LHBA Method and Cedar Logs??

[Dogwood_55]

Just found this side a few days ago and the answer is probably there somewhere, but....

I've been interested in building a log home for years. So, on a hunting lease I have, they are doing a little logging of
the pines and hardwoods. Included in this is a few acres of very nice, wide, tall, little taper (for Cedar) Eastern Red
Cedar. Some of these have a usable trunk 30' tall. And some have a 3' butt cut log. Anyways, they are not your typical
Arkansas, pasture "Christmas Tree" cedar.

So, the loggers did'nt want them and I've bought them. They are even going to cut them down, delimb them and stack em
up. I think I will have 100+ usable logs or 5 or 6 simi truck loads, enough for a cabin.

Now, I have a hardwood trim and lumber biz on property next to my house I live in now. I can get all the logs here and have plenty of
gravel yard to store them and forklifts to move them. I can get a friend to run them on his band mill, squareing 3 or 4 sides for uniformity.
If I run them into 6x6 cants, I have a molder that can run them into T&G "D" logs. But I'm not sure I want that look, the kit look. But it will
get rid of the white-sap wood, which is more prone to rot and bugs, leaving the more desireable heart wood, which will last forever.

Or, I suppose I can leave them into round logs for a more tradition log home look, but then I have the white-sapwood exposed.....

So, I'm now considering the next upcoming class in LV over Labor Day. Which method does the LHBA class favor or teach. If I choose
to mill the logs into "D" logs, will I still benifit from the class???

Or do I need to sell the cedar (I can make a profit on them) and use that money to buy Southern Yellow Pine logs?? (Which are also plentyful
and buyable)

Thanks for info and sorry for such a long post, hope this all makes sense.

[hammerhead 67]

Once you go to the class and learn the B&P tight pin method, you will loose interest in the "kit" look of D style logs.

Im drooling over the size cedars you have. Cutting about 30 off my property now but they are nowhere near that big.

I would keep the logs with the most character and shape for some sweet details. Stair rail end posts, maybe some girder support logs, stuff like that. Sell or mill the rest into some high dollar lumber. Save out some monster thick window and door bucks, stair treads etc... And you will have beautiful accents for the interior.

Eastern red cedar might be good for wall logs, I can't find my species chart right now. Somebody else will probably chime in.

You might be sitting on a gold mine with all that big beautiful cedar !

[loghousenut]

Mr. Wood,

I agree with Hammerhead that you'll never want a milled house again after you go to the LHBA class. I'd be inclined to build with all those round cedars and forget the Southern Yellow Pine. My place would look great with Cedars instead of Ponderosa Pines. The LHBA method is very forgiving to the taper and swelled butt problems of those cedars. As for the cedar sapwood problems I think it is less of a problem than you'd have with SYP.

As for selling the cedar, the loggers didn't want it so that probably means it isn't worth much at this time in your market. The only thing better than building your own log home with your own hands is doing it with big ole logs that are not good for anything else.

Labor Day is coming fast. You are at the right place.


http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t55/loghousenut/Wow/Rooffinally042-1.jpg

[edkemper]

Dogwood,

Shhhhhhhhhh. Just between us? I'd be a little more careful around here. There might be one or two of us that wouldn't kill a new guy for those logs. <smile> Around here, pictures of those logs would be called Log Porn.

You will also find that we would use them as they are pretty much just debarked. A house out of those would likely become one of our top 5 places.

Welcome to our site. Hope you stick around.

[hammerhead 67]

Dogwood,

I have rethought your situation and those cedars wont be any good. You should put them on a truck/train and ship them to me for proper "disposal". :D (drool drool )

[Mosseyme]

Dogwood,
You are at the right place at the right time. The Labor Day class is not sold out yet and they usually do. You have the start of a great place there and as Ed said many here would be thrilled to have what you have. Please don't mill them all out. You have plenty to do a great Cabin and enough left to do some beautiful trim work. You should really spend some time on this site and see what you have been missing. Before they log them all you should see if there are 5 or 6 you can have them leave longer, like 45-50 feet.

[Plumb Level]

I think they would make great wall logs, but not girders or ridgepole. I wouldn't worry at all about mixing two species, it is something I strongly considered doing myself, but my cedars just weren't big enough.

[Longhare]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet (ir maybe I just missed it) - check out this student home from the gallery:

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/student-log-home/suburban-styling

If I remember right, this was built from Western Cedar taken from the property. Beautiful home!

Louanne

[Dogwood_55]

Well, the logger was supposed to log, de-limb and stack today, but they are AWOL. I will post pics of the logs when ever I get them in one place.

Is red cedar easliey hand hewd?? Or do the amount of limbs make it difficult??

[Mosseyme]

We like our logs natural and round with no cuts except end cuts. Look at LHNs house again. The logs are just bark peeled not hewn. Water rolls off a nice round slick log, you cut into it and the grain is cut, water soaks in to every layer of wood grain exposed thereby bringing water deep into your log. Not desirable. Get the loggers to leave a little extra length on the logs for trimming up later.