So we merely cut a piece out of the top log to make room for a
saw when we were ready to cut the complete opening. As our fireplace was
to be 5 feet in width, a 5-foot piece was cut out of the center of the
log. Then the ends were supported by cleats nailed on each side, as shown
in Fig. 269. This done the building was continued as before, but as the
walls grew we found it more and more difficult to raise the logs to
position. We could not lift them directly to the top of the wall, but had
to roll them up on "skids"; that is, on a pair of 14-foot logs which were
laid against the top of the wall. When the walls had reached a height of
about 5 feet above the foundation logs, a length 4 feet 9 inches long was
cut out of the top log to allow space for sawing out the front door and
window, and also a 30-inch piece was cut out for the side window. Cleats
temporarily held the sawed ends of the logs, while the walls were carried
on up to a height of a little over 6 feet from the foundation logs.
[Illustration: Fig. 270. Skids.]
The Roof of the Log Cabin.
Then we started laying the roof. A 16-foot log was now notched in place at
each side, with its forward end projecting about 3 feet over the front of
the cabin to form a shelter in front of the building.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229