| Mining Town Artifacts & Architecture: A Guide to Log Cabin Construction |
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| A Guide to Log Cabin Construction |
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Simple lap
Logs were simply stacked over one another with very little shaping of the log end done.
This style was used most often on outbuildings and barns, although it shows up on early cabins too.
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Steeple Notching
The top of a log was shaped to a sharp ridge, and the bottom of the log was shaped with a sharp groove.
The grooved bottom of each log was fitted onto the sharp ridge of the log beneath it. This system is stable, fast, and easy to do, making it a very popular style that is seen often.
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Saddle Notching
The bottom of the log was roughly rounded.
This style is simple and quickly done, so it is most often found on early log cabins.
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Full Dovetail Notching
This is the strongest and most elegant of all the types of corner notching.
It is difficult and required a skilled worker to do it. It was meant to be faced with planed boards and is only seen on second generation log cabins. It is rare to encounter in the backcountry.
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| Now— print this out and take it to Ashcroft or Independence (or some other Ghost Town you know of) and see what you can find and identify.
Also visit A Tin Can Fieldguide
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