types of wood

[ememery]

What are the disadvantages of using pine over cedar in a log home?

[loghousenut]

Cedars tend to have a lot of taper and a big swelled butt. Makes them slightly harder to stack but in my opinion it makes a beautiful home. Most cedars are sonewhat more rot and bug resistant. Most.cedars peel easier.

Either one is perfect if they are big and you own them.

[StressMan79]

I'd shy away from using mostly cedar...wouldn't want to live in a humidor.

[sdart]

Cedars are lighter weight for a given size and they peel like a dream. They make great wall logs but I think I remember being told that they are not recommended for ridgepoles or other structural members since they aren't as strong as, say, pine or especially fir.

[WNYcabinplannin]

Mmmmmm would smell nice in there, tho!

[loghousenut]

What are the disadvantages of using pine over cedar in a log home?

Why do you ask, ememery?

[Basil]

there are a lot of different types of cedar. Lots of different kinds of pine. More info would help

[duster]

I'm planning on starting off with a basic log cabin (which will eventually be my shed), then something larger and more complex, topping off with a 36' x 20' one-and-a-half story cabin. I plan to square the logs into 9x9 and 7x7 beams, stacked and joined at the corners, but I'm I'm concerned about twisting and warping. Once I've milled the logs, can I use them right away? Do they have to "cure" or anything like that? What prevents them from warping?

[loghousenut]

Duster, duster, duster.... What are we gonna do with you?!! We need to get you into class so you can be that guy in the second row that asks all the right questions.

Nothing wrong with building the basic cabin that turns into a shed. Nothing wrong with squaring the timbers, but most of us would leave them round and make the building square.

I'm no expert on squared but I'd think they oughta be pretty well cured before stacking them if you are doing dovetailed corners. Are you completely sure you don't want to look this site over more carefully and think again about that class? We've got all kinds of helpful answers about doing it the LHBA way.

[StressMan79]

I see a whole bunch of problems...

Pinning on the corners! I know of one (non lhba) build using 8x14 tng kiln dried and on site for 2 years.. 1 inch allthread every ten feet, continually cinched. It has already (one summer) settled almost half an inch...

Even if this pinning was OK, milling the logs into timbers invites rot. Using green lumber is unwise.

[Blondie]

If I may, what we are trying to say is that this site is about the butt and pass log system. Not milled, not squared and not "pinned." I know, I know you are used to a different system of building, so was I. If you want to learn about a system of log building, without the need to adjust for shrinkage even when working with green logs. Then stick around read tons on this site and perhaps you will take the class and learn that it is a while lot easier than squared logs. :)

[edkemper]

And, it needs to be said, our way is more likely to be left to future generations with the same place and the same logs 100 years from now. Without a significant need of repairs.

[Blondie]

Aw yes, Ed that is true as well. Nothing is quite as tragic as seeing a new log home wall crush the door and windows on that side of the house. I had just finished the class. It must have been a 150k house. I just stood there with my mouth open shaking my head. One heck of a lesson.

[edkemper]

Going with Skips philosophy, the less tech the better. The more natural, the better.

It's also interesting that a kit home cost more than a stick home. That is what initially struck me and forced me to keep looking. That is how I found LHBA.

Simple is more important than we think.

[Iwordsmitty]

Jeez. Taking this class was the best thing I've ever done. I've designed and built a lot of things smaller than a house and it was just a matter of time until I built a cabin. Without this class I would have destroyed my future. Now, my future is secured no matter what happens since I already have my land. I would have made all of the mistakes mentioned in this thread. Instead, turns out the only mistake with LHBA was failing to retain the domain name/email address tied to my member ID (logguy) and forgetting my password! Hey--that's a big problem since I'm now ready to build and they have to dig up my membership info! That's it--I think I just remembered where I put my membership card. Gotta go!

[Iwordsmitty]

YEP--found it!!! I reapplied using the info on the card!!! :D