Any one know of buildng materials for log homes....mainly logs and overlapping corners?
Information and tips would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
HZ
Interesting Howard
As children I think everyone could agree at one time or another we all played with Lincoln Logs. They were a lot of fun but looking at your perspective now, they were way too perfect.
I see your dilemma here. To take 1/8" dowels which in HO scale, basically 10" and gluing them together overlapping would be easy. Again, much too perfect.
Maybe just a walk in the woods and picking up sticks that are approximately the size of an 1/8" dowel, scraping off the bark with an exacto blade and putting them together would work. Then let the model dry out for a while and slap a little stain on it.
PS With prior Lincoln Log experience, a scratch build like that would probably come easy. Carving the notches in the logs for the corners would be easy with a dremel. Even easier after each course is in place.
I think gluing sections of half-round styrene to styrene sheets would be convincing.
.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
RMC is listed as having an write up on that in the january 1993 issue will look it up when shop cools down this eve.
Log home kits that I have seen the logs have been milled on three sides, with a tongue on top and a groove on the bottom. What is to be the inside wall is flat. Only the outside is left rounded and have little variation in shape. Not sure if they are milled round first or not.
A rustic cabin could be done with similarly sized sticks, sanded smooth on two sides to make a better seal.
Good luck,
Richard
I would think real sticks from the woods would have drying issues and warpage.
You could dry them in an oven and turn them with a lathe. You would be a patient man.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I think the 1/2 round styrene method that Kevin suggested would be the most successful. Evergreen makes them up to .125". I think I'd probably scrape and gouge the pieces a bit. And then maybe hit the wall with a wire brush, too. I think a practice piece would be in order.
Of course, you'll have to figure out how to do the corners. Hmmm, the corners. In puzzling those out, I get to thinking the wall should probably be made of full-round plastic (glued onto a substrate). Because of the ends of the logs showing at the corners.
You could, of course, do the same thing in wood.
A very long time ago, I made a model of a small log building, about a scale 8 x 12 feet. I think it was a spring-house. I used thick balsa wood sheet, and carved the log faces and "grooves" into the wood. And I made finger joints in the corners. It came out looking rather nice. I think it was inspired by one of E. L. Moore's articles.
Ed
Most of the surviving older log structures which I've seen in Ontario have been built with logs hewn (or perhaps rough-sawn) square.
More recent ones, including modern kit-built homes, use very regular and uniformly-round "logs".
Wayne
I came across this while looking for dollhouse ideas:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/189821260/the-catskills-rustic-log-cabin-vintage?ref=shop_home_active_16
A larger scale but the idea is the same. I believe the dowel idea, and a rig to flatten top and bottom such as a miniature planer would do.
Then as the "Lincoln Logs" mentioned above, make yourself several stock lengths then make a fixture to hold multiple "logs" while you use a very fine Zona saw to form the notches at the ends for interleaving the corners.
Dowling would also allow the interior to have the same "log" appearance.
Good Luck, Ed
looked it up its a 5 page article on construction with one scale drawing and what to use, if you pm me your email i will scan it and send it to you, might be several mails as i'm limited to 20 meg
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Sounds like a lot of tedious work to cut the notches if you go that route. Making a jig will make the task a lot easier.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
Check out Barnwood Builders on DIY Network. They'll show you how to cut these dovetails with a chainsaw.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
How to build a Scale Model Log Cabin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYVcT7nBP-w
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
carl425They'll show you how to cut these dovetails with a chainsaw.
All you need is an HO scale chainsaw.
Rather than cutting the notches (with or without an HO chainsaw), try using a round file. I have some small round files in the 1/8" range. File almost halfway in one side of one log, and almost halfway in the other side. On one wall. Leave the ends fully rounded on the other wall. Set the unnotched logs into the rounded notches of the notched logs.
A lot of fidgeting, but not horribly bad.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
BigDaddyAll you need is an HO scale chainsaw.
Real HO scale men use HO scale axes.
ROBERT PETRICKRather than cutting the notches (with or without an HO chainsaw), try using a round file.
The picture I linked is typical of the log buildings built in the eastern US (which is where the OP lives). The logs are not round. they are hewn square with an axe, and dovetails are cut in the ends.
carl425 The picture I linked is typical of the log buildings built in the eastern US (which is where the OP lives). The logs are not round. they are hewn square with an axe, and dovetails are cut in the ends.
In the picture, the logs look sawn to me. I see no marking left from using an axe.
I would imagine the choice of using "as-delivered" round logs, or using squared logs would be based on whether you need a building "right-now" or are building something meant to be quality work and last a good long while.
Or:
If'n me'n my family arrived at our newly received forested land, we'd want a roof over our heads and some thick walls REAL soon. Maybe even a glass window, if we brought some glass. And it didn't break. We wouldn't spend time squaring the logs.
After things settled down, and the wife 'n' kids made their housing desires known (and we'd built the barn and other "productive" buildings), we could take some time and build a better house. Probably use square logs. And we'd be thinkin' that next year or so, we might buy some nice siding planks, put 'em on, and have a REAL lookin' house.
Howard,You may want to think out side of the normal hobby box and visit Hobby Lobby or a gaming store which specializes in miniature gaming figures and scenery supplies..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Think of Lincoln Logs, very much like how the real ones were made but way to machined. Basicly the logs were notched near the ends and the top and bottom dressed a bit. Original log cabins had sutters over the windows openings (no windows) and even that was more as first ups sometimes had nothing but a door. Need more details to be more specific. As far as logs go with what you have in mind, take already notched dowels and coat them in spackel, then while still wet take a fine tooth blade and run it over it to create bark. Spray it black and then drybrush on bark colors to your liking. Another note I just remembered, the windows and door hole were generaly not done the lincoln log way but tyed together there with dressed wood held in place with spikes or dowels if really poor.
7j43k carl425 The picture I linked is typical of the log buildings built in the eastern US (which is where the OP lives). The logs are not round. they are hewn square with an axe, and dovetails are cut in the ends. In the picture, the logs look sawn to me. I see no marking left from using an axe. I would imagine the choice of using "as-delivered" round logs, or using squared logs would be based on whether you need a building "right-now" or are building something meant to be quality work and last a good long while. Or: If'n me'n my family arrived at our newly received forested land, we'd want a roof over our heads and some thick walls REAL soon. Maybe even a glass window, if we brought some glass. And it didn't break. We wouldn't spend time squaring the logs. After things settled down, and the wife 'n' kids made their housing desires known (and we'd built the barn and other "productive" buildings), we could take some time and build a better house. Probably use square logs. And we'd be thinkin' that next year or so, we might buy some nice siding planks, put 'em on, and have a REAL lookin' house. Ed
Here is a photo inside my office taken not 30 minutes ago while sitting at my desk.
And another shot of the outside of the building looking at the same wall. My office is in that corner.
It is a large building (used to be a restaurant) constructed from large straight logs (Douglas fir, I think) using pretty much the same techniques they used 200 years ago. The logs are round (about 12" diameter) and hand-hewn using an adz or a sharp drawknife. The chinking is a little better than whatever stuff Lincoln had; it is a soft rubbery elastomeric stuff.
I live and work in the high desert of northern Wyoming where temperatures range from -30 degrees F up to over 100 degrees F.
Perfectly comfy in here the year round.
The real logs used to make log cabins were not round, but were instead flattened on the top and bottom. We make structures like this all the time for positionable terrain tables. The logs are not fully round like lincoln logs are.
This is easy to duplicate using a vertical belt sander and a sanding fence. Smooth one side of the dowel, then move the fence and smooth the other side. Then just glue the flattened dowels on top of one another for a very effective model of a frontier structure.
Hopefully this helps somebody.
BRAKIEvisit Hobby Lobby or a gaming store which specializes in miniature gaming figures and scenery supplies..
Unfortunately military gamers of the log cabin era tend to favor European battles and half-timbered houses. There is a good assortment of "old west" buildings for military gamers, but these are clapboard and false-front style buidings.
The only log structures I know of for wargaming were some vacuum formed plastic sheets and some solid resin buildings made by JR Miniatures.