home by using techniques to loosely mimic typical log properties and characteristics. Why would they do this? — we will address that at a later stage.

Many companies will also mill the raw log so that all surfaces of the original log are smooth and of uniform diameter. These too are not logs but rather large dowels. They are just like the little dowels you use for craft projects only larger. This is not a log home but a dowel home.

Again, although the methods mentioned above can and often create dramatic and beautiful homes they should not be confused with log homes.

Another style of log is the hand hewn log. The log is hewn flat on at least two sides thereby creating a somewhat flat area (usually affecting the inside and outside surfaces) and joined at the corners with other logs in a crafted dovetail.

This is a very legitimate form of the log home that you will notice is almost always appropriately prefaced with the words “hand hewn or dovetailed” log home. It is a very specific style and method that has lasted through the ages. People that create this style of log home are very proud of their work and love to make sure you know that it is hand hewn or dovetailed — of course that is certainly the attraction. They do not try to pass themselves off as something they are not.

I have great respect for the true hand hewn dovetailed log home. Unfortunately, this method has been bastardized as well and I will address the various methods companies use to simulate the look of a true handhewn dovetailed home in a later post. It is a subject area of its own.

Like many things, log homes have been processed and simulated to create something that appears to look like a log home and we will explore the differences.

There many people that like simulated log homes. You see these simulated log homes all the time featured in publications and in the ads in these publications that market and cater to those who dream of building a log home. There is certainly nothing wrong with that.

A brief note on these publications: There a number of log home magazines to which I will be referring to by name. I have subscriptions to most of them. I read them. I like them. They are good sources of information and can carry fairly good articles. I may not agree with the content of some of the articles as the writers and editors are beholden to their advertisers to sell more magazines and promote their products. Thats simple capitalism – and thats fine with me. Together we will weed through.

The publications and creators promoting these simulated log homes are marketing to a very specific niche and there are always eager buyers and dreamers with deep pockets. So be it. No doubt they can be beautiful but remember if it is milled its not a log no matter what they say – let’s not confuse the two.

Calling a home built with milled ‘logs’ a log home is much like calling Velveeta Cheese – cheese.

No offense to Velveeta but it is a simulated cheese-like product. It looks like cheese, somewhat smells like cheese, tastes like cheese to some and may even contain some ingredients found in real cheese but it has been so processed that it has become something unto itself: A caricature of cheese. A simulated cheese-like, cheese-flavored product.

Similarly so, the rugged Jeep and Hummer on the market at dealerships all over are but a representation of the original tough no-nonsense vehicles that they once were. They have been gentrified to appeal to the market. The market with the deepest pockets tends to like those clean lines, leather seats, all the bells and whistles while giving them the feel and hint of something more rugged and raw whilst planting their butt in the lap of luxury. Mind you that there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever, it just is what it is. Let us be adult enough to acknowledge that point.

With that said as an introduction you should have an idea as to how I’m going to be approaching the topic of log home building.

In the next installment we will begin to expore the specific styles of log home construction of both log and simulated log homes and the pros and cons of methods commonly used.

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