Log cabins or log homes are getting a revival now with more and more people showing interest in building their own log homes or log cabins. Historically, log cabins were first built in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. When Europeans settlers came to the United States, they used logs to build their first homes as it was quicker. Traditionally, whole trees were cut down and shaped to make log cabins. They were originally stacked one on top of the other, eliminating the use of nails. They did utilize dowel joints. Gaps in between the logs were filled using mud and straw, a mixture known as chinking. These logs naturally settle into each other in a few years.

Continue reading →