Weekend Cabin

Bothy_Loon · May 30, 2004, 01:12:35 PM

Help!!
I have just been given the chance to build a weekend cabin overlooking a new pond on a hill side.
I would like to build something about 12feetx16feet with a front porch (verandah).
I will need to fell & mill the wood first & the max length I can handle on my mill is 12feet. ( i can cut much longer at work but i would rather do it all myself)
What I would like to ask members is, can you give me any hints /ideas on the building of such building?
I am quite handy with tools & have built quite a number of sheds in my time, but this will be different.
Any help will be gratefully received.
Bothy Loon

shopteacher · May 30, 2004, 03:33:40 PM

My best suggestion is to send (about a dozen should do it) round trip airplane tickets and I'll solicit 11 more members and well fly over to Scotland and give it a look see. Out of the twelve I'm sure at least one of us will come up with at least one half cocked idea ta help ya out a wee bit. :D (What kind of food and beer do they have over there?)
My second suggestion is to buy my Woodmizer (cuts 22 feet) so I can buy a new one. ;D ;D ;D
Third idea is to send ticket for Ole Butch. He'll just sit there and look stupid, but that always makes me look smarter.

Forth and last is to wait till some really smart FF members sends you all kind of good ideas.

;)

Bothy_Loon · May 30, 2004, 10:06:19 PM

Shopteacher
You can bring 11of your buddies to Scotland anytime for a look, but have you no heard of how tight fisted we are in Scotland? You will have to buy your own tickets!
As to food we eat porridge,haggis & neeps all the time.
I take it the half cocked ideas will come after you have drunk all my bear!
We have dogs just like ole Butch over here but they are the brainy ones thats why I asked for help from across the water.
Woodmizer have beaten you to it my friend. This coming Friday I have been invited to go look at all their products. Seems like they think they will prize open my sporran. I dont think so!
Bothy Loon

Mark M · May 30, 2004, 11:36:57 PM

Hi Bothy

You could saw 3 sides and then stack up them logs. I think they call it "butt & run" or something like that. It doesn't involve any fancy joints. You can also just butt 2 logs with a little caulking in between (and maybe a spline) to make a longer run.

I have a device called a Dovetailor that really works slick, you might check them out. It isn't cheap but it really works well. I'm just waiting to get the right longs and them I'm joint to make a tool shed.

http://www.gndovetail.com/works.html

shopteacher · May 31, 2004, 05:35:58 AM

Bothy Loon,
See idea #4, I told ya some smarter members would be "piping" in with all kind of good ideas. ;) I was hoping you'd take me up on the first idea myself. Heard a lot of stories from my older brother about Scotland. He was on one of the nuke subs that made regular rounds there. At the moment I can't remember the name of the port though. Guess we won't be coming across the pond anytime soon, look up the Crawford tartan and you'll see I be a might tight fisted meself.

sawinmontana · May 31, 2004, 10:01:11 AM

Hey, Bothy_Loon

How close are you to New Deer? I have relatives there!

There is a book on timber framing by Jack Sobon, it has very good plans for a 12 x 16 cabin,but it did use some 16' timbers. Although I guess they could be spliced also.

Scott

Bothy_Loon · May 31, 2004, 02:20:17 PM

Thanks for all the info.
I have seen the dovetailer jig on the net before. It looks like an interesting piece of kit. The only problem I would have (if I could get one in bonnie Scotland) is the quality of logs I have to work with. Most of what I am using is coming from thinnings & windblow. It is for that reason I will be cutting what I can into 4x2 or 6x2 framing & I hope to clad the building with larch boards of about 1inch thick. I will keep the dovetailer in mind just in case I ever get the chance again using better logs.
I am less than 2hours from New Deer. Are your relatives in the timber trade? Everyone knows everyone in this game over here.
I see shopteacher had a wee comment about piping. If you get over here I will lay on a pipe band for you.
I used to work for a bagpipe maker as their sawyer. The timber was African Blackwood. Very hard & full of creepy crawlies all the way from Africa!
Bothy

shopteacher · May 31, 2004, 02:46:07 PM

Bothy,
   I thought you were talking log cabin, but now appears were speaking platform framing. I have a little experience in that area. My construction class builds a shed about that size just about every year. Assemble it in the parking lot behind the shop, tear her down, load on flatbed, transport to site and reconstruct. See, nothing to it.
   I assume your building without a concrete slab and if that's the case I would either pour concrete piers (preferred method) or sink treated post below the frost line spacing 4' on center for the ends and sides. I would then place a timber across all foundation posts and 2 timbers with foundation post between the end timbers.
   From that point I would frame out the floor using 2X6 on 16" center and sheath it with 1" boards. Once the floor platform is finished proceed to construct the walls using 2X4" 16" on center. As each wall is completed stand it up and brace it till all walls are completed and standing. Align wall plated to the outside perimeter of the floor, plumb and nail permanently. Find the center of the two end wall and erect a post to hold the ridge board for the roof. Cutting the rafters for the roof will require deter-ming the desired pitch ( I like 5 or better). A book from the library on roof construction or house framing will make it a lot easier as to go about figuring the length and angle cuts for the rafters. One all rafters are in place sheet the roof with boards and apply roofing material of choice. Close in the gable ends. This is a pretty simpled version and my suggestion would be to get a set of plans. A good set of plans can save a lot of aggravation in the building process. hope this helps a little.

Stan · May 31, 2004, 05:07:13 PM

And if you wanta get really fancy put a gambrel roof on it, and you'll have half a second story. ;) 8)

Bothy_Loon · May 31, 2004, 10:16:05 PM

Ther you are yousee shopteacher & all without beer!
Next question. Where do I get a set of plans? The UK has a long way to go to catch up with your good selves in that department!
Not sure what you mean by a gambrel though.
Do not want to make it too high anyway as it will catch a lot of wind in the winter. come to think of it it will catch a lot of wind in summer from all that beer to!
Cheers
Bothy

shopteacher · June 01, 2004, 03:52:23 AM

I'll see if I can find you something and maybe email it to you. Send me your email address.
Watch out for them summer winds! :D

pappy · June 01, 2004, 06:28:53 AM

Bothy_Loon,
This is a gambrel roof shed-- 12 wide X 16 deep. I can get some inside pictures of the framing if you wish.

This one is 10 X 14 with a sleeping loft-- I can get more pics of this one also.

termite

Bothy_Loon · June 01, 2004, 02:30:14 PM

Thanks for that shopteacher,
I would very much like to see the inside framing of the cabins Termite. Did you build them?
Bothy Loon

Jason_WI · June 01, 2004, 09:02:24 PM

There's better things to eat than haggis.....like the sole of my shoe ;D

You guys actually eat that stuff or you just serve to us Yank's that are touring Scotland?

Jason

Stan · June 02, 2004, 01:32:13 AM

Jason, what makes you think a people who drink whiskey that tastes like iodine, wouldn't eat haggis? :

Boothy, try a goggle search on cabins or barns. ;)

Bothy_Loon · June 02, 2004, 10:45:55 AM

The whisky is an aquired taste that I dont have. As to haggis if you get a permit (which is not easy) to go & shoot one then there is nothing better. You can buy them from the grocers but they tend to be man made from sheeps intestines & are not quite so good.
I will try the Google search thanks
Bothy

pappy · June 02, 2004, 01:59:57 PM

Bothy,
I built the one with snow the other was built and delivered by the Amish who live one hundred miles from here, we had the disk in place and they were outa here in 20 minutes

I always thought this would make a nice bunkhouse. It's all framed two feet on center--The floor is 2 X 6's and the walls and gambrel are 2 X 4's. The walls studs are 5 ft.long--the side roof slope framing is 4 ft. long and the top roof slope is 5 ft. long.

This a shot of how we set it up, a disk made with concrete 4 inches thick and set on two pails of gravel, first we removed the sod.

hope this helps,
termite

Stan · June 03, 2004, 11:01:15 AM

Typically the pitches for the gambrel roof are 12/7 for the lower half and 7/12 for the upper. Before trusses were popular a stub wall was built on the upper deck, and the two pitches of the roof met at this wall.

Bothy_Loon · June 03, 2004, 10:12:04 PM

Thanks for the pics Termite, they have been a big help & I can picture in my mind some windows in there which would turn the thing into a good cabin.
Stan your thoughts re the scale of things will prove usfual as well if I go down this route for a roof, but bear in mind it is something you hardly ever see in this country.
I am off to look at Woodmizer machines today. It is a nice sunny morning (5am) so hope it holds for the demo.
Bothy