| Framing--the Backbone of your Log Cabin | | | | sectional drawings foreach cottage, because this |
| Framing is the structural skeleton of your house. The | | | | header may actually be a girderaround the outside of |
| drawing atthe top indicates the important framing | | | | the building. |
| members of any of thecottages. The most important | | | | Also be sure that the joists are securely spiked to |
| elements are the sill, header,joists, girders, sole, | | | | the header. |
| flooring, studs, plate, and rafters. | | | | Try, as far as possible, to make the headers of one |
| Let's take a look at these parts. | | | | continuouspiece of material. If this isn't possible, be |
| Except in the case of concrete slab construction, the | | | | sure to join thepieces over the center line of one of |
| sill isthe first wood member to rest on the | | | | the piers. |
| foundations and will be thefirst wood member you | | | | Joists members are what your flooring will rest on. |
| will put down. The sill is usually a | | | | The sizesapplicable to each building are shown in the |
| 2-by-4-inch piece. In pier construction you will note | | | | sectional and plandrawings. In most cases they are |
| that Ihave occasionally used a 2-by-6-inch member. | | | | 2-by-6-Inch members laid 16inches on center. I have |
| This is because theheader is made up of two pieces | | | | tried to design all the camps so thatit will not be |
| 2 inches thick, instead of one,as shown in the | | | | necessary to cut most of the joists. |
| illustration. | | | | They are standard lengths which you can purchase |
| Sills form a bearing surface for the undersides of | | | | from your locallumberyard. Because the joint spans |
| joists. Theyshould be bolted to the slab or wall | | | | are short, it isn'tnecessary to bridge the members. |
| foundations. If you areusing pier foundations, it is | | | | However, if you want a reallygood job, put |
| important that you first put downthe sill around the | | | | l-by-3-inch pieces of lumber between joists asshown |
| building, then spike the inner header to thesill from | | | | in the sketch at the side. You can also buy metal |
| the underside. After this is done, lay out the joistsand | | | | bridgingif you would rather use it. |
| securely spike the inner header to them. | | | | Bridging is usually done every 8 feet along the length |
| At the corners, stagger these two parts. Then spike | | | | of thejoist. The floor joists are typically designed to |
| the outerheader to the inner one, overlapping at the | | | | take a uniformload of 40 pounds. The fiber stress (f) |
| staggered corneredge. What you have done is to | | | | is 900 or over. Don'tworry your head about these |
| build a girder with a restingplace for the joists. | | | | figures. |
| Headers, except as noted above, are usually 2 inches | | | | What it means to you is that you should use Douglas |
| thick andthe same width as the joists. They run | | | | fir (Coast |
| around the outsideperimeter of the building and help | | | | Region or Inland Empire), West Coast hemlock, |
| keep the joists in a verticalposition. They also help to | | | | Western larch, |
| transmit the roof and wall loads tothe foundation. | | | | Southern yellow pine, redwood, oak, or any other |
| The notched joist arrangement is used when no sill is | | | | wood having thenecessary characteristics. Most yards |
| provided. | | | | carry either Douglas firor hemlock for framing |
| The blocking provides a bearing spot for the joists. If | | | | purposes. |
| you usepier foundations, be sure to follow the | | | | |