June 24, 2013 Building

Here you see us working on the 7th round of logs. This round will cap all the windows and doors. 

When I was sawing one section of round six, I hit a rotten core in the log. I tossed the log and put up a replacement. I think that building with beetle kill lodge pole pine will get tougher as more years pass and the logs have been dead longer. Rotten cores will become the norm.

June 17, 2013 Garage Logs Delivered

   I have been very slow posting to this Blog for which I apologize.

  On the Monday the 17th, the logs I cut for the garage were delivered. It is amazing how much straighter they looked while they were still standing. I hired a log peeler to do the peeling for me this year. I definitely want to get the garage completed before I leave in the fall.

Baseboard outlets completed, June 14, 2013

   I'm still waiting for the log hauler to free himself up to bring my logs down. I went up two days ago and cut them all to 40 feet.

   Yesterday I was trying to finish the baseboard outlets, but I ran out of wire at 6:00 PM. Everything in Butte closes at 6:00 PM. I picked up the wire this morning and finished the last outlet and wired the circuit into the main panel. I also picked up a 3 foot, 220 volt baseboard heater and thermostat and installed them in the mechanical room. Heating the 10 foot by 10 foot room last winter with a ceramic heater was getting a little expensive, plus the baseboard heater should be much more reliable.

Main floor baseboard outlets, June 10, 2013

   Today I finished chiseling out and shaping the rest of the baseboard outlet box mounting holes on the main floor. If I don't haul logs tomorrow, I will stain the raw wood you see around the boxes, and begin running the electrical wire. I think peeling logs is easier than chiseling these holes. This was all sitting down and laying on your side work. Not real comfortable, but it's done!

Cutting logs, June 7, 2013

 
   I cut logs for the last three days; I should now have enough the finish the garage. I will cut each log to 40 feet and hire a log hauler to move them to the job site. The rest of the log will be cut up for firewood.

   I learned a valuable lesson this week, and I found out that old skills can come in handy. Never park your vehicle too close to trees you are cutting down. I still have the skills needed to repair barbed wire fences. (When the wind pulls a falling tree off course)

Main floor outlets, June 3, 2013

Today I started carving the 17 holes in the second log on the main floor for the electrical outlets. When I had the first two rounds of logs in place, I drilled a hole through both logs into the basement. I then drilled a hole in the side of the second log angled down to meet the first hole. I carved out an area so an electrical box fits snug and flush.

When I finish prepping all the holes, I will stain the carved area before I begin wiring them in. Tomorrow, I will look for outlets and covers that will match the stain as close as possible. 

Opening Day May 14, 2013

Today I found a place to cut the logs for the garage. My assistant, Rocky. and I (lower right in photo) marked 59 trees. I used orange spray paint to mark which ones to cut, and the size of the base. Rocky marked a few smaller ones. I spent the rest of the week helping the rancher who owns the property where these trees are located as payment for the logs. I also spent time helping my cousin, who is letting me use his D3 Cat to skid the logs out, and his Mini Excavator to repair the wiring to my garage, and whatever else I find a use for it. Due to a death in the family, I spent the next two weeks in Minnesota,