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Milled VS. Handcrafted Logs - What's the Difference?
T. Johnston -
Log Home Store, Inc.
| MILLED LOG HOMES
People are sometimes confused by the
distinction between milled and handcrafted logs. A milled log is
one that has been put through a saw mill, lathe, or planer and has been
cut into a specific shape or profile. When you look at a milled log home
all the logs will be uniform size.
Logs may have a flat top and bottom
surface, may be coped, or may be tongue-and-grooved. The sides of the
log can be sanded smooth, left with a rougher or more rustic look, or
hand peeled with a draw knife. Milled logs are usually air and or
kiln-dried to a specific moisture content before they are used to build
your home. |
A milled log home - courtesy of
Tennessee Log Homes, Inc.
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There is a large variety of logs
species, shapes, sizes and styles available and it can be very confusing
for the potential home owner.
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Which species of wood is
best suited for your building site?
Traditionally, Pine,
Spruce, Fir, Cedar are the most popular species used in milled log
construction. Pricing approximately follows the same list with
Pine/Spruce being the least expensive and Cedar the most expensive.
All species appear to do equally well in drier climates. In wetter
climates, care must be taken in the design and exterior maintenance of
the log home.
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Do you prefer the look
of a home built with 6" diameter logs or with much larger logs?
Do you like a flat
interior wall or do you prefer the logs to be round on both the
interior and exterior of your home?
There are additional questions about
how your home will be put together. The diagrams below show the most
common methods used in milled log construction.
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| Double
Tongue & Groove Round Notch |
Butt &
Pass Method |
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Interlocking Corner Method |
Post &
Beam Method |
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Handcrafted logs are either
hand-peeled with a drawknife or water-peeled. Logs used in handcrafted
construction most commonly are Douglas Fir, Pine, or Spruce. Several
other species are occasionally used such as Oak, Cyprus, Juniper, and
True Firs, such as Alpine Fir. Logs can be used Green, basically within
days/weeks of cutting and hauling; Air Dry, which is a designation that
is subject to vast debate as to when does a Green log become an Air Dry
log, and in a very few cases kiln dried. (Kiln drying full size logs for
handcrafting is an expensive process and used by only 1 or two companies
in North America). |
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A scribe fit log home - courtesy of
A Place In The Sun Log Homes, Inc.
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The logs are then fit together in one
of several ways. Scribe-fit is a style popular in this region. In this
style, one log is scribed to precisely fit over the log below it. The
scribe-fit style needs no chinking and is usually joined at the corner
using a shrink-to-fit saddle notch system. Another way logs are fit
together leaves a space between each round of logs that will be filled
with a backer rod material and chinking. This style is called chinked.
Other styles are piece-en-piece and hand-hewn dovetail.
Handcrafted log homes are generally
most expensive than milled log homes because there is so much more labor
involved and often larger material is used. |
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