LOG HOME and LOG CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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LOG HOME and LOG CABIN EDUCATION INFORMATION
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FASTENING SYSTEMS 4 Major fastening systems are used in the construction of log homes. 1) Thru-bolts 2) Spikes 3) Oly Screws 4) Wood dowels Most commonly used are spikes and screws to secure logs as they are stacked. Your contractor has to set one of these every 18 plus inches by pre-drilling a hole then installing the screw or spike. This has to be done on every log that is placed on the wall and is very time consuming and costs you more for labor. In the 1970s there was a log home manufacturer that innovated the use of the thru-bolt system. This company only used the rods and spring in the corners of a home to tighten them down making the tightest fitting corner on the market. Then spiked or screwed the remaining logs together through out the walls. In 1975 a major log home manufacturer out of Boise, Idaho took the thru-bolt used in the corners and expanded its use. They placed their thru-bolts through out the parameter walls and fastened them to J bolts counter sunk in the foundation and on top use a 1,000 pound self tightening tension spring that is tightened down one last time before the freeze block trim is installed making it maintenance free. You will never have to go in and touch their springs again. There are other manufacturers starting to use the thru-bolt system, but they do not secure the rods to the foundation. These manufacturers springs are 11 long compared to the 5 springs used by the manufacturer in Boise, Idaho. Why are their spring so long? Their logs have so much moisture content and will continue to shrink requiring the homeowner to frequently go and tighten 30 or more springs in their home. If the homeowner doesnt know what they are doing when tightening these springs they could unseat the mechanism and pull it up or down through the logs jeopardizing the structural integrity of the wall. What they are doing looks good on paper, but will not work in reality. You must consider the whole wall. What I mean when I say this is you need to look at the quality of logs, moisture content to the core for a constant not an average. If the log home manufacturer has an excessive amount of moisture at the core any where in the log, no fastening system will stop the gaps that develop between the logs. For example: if any manufacturer requires a customer to schedule or perform maintenance to tighten springs or lower settling jacks, the logs will have an excessive amount of moisture. There are no if and or butts about it. Moisture is your worst enemy. *note see section on Moisture Content. Here is a great example: you have a 20 log wall, the manufacturer requires that the springs be tightened after the home has been built. This tells you that your home will have excessive amount of moisture due to requirements from the manufacturer. Now you have 6 between the thru-bolts and in the middle of this span (3) there is a high amount of moisture and the logs start to separate as the logs shrink. It will not matter how much you try to tighten down the springs on either side of this separation, it will not work. You will end up tightening the springs down so much that you will end up pulling their system through the logs. The only proven way to properly use the thru-bolt system is to have the rods securely attached to the foundation. The one manufacturer claims that with their low constant moisture content that once the spring are tightened and the freeze block trim is installed you will never have to touch hose springs again. Do your home work! The internet is full of information and manufacturers will tell you almost any thing to get you to purchase. Get what they promise in writing and signed. And do not let a good salesperson talk you into giving them a deposit at a log home show. You need to know their refund policy and have t in writing or they will hold you hostage making you go forward with their product.
Consulting firms that help you through the building process are well worth your time and money. Not knowing the in and out's of building a log home or timber frame home can become very frustrating. Custom Woodcraft Builders out of Indianapolis, Indiana serve the Mid-Western States. If anyone has seen it all...it is Custom Woodcraft Builders. For log and timber trusses and entryways - please visit timbertrusses.net and timbertruss.net. To learn about building options with authentic reclaimed lumber, beams, logs & timbers for true historical 'green' building, please visit reclaimedwood.biz and reclaimedtimber.org. If you are interested in more information about timbers, timber framing and log and timber frame construction in general, please visit the following sites: Be sure not to miss a wide array of log home and log cabin suppliers, builders and accessories at the Outdoor Sport Lake & Cabin Show in Fort Wayne Indiana March 12-14, 2010. This event is produced by Coliseum Productions Inc.
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