Framing--the Backbone of your Log Cabin

Jack Hudson () -

Framing--the Backbone of your Log Cabin

Framing is the structural skeleton of your house. The drawing at

the top indicates the important framing members of any of the

cottages. The most important elements are the sill, header,

joists, girders, sole, flooring, studs, plate, and rafters.

Let's take a look at these parts.

Except in the case of concrete slab construction, the sill is

the first wood member to rest on the foundations and will be the

first wood member you will put down. The sill is usually a

2-by-4-inch piece. In pier construction you will note that I

have occasionally used a 2-by-6-inch member. This is because the

header is made up of two pieces 2 inches thick, instead of one,

as shown in the illustration.

Sills form a bearing surface for the undersides of joists. They

should be bolted to the slab or wall foundations. If you are

using pier foundations, it is important that you first put down

the sill around the building, then spike the inner header to the

sill from the underside. After this is done, lay out the joists

and securely spike the inner header to them.

At the corners, stagger these two parts. Then spike the outer

header to the inner one, overlapping at the staggered corner

edge. What you have done is to build a girder with a resting

place for the joists.

Headers, except as noted above, are usually 2 inches thick and

the same width as the joists. They run around the outside

perimeter of the building and help keep the joists in a vertical

position. They also help to transmit the roof and wall loads to

the foundation.

The notched joist arrangement is used when no sill is provided.

The blocking provides a bearing spot for the joists. If you use

pier foundations, be sure to follow the sectional drawings for

each cottage, because this header may actually be a girder

around the outside of the building.

Also be sure that the joists are securely spiked to the header.

Try, as far as possible, to make the headers of one continuous

piece of material. If this isn't possible, be sure to join the

pieces over the center line of one of the piers.

Joists members are what your flooring will rest on. The sizes

applicable to each building are shown in the sectional and plan

drawings. In most cases they are 2-by-6-Inch members laid 16

inches on center. I have tried to design all the camps so that

it will not be necessary to cut most of the joists.

They are standard lengths which you can purchase from your local

lumberyard. Because the joint spans are short, it isn't

necessary to bridge the members. However, if you want a really

good job, put l-by-3-inch pieces of lumber between joists as

shown in the sketch at the side. You can also buy metal bridging

if you would rather use it.

Bridging is usually done every 8 feet along the length of the

joist. The floor joists are typically designed to take a uniform

load of 40 pounds. The fiber stress (f) is 900 or over. Don't

worry your head about these figures.

What it means to you is that you should use Douglas fir (Coast

Region or Inland Empire), West Coast hemlock, Western larch,

Southern yellow pine, redwood, oak, or any other wood having the

necessary characteristics. Most yards carry either Douglas fir

or hemlock for framing purposes.

About the Author

About the Author: Jack Hudson is a writer for

http://www.log-cabin-plans-n-kits.com and

http://www.best-house-n-home-plans.com/. These two sites work

collectively as a resouce for the planning and building of log

cabins as well as choosing from different house plans. Visit one

of these sites for informative articles as well as free TIPS for

building a log home or choosing a house plan.

• http://www.log-cabin-plans-n-kits.com

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