General log question

[dgc]

I've got my credit card out and poised to strike for a slot in class! If I can finalize my calendar adjustment this week, I'll be registering on Friday. Hopefully the class won't fill up before then!

In the meantime, I had a general question about logs. I've started looking at trees a completely different way (my wife is irritated that I can't just see a tree as a tree any more). I'm starting to look at pine trees down here in MS for various species/education and to see what I'll be boring holes in soon. That got me to thinking about things.

I've been planning my basic layout around the square, albeit with VERY flexible ideas. I've picked out a wet wall, figured out where the best elements of the main structure would be positioned (generally), and overall just worked up a basic idea in my mind about things. Then, I started brainstorming about sizes of logs for the house. I think I could use 45 footers to give me roughly 1600 square feet internally (edit: per floor) (after accounting for overdangle trimming and adjustments). Of course, I fully expect ALL these basic ideas to change significantly (if not completely) after my trip to Sin City.

So, I started looking at the trees around me and started doing the math on the height of the trees. It was THEN that I noticed something - limbs. Some of the straightest and longest pole timbers down south have limbs on them from 15 feet and up. They're small limbs, but they're there.

So, generally speaking, can you use logs from trees that have small limbs on them? Do you just trim them off? Does that run counter to the idea that we don't want to cut into the grain of the sides of the log? Gah! What do I do!??!?!

DGC

[hawkiye]

The short answer is yes. All of us have used trees with limbs. Finding trees tall enough without limbs would be difficult if not impossible and the only reason they don't have limbs is because usually someone trimmed them off for fire mitigation.

Limbing the trees won't hurt anything. Look at folks pictures of thier projects and you'll see they all have been limbed ;-)

Blayne

[dgc]

Whew! I suspected this was the case, but I just wanted to feel better about the availability of logs for my project!

I have been looking at pictures of student projects (thoroughly), but all the logs look so smooth and clean! I hadn't seen any obvious signs of limbs, but I'm starting to look more closely for that now.

Thanks for the quick answer!

DGC

[alg]

I'm new to the site and my husband and I are looking @ the possibility of building a log cabin for our retirement home on the lake. I see all of the comments about the importance of "drying" the logs. I'm not sure that anything is completely "dried" in this Southern Heat and Humidity. Does anyone have any comments on this? Is it a good idea to consider a log home in the South? Is there any "tricks of the trade"?

Thanks

[bmurphy96]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. There are a number of us building in the south. I know of one in Mississippi, one in Alabama, and we are just starting in NW Florida. These are the ones that I know of that are "in progress" right now. While there are precautions that you have to take about humidity and termites, they are explained in the class and member sections. If you think this is what you want to do then go for it!!