So now we start doing some of the detail work inside the log house. With the dovetail design of our log house there are no solid log internal walls fitting into the external log walls to give it rigidity. Without some stiffening there is a tendancy for the logs in a log house to “buckle” or bow. So a stiffener is made up of 4 x 2 and 8 x 2 with slide plates for 14 inch long bolts to screw into the wall logs of the house. The slide plates and slots in the 4 x 2 enable the logs to continue settling with time. It was quite suprising putting the stiffeners up against the log house wall and seeing how much the walls had already started to bow in places, despite the 1/2″ threaded studs going down through the logs every couple of feet from top to bottom of the house.
A plywood sheet will be put against the side face of the stiffener and become part of the stud walls to give the assembly even more rigidity but these cannot be added until the stud walls are in place.
