The Stump Ranch (Cabin Progress)

[beenthere]

Haven't heard from jander3 (jon), so am hoping his sheathing and roofing project are going well in the North of MN.

I'm thinking he is fighting a bit of snow, wind, and rain with temps around 30 - 40° F.  But waiting on better weather this time of year might not happen.

I think I'll throw another log on the fire and just keep thinking of jon out there. Good luck jon. 

[jander3]

Logs are Covered...about *DanG time

Thanks for the recent feedback on both this thread and the blog.  I appreciate the interest.   I just spent three days installing roofing.  The weather still sucked.   

I love rigging, chainsaw work, chisel work, axe work, camping, snowshoeing, and just about anything else you can do outside on your own.  However, I neat-o' hate heights, always have, still do. So roofing is not my favorite activity.  Snow, rain, mud, metal roofing, and an irrational fear of heights...made for an interesting couple of days.

I was under a direct order from my wife, no roofing without some else on the site.  Normally, I am very independent and quite stubborn, but for this job, I agreed with her.  So when my help was at the cabin site, we waited for the weather to clear and then worked slowly and carefully; we got the roof installed.  An uneventful couple of days.  Exactly how roofing should go.






A bit of muck and mud.  Cut some firewood, cleaned up the site, and did a few odd jobs waiting for things to dry out enough to get up on the roof.






Installing 1/2" plywood sheathing.  Also, this photo is proof that I had help.  I have not yet figured out how to take a photo of myself on the roof.




Felt is installed; the roof is ready for the metal.




Installing the ridge cap.





East end of the cabin.



 
I trimmed up all the log ends, now everything is under roof, and my cabin logs can dry out.  I was very glad to get this done because it has been so wet this fall. Water and exposed logs just don't mix. I figure I can frame in the gable ends and get the windows and the door installed before the weather gets too nasty.  The cabin should be at lockup by the time the snow sticks.

Things I didn't have to do this job that I will have the next time to make the job safer.

1. Clamps for clamping to plywood and sheet metal so it can be hauled up by a rope.  We used the hand up method.

2. Some type of harness and repelling device so that when we are moving around up on the roof, there is a back up safety system.  Rope, ladders, and boots work ok; however, there is not much room for goofing up.  And, this was only a 6/12 pitch, I don't know how guys do the steep roofs.

This morning, I cleaned up and organized the inside of the cabin shell.  Then, I sat inside drinking coffee while listening to the rain hit the metal roofing; every log end was dry.  I felt great.

[fishpharmer]

Jander3, that's just Awesome........You did it.   Now your on the home stretch. 

Your cabin has come together very nicely. 

Will you have some form of heat? Or is it not meant for cold weather?  Hope you don't mind all my questions.

[Raider Bill]

Great job!  I decked mine but knees and ankles gave out so I hired out the metal work.

I'm not sure there is such a thing as irrational fear of heights. They suck IMO

You have a beautiful peace of world there!

[beenthere]

Great to see the progress.  8)

A great step to have done.

Now you can set up on the ground or on the floor inside.

[jander3]

Fishfarmer,

For heat, I am ordering a Five Dog Stove from the Four Dog Stove company located here in Minnesota.   

http://fourdog.com/index_files/steelstoves.htm

I am pretty much clueless in regards to stove pipe and chimney installation. So, I will need to figure that one out.  I will probably come out the gable end with the stove pipe (two 90 degree bends).

[Shotgun]

Go through the roof near the peak.  You'll wish you had later if you don't.

Norm

[Raider Bill]

Fishfarmer,

For heat, I am ordering a Five Dog Stove from the Four Dog Stove company located here in Minnesota.   

http://fourdog.com/index_files/steelstoves.htm

I am pretty much clueless in regards to stove pipe and chimney installation. So, I will need to figure that one out.  I will probably come out the gable end with the stove pipe (two 90 degree bends).

Go straight up through the roof with no bends. They sell a roof kit with supports that makes it easy to do.  Bends create creosote buildup. Just my .02.

[submarinesailor]

  Bends create creosote buildup. Just my .02.

Been there, done that.  Wish I could do away with my 90's.  Can't do it without tearing down a cinderblock chimney.
Bruce

[Stephen1]

I agree with everyone else, straight up, it will be easier. The wood stove company will have the flashing kit for your roof and you do not have anything in the way yet.
Congratulations looking real good!!   believe it or not now the hardest part of job is to happen, finishing everything.

[jander3]

Alright already, I'm convinced.  Stove will go straight up through my roof.   Thanks for settting me straight.

[beenthere]

It would have happened eventually (goin through the roof  ). And just put the stove pipe through the roof.  ;D

I also tried the 90° elbows at first, but alas,  will now only go straight up.

Any smoke juice will run straight back down, and not set up in an elbow. (Which causes a restriction, which then causes more juice, and more restriction. I think you know the rest of how that pans out.     )

An elbow close to the stove isn't so critical, as the heat from a fire will keep the juice from building up.

[barbender]

It has definately been a miserable fall, went from too hot to constant cold and rain....glad to see you got her dried in.

[jander3]

Over the weekend I headed north to the Stump Ranch.  Our property is  surrounded by state and county land; with deer season kicked off, I wanted to make sure the deer hunters did not find our place.  I was pleased when I arrived—no sign of anyone.  This was not a total  surprise as we are so far back in the woods it is not likely that someone would stumble on the cabin.  It looks like the ranch should stay out sight; out of mind for another year.




Sunrise, I slid into camp well before sun up.  I've been running the same path through the woods often enough that I can manage to find my way in the dark.




The view from the open air outhouse.  View is great.  Temperature...not so much.  It was 30 degrees most of the day.





Five Dog Stove set up. This is a temporary stove that you can tote around for camping, it is very portable.  For the short term, I ran the stack out the window so I can have a little heat while working indoors this winter.  I will put a chimney out the roof in the spring.




Working on closing in the gable ends.




After installing the roof, it took a full three weeks for my logs to dry out and recover from all the rain this fall. I like the light color much better than the black, rain-soaked logs I've been staring at (and fretting over) for months.  When it warms up, I will clean up the logs and stain them.

[tmroper]

Hi Jander,
I really like progress you made on the cabin it is looking great.  As far as the stove goes I live in Montana and we use the Five Dog stoves and similar a lot when packing in the high country.  I am sorry if I am telling what you already know but figured it may help otherwise.  These stoves are great and heat very well however they are designed light so that they may be packed in on the back of a pack animal.  They can burn out easily so we take a few shovel fulls of dirt and throw it in the bottom of the stove to prolong the life of them.  They are also not made to stand up for extreme use for instance when we set up drop camp to hunt out of we pack in a heavy or normal household stove on a draft cross mule since this stove will be used more often.  Hope this helps and I apologize otherwise.

[james]

hi Jander;
re :cold weather outhouse
cut a seat from a sheet of the blue or pink Styrofoam  much more pleasant and not near as cold 8) 8)
8) james

[barbender]

keep the hemorhoids away- the old timers around here blame them on the cold outhouse seats they used to have to sit on :(

[jander3]

tmroper,

Stove is temporary.  I like the sand in the bottom of the stove idea to preserve the life.  I have not heard that before.  I plan to give it a try.

[fishpharmer]

Jander3, that a nifty little stove you have there.  Did you get a portable type stove so you can take it  home or is it "permanent"?   Does it put out alot of heat?  That may be hard to tell with the open gables.  Its looking great. 

[jander3]

Winter Trip

It has been quite some time since I've headed out to the Stump Ranch.  Life just gets in the way and then my wife didn't want me hiking in alone a couple weeks back when it was -10 and -20 degrees.  Today it was 25 degrees and sunny, a perfect day for a snowshoe trip though the woods.




I am about 3 miles back in the woods.  No sign of anyone anywhere near our place.




The Bunk House is still holding up well. 




Packing in drills, clothes, and a bucket of mice poison to take care of the field mice.  The pack was quite heavy by the time I got it loaded up.




The main reason for today's trip was that in the fall, I never got around to getting the Oliver ready for winter.  However, after I installed the battery and then drained a little gas out of the carburetor—she fired right up.   The power steering pump was not liking it all at first but it came around.




The Five Dog Stove is warming the building so I could do a little work inside.




The disadvantage of an "open air" outhouse.




After winterizing the tractor and all the chainsaws, I got most of the sub-floor installed.




A beaver pond just south of our property.

[Don K]

I saw a segment on the stoves that Four Dog Stove Co. makes. They look like a quality stove that is perfect for your situation. The five dog model is real nice. Do you have a water tank on yours? I think portability is one of their strong selling points.

Looking real good on the homestead. Gotta see if you added to the blog. Take care out there by yourself.

Don

Duhhhh... disregard the water tank question. I scrolled back up and saw a pic of the stove. Been awhile since I saw this thread.

[jander3]

Don,

I've had the 5 dog stove fired up a number of times late fall and early winter.  I really like the unit.  And, it is totally portable.   I can break it down and haul it where-ever.  Everything fits inside. Once I finish up the inside of the cabin, I will install a more permanent stove and move this one to the bunkhouse. 

I added a few photos and winter video tour to www.peelinglogs.blogspot.com

I am hoping for any early thaw, I would like to get back to work on the Stump Ranch soon.

[tmroper]

Jander
I like that open air outhouse it beats a log. 8)
One time when a buddy and I were up in the back-country hunting elk we rode 15 miles (horseback one way) out of the way just because we knew there was a forest service outhouse there.  ;D  After using a log for 7 days that was a luxury no words could explain.  Your cabin is looking great.  I looks like a great place to get away and have some fun.  Always enjoy your posts.

[jander3]

Yesterday, I managed to skip out on work and spend the day at The Stump Ranch.  I really enjoyed the sun and the warm weather...it was 70 degrees.  And, the Wood Ticks are not yet swarming.  I spent the day pulling a few wind-blown logs out of the woods and then I cut a couple of posts.  Next week, I will install the posts and start building the loft.

I also posted a short Stump Ranch video and some log arch photos on my blog.




"Big Red"  The older I get, the more I appreciate mechanical advantage and equipment such as log arches, winches, and snatch blocks.  




I cut a couple of posts for the loft. These posts will hold up the main support beam that, in turn, will support the floor joists.  One log is Red Oak; the other is Poplar (Quaking Aspen).  Both sized about right and located close so they will work just fine.




I decided to cut a slot in the post. That way I can lag the post in place on the log wall while accounting for settling.  To cut this slot, I started with an auger bit and battery powered drill, no way was there enough torque. Next up, an auger bit with brace...again, no go.  My third brainstorm was using the T-handled auger bit.   After spending an hour or so on this project, I figured out maybe auger bit wasn't the right tool for the job.  I fired up the chainsaw and punched the slot in about 2 minutes.  What was I thinking?




A photo of the slot after rough cutting.  The flat area provides a surface for the lag screw and washer to creep down the post as the wall settles.  I still need to clean this up with a chisel.  

[Don K]

Jon, good to hear from you again. Good equipment does make aging easier. ;D

Don