The Forestry Forum

well, i started cutting wood yesterday for a horizontal, flat log cabin that i am building to live in. I worked a full day and started cutting after i got home. i only got one beam finished before dark. but, hey, its a start!

i have a question. I am building this cabin as a flat sawn, butt and pass with horizontal logs. Does it matter if the different courses of beams are different heights? my walls are 6" thick and i am wondering if can cut some of my beams at 6X6 and some at 6x8? i realize that all of the logs on the same course have to be the same so that the corners match up, but if different courses are different heights, does it matter? i have a good number of logs that i can make a 6X6 out of but probably not a 6X8, thats why i would like to be able to cut  both.

I am also wondering if i can mix aspen beams in with my spruce beams? i know they wont match color but does it matter otherwise?  thanks for any suggestions!