Old Log Barn

rusty6 · Oct 19, 2020

I did a video tour of great uncle Alf's log barn a few days ago. Found stuff I forgot I had. Vertical log construction from poplar trees and it has stood over 113 years. Not sure if I posted a link to the first part but here is part two.
Log Barn

kcm.MN · Oct 19, 2020

(quoted from post at 22:54:20 10/18/20) I did a video tour of great uncle Alf's log barn a few days ago. Found stuff I forgot I had. Vertical log construction from poplar trees and it has stood over 113 years. Not sure if I posted a link to the first part but here is part two.
Log Barn

Poplar lasted that long?!?!?

We had a vertical log barn here until a wildfire took it. The logs were Tamarack.

Majorman · Oct 19, 2020

Our house, which was built in the 1600's had walls and ceilings like that, they are called "lathe and plaster" over here. Made with willow strips and plaster packed between and allowed to dry.

That was the method of construction for half timbered or timber framed houses going back to Queen Elisabeth 1st time. I had a friend that owned such a house in Cambridgeshire, he decided to do some modifications to the outside and peeled back the outer layer of one wall to the lathe and plaster. It rained heavily overnight and in the morning he was left with just the upright posts and a heap of willow strips.

This picture was taken of our front room when we were taking down the lathe and plaster ceiling.

Bob Bancroft · Oct 19, 2020

Lathe and plaster totally common in houses here also, and any old building where a finished surface was desired, like a church.

quefan · Oct 19, 2020

Hi Rusty6,

The square end iron bar with points that you were not sure of, is a "log iron" used to hold logs in position for hewing with broad axe.

Thanks for your videos always enjoyable.

Log hewing

Part Time Pete · Oct 19, 2020

Tamarack (or Larch as it's called around here) is a very tough wood. I use it for all my wood rail fence and wagon racks. I had some dried and milled into tongue and groove flooring, and the guy that milled it said the larch is tougher on the planer knives than oak
Pete

rusty6 · Oct 19, 2020

(quoted from post at 01:19:50 10/19/20) Our house, which was built in the 1600's had walls and ceilings like that, they are called "lathe and plaster" over here. Made with willow strips and plaster packed between and allowed to dry.
.

The house I live in, 1920 vintage, is lathe and plaster on the inside walls but the lathes are thin, flat sided pieces. Not willows. And it is real plaster with a smooth and flat finish.
The barn outside walls had the willows nailed diagonally across the logs and then plastered over with what appears to be clay. I think they were called willow "withes" but I could be wrong. You can see the same wall construction on the old black and white photo of Alf in front of his cabin.
Yes, kind of amazing that poplar lasts that long but there it stands.

rusty6 · Oct 19, 2020

(quoted from post at 03:44:56 10/19/20) Hi Rusty6,

The square end iron bar with points that you were not sure of, is a "log iron" used to hold logs in position for hewing with broad axe.

Quefan, thanks for the link to the log hewing video. Very informative and it occurs to me that I have all those tools necessary to do my own log construction. Including acres of big poplar trees.
We used to use the draw knife to peel the bark of the poplar pickets we made on the farm. I've got the adze in mint condition. The big two man cross cut saw needs a set of wooden handles.

Determined · Oct 19, 2020

Last house we had was turn of the century and had been renovated several times over the years.

When we went to insure it we were asked about the construction of it.

Originally it was a stick frame house with lath and plaster walls and stucco exterior
Most of the interior walls had been drywalled over and the exterior had vinyl siding over the stucco.

The quote we received was for a value well over twice what we paid so I inquired why it was so high.

Turned out they had a new computer program that was calculating the cost to rebuild the house exactly as described.

Lath and plaster covered with drywall and stucco covered with siding.

After entering a manual override into the program he got the quote back into reality.

37 chief · Oct 19, 2020

You mentioned Elephant brand fertilizer. That's what my dad used in the 50's. I wonder if they still make it. Stan

Old Log Barn

rusty6

Well-known Member

kcm.MN

Well-known Member

Majorman

Well-known Member

Bob Bancroft

Well-known Member

quefan

Member

Part Time Pete

Well-known Member

rusty6

Well-known Member

rusty6

Well-known Member

Determined

Well-known Member

37 chief

Well-known Member

Similar threads