I am planning to add a shed style room to a small log cabin. I am adding the room on the back wall but I do not intend to use logs. The room will not be as wide as the width of the back wall so it will not interfere with the interlocking logs at the corners. Intend to cut a rough opening in the wall for a door with my chainsaw. The room will have simple 2 X 4 walls with some sort of rough cut siding and matching metal roof. The shed roof will fit under the existing eaves of the cabin.
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I need advice on how to attach the 2 X 4 framing to the exterior log cabin wall since it is not a flat surface. Do I have to cut a dado in the logs the width of the framing members to get a flat surface? If so, it sounds like a lot of cuts with my circular saw?
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Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Replies
I'm thinking the dado is the proper way, but a pain. I think an acceptable and reversable way is to lag straight to the logs and fill the void or scribe a couple pieces of 2x (with a 1/2" filler strip) on edge to fit the logs.
Thanks for your reply.... I was afraid that the dado was the best method.... just not looking forward to doing it.
you dado the wall - make a jig with some plywood and 2X and attach to the wall, use it to guide your skilsaw, clean it up with a chisel - probably the cleanest/'best' way -
or you can scribe a 2X6 (or 2X8) to fit - rip some strips of luan plywood, scribe, cut, scribe again till it fits cleanly, then transfer line to your 2X and cut - - you can make minor adjustments to the scribe with a hand held grinder with a 32 grit disk -
you don't say how old your cabin is, if it is new, it will settle as the logs season, complicating matters...
Jim,
David definitely has the right approach. It'll be easier than it sounds.
Hey, when you think about siding material, consider having a sawmill saw some "slabs" from seasoned logs. They could cut them about 1 1/2 inch thick for stability. This effect really blends new work with older log structures. You have the wavy edges associated with logs, and you can cut them thin and lap them, or cut them thick and chink them.
Greg
Greg, will certainly talk to "my sawmill" about the slabs because I haven't settled on a siding yet. My only concern is that the siding be dry enough to not cause me problems soon after I install. Thanks for the suggestion.
David, thanks for your reply.... certainly not looking forward to cutting those dados. The cabin is about 8 years old so I hope it's pretty much settled.
do keep in mind that a dado becomes a permanent feature - don't know your situation, but I can easily concieve of a future moment that someone decides to enlarge the space, and there is this hacked out line in the stack of logs - not easily repaired or made presentable
here's a pict of the technique I use - now it's a different style cabin than yours, but you could still consider it -
scribe to fit and then use a board in front/on top of the scribe to define a straight/plumb line - the eye sees the straight line and the scribe kinda disappears in the background....
sorry it's rotated, don't have time to fix it right now - maybe tonight -
"there's enough for everyone"
David, many thanks for the picture. Although my logs are a different style (round and about 8", I think), I might take a shot at scribing a piece of luan to see how difficult it would be to do. You raise a good point about the permanence of a dado. I'm 64 years old and doubt if I will make any future changes to the cabin but I am locking in any future owner, which is something to consider.
Just thought of another question that you might have some thoughts about. The electric service panel is on the wall adjacent to the wall I will be working on (about 3' from the corner). How can I run service to the new room (which will include a kitchen) without exposing wires at least from the service panel to the back wall? Had thought about routing a groove for the wires but I would not be able to rout into the corner or close to the panel. How about a small chase built from 1X with a metal plate for protection?
On the log buildings I participated in we always attatched any non-log wood nailing through a vertical slot cut with a skill saw. Nail in the middle of an 8 inch slot so if the logs shrink some more the stud wall doesn't buckle.
Have a good day
Cliffy
Cliffy, very good point. I will definitely slot the framing. The cabin is near water and I would expect movement to be a problem.
I cut a dado, but not the same width as the stud. I figure the final finish width of stud, drywall, ext sheathing, and corner trim thickness. That total is the width of my dado, plus maybe a quarter inch for slack and caulk. It really isn't all that hard to do. A few saw passes and ten minues with a straight claw hammer for a chisle/adze.
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Thanks for the reminder. I was so focused on the framing, I forgot about the full dimension.
Jim,
In the past I have kerf cut the stud and applied it directly to the log wall. Then with a router I run up both sides so that the finished exterior siding will fit in that and the interior finish will also have a slot. I apply a sealent in the exterior slot bfore the siding is put in place to stop any air flow.
Smart Match makes a very good log siding that is hard to tell from the real thing. I would check them out.
B
Ben, I understand the concept of routing a groove for the siding but I don't know what you mean by kerf cutting the stud and applying it to the logs. Can you shed a little light on that for me?
Jim,
Sorry for the length of time it has been. I try not to spend to much time on the internet.
The kerf cut: I place a circular saw in the middle of a 2x4, making a cut about 6" long. Then place a nail at the top of the cut and hammer it to the log wall. On a 10' 2x I would probably use four dif. cuts. This will allow the stick framing to move independently of the log structure. Sometimes contractors forget this important step whitch causes problems w/ windows & doors down the road. By routing on both sides of the 2x, the wall covering also moves freely but still provides a tight fit that looks clean and saves all the scribing.
Hope this helps,
Ben
Ben.....
Thanks.