Choosing House Logs is a Serious Business

Many considerations go into choosing the right wood for a log home....or choosing the right home plan for the wood that is available to you...

Kanga-Doodle picks house logs: click for video

Choosing house logs is a serious business; it goes without saying that the wood must be sound and of a suitable size for both the plan and the geographic location of the building (insulative value of the wood species and compliance with the new energy code as well as local building code.)
People often wonder which species of wood is preferable for timber and log homes - the answer to that varies;  locally available wood is often the best choice - for example - if building in North Carolina or Ontario using a local log builder, the home will likely be built using Eastern White Pine.
Lodge pole pine is also an option for many Northern log builders accross the continent.

Here in south central British Columbia we have a wider range of log species to work with including Engelman spruce, Western red cedar, Douglas fir and Alaska yellow cedar.

My personal preference for house logs are Western red cedar, Doug fir and Alaska yellow cedar, so a customer (local or from far afield) who has chosen a BC log builder to work with has quite a few more options.

Early on we favoured Engleman spruce - primarily because our Japanese market had a preference for it's pale sap wood. Spruce was also easy to access and easy to peel, but on the down-side, we struggled with how spruce checks (or cracks) as it dries (typically one LARGE check running the length of the log) and spiral grain twist is also more pronounced in spruce, thus narrowing the selection of wood that met our specifications.

Douglas fir, while a brute to peel, is a more stable wood. Checks tend to occur frequently around the circumference of the log, but barring radical spiral checks are quite regular and narrow. Douglas fir is stronger than spruce and is a better log for load bearing.

The insulative values of Western red cedar surpasses both fir and spruce, so is an ideal wall log. Cedar tends to be less mobile as it dries and also shrinks less. (One drawback with Western red cedar are it's load bearing qualities - in roof systems the required size of a cedar log would often be out of scale with the wall structure, which is why we generally use Doug fir for the roof system. The warm reddish tones of both are very similar, so the variation of species is vitually unnoticeable.

Alaska yellow cedar (also known as Cypress) can be difficult to source, given that the calibre of wood we require is highly prized by the Japansese temple market,  however we have been fortunate to secure a source of Alaska yellow cedar and offer it as an option to our customers.

Douglas fir is the most economical of the species that we build with, but some styles of structures - such as dovetail log homes -  I prefer to build using cedar. Round post and beam log homes require very large diameter wood - averaging 18 to inches in diameter for the posts. Any of the species that we build with are suitable for post and beam as long as the diameter is met. Square post and beam requires that we start with wood of at least 20 inches in average diameter, and our scribed log homes are built with a minimum diameter of  14 inches at the top of the log. Timber frame homes offer more latitude in wood size, as they are typically wrapped from the outside using either SIP's (Structural Insualted Panels) or conventional framing and insulation.

Wood shrinks as it dries and while log homes can be successfully built using green wood, we prefer to use drier material.  Regardless of the species we are building with, we insist or wood that is either air-dried (under 19% moisture content) or kiln dried.

So which species of wood should you choose for your log home? The above really just scratches the surface of house log selection - so please feel free to contact me for more in depth information on this topic - or watch our video featuring the Nicola LogWorks mascott: Kanga-Doodle as she demonsrates her log selection style...

John thinks he has discovered the elusive Sky-Hook

A Cool New Tool! John thinks he has discovered the elusive Sky-Hook... this video tells the story of how the Ludwig Hook saved us time, reduced leading edge exposure for the crew and minimized the energy they required to re-set the new ATCO Headquarters Building in Calgary Alberta this summer.

(Engineered wood supplied by Western Archrib. Contractor: Cana Construction. Fabulous Crew of Heavy Timber Experts). See for yourself and decide if there is anything else out there that comes as close to the Sky-Hook as this innovative tool from Germany.

Silly Gone to Seed - "Safety Gurl to the Rescue!"

Something light to start 2016. Cartoon number 2: "The Adventures of Safety Gurl"

Contributed by: "The Log Builder's Wife".

Happy New Year and a Safe and Pleasant 2016 

from 

John Boys and the Heavy Timber Team at Nicola LogWorks.
Click here for more "Silly Gone to Seed"

A Re-Ignited Passion...

A recent holiday whet John's appetite for more fishing

There are few things more restorative than a day spent fishing... but the combination of fido AND fishing makes an unbeatable remedy for taking the world of business too seriously.

Here John explains his strategy for "Dog-Fishing":

A recent  holiday re-ignited John's passion for fishing.

Fishing may be good for the soul - but dogs are good for mental health.

Dog-Fish

The Wide Wood Building; The Fort McMurray Airport

Quality of Finish: When Wood is Good - Episode: # 2

There's lots of talk these days about tall wood buildings - but have you ever heard anyone speak about "wide wood" structures? Wide wood is how Beth Denny of OMB (the architects on the project), describes the use of cross laminated timbers and glu-lam in the Fort McMurray Airport.

Back in October of 2014, Fred Provost, Chris Bur and John Boys of Nicola LogWorks who was the mass wood installer on the project, had the opportunity to visit the now completed building and were suitably impressed.

John and Chris and Fred enjoyed seeing the transformation of the airport from work in progress to completed structure

At the time of construction, the Fort McMurray Airport was among the first commercial projects in Western Canada specifying CLT and Glu-lam in lieu of more conventional materials. Originally this building did not incorporate mass wood and the decision to utilize wood was made after the design process had already begun.

The quality of the finish (stain), on the mass wood members is a primary factor, in our opinion, of why "wood is good" in this project. It highlights the wood, showcases the design and in combination with the organic appeal of wood infuses the building with an inviting warmth.

What if...conventional materials had been used in the airport?

 Would this structure make the same impact if concrete and steel had been used?
The Log Builder's Wife generated a rough mock-up of what the building might have looked (and felt) like... (Brrrrrr.)

Having the opportunity to see the Fort McMurray Airport finished and in use was very encouraging as this project was particularly challenging for Nicola LogWorks - and one which John often uses as an example of "lessons learned" rather than "wood is good".

That said, the lessons learned have been shared with others whose intent and interests lie in design/build process and have served Nicola LogWorks well in in helping to anticipate possible obstacles and work-flow problems on subsequent projects. All's well that ends well as they say and the finished airport meets the all of the expectations and hype that surrounded it while under construction. Wood is Good!

Roof Framing Crew - November (photo Andreas Fricke)

Highpoints of this job also included the support and expertise of EQ (Equilbrium Consulting); the engineers on the project as well as the fine team of Nicola LogWorks employees and our colleagues who contributed their talents and expertise as sub-contractors; Fred Provost of Gray Valley Quality Wood Work, Jay McKimm of Blue Water Timber Framing and last but not least: Andreas Fricke of Big Horn Timber Frames who stayed on to help Ledcor by undertaking much of the subsequent work that tied into the mass-wood. Brave man! (The snow picture is to his credit.)

Below are a few images of the panels produced by Structurlam Products Inc. (The pretty finished pictures can be viewed at OMB - see link at top of article.)  

And that concludes "when wood is good" episode #2. Contributed by The Log Builder's Wife.

They Could have Dropped off the Face of the Earth...

By "The Log-Builder's Wife"

With John and half our fantastic team of Heavy Timber Specialists working on a CLT and Glu-Lam build in the Gulag and with Andreas Fricke with the rest of the crew on a Glu-Lam install in Saskatoon, I thought I should undertake a blog post while they are away.

The Gulag – you ask? That’s just what I am calling it since communications are extremely difficult and for a period of time they were cut off completely. They could have dropped off the face of the earth – or have been banished to Siberia.
In any case they may as well be east of the sun and west of the moon, or to be slightly more accurate: South of Fort MacMurray and North of Lac La Biche.

By the way – any opinions put forth in this post are entirely my own and I plan not to rant as it’s becoming extremely boring and predictable. Most of my rants are set off by paper-work anyway and I hate to admit it –some of the paper-work and compliance docs that I rail against are inspired by sincere concern and motivation to keep workers alive, in good health and coming home to their families. As an employer and spouse I can relate to that! (That is actually a point that John made from favourable observation of the Owners on the project that he is currently working on).

Circa '94. Not a practice we'd do today. Even if had our own TV Show!

Where compliance and procedure get legitimately frustrating is when those who are “in charge” seem to have lost sight of the intent of the rules and guidelines and use their authority more as an opportunity to throw their weight and will around. Personal ego impeding progress or even supporting un-safe practices while hiding being the rock-solid skirts of “just going by the book”.
Unfortunately “the book” does not always apply to what is expedient and safe in heavy timber. Ideally strategies should be developed in cooperation – but in the situation I am thinking about it appears that control and adversity are the motivators. This could be crazy-making – but sometimes you just gotta laugh because it is all so patently obvious and absurd as to what is really going down.

I’ve often wondered about the type of people that different jobs attract. Border guards for example… and I know one cannot (should not) generalize – but I have at times been very grateful knowing when crossing the US/Canadian border, that if that big dame packin’ and swaggering about like John Wane actually used her weapons rather than just verbally intimidating me, there would be some layer of accountability. (Not like some places in the world where people of that propensity are not reigned in).

Or how about those guys who work for collections? It’s been decades since we (through relying on a poorly informed bookkeeper – not me!) fell on the wrong side of WCB (OSHA) as regards remittance. “Mr Smith” was an extremely scary man and I did not want to get hurt. I wonder – did the “hector-the-collector” job suit his personality? A natural bully? Or maybe he just put on his “bully suit” when he got to the office in the morning and took it off before going home with a stop for yoga and a vegan take-out.

"Show me your tools...and I'll tell you if you are a log-builder".

Or the PST (that is provincial sales tax) auditor who examined our books a couple of years ago to see if we had been remitting. (We had). I’m happy to say that I stopped him short in his tracks – when in the course of backing up the legitimacy of our non-pst-able transactions I came across one where we should have remitted and that he had missed.
“Why are you telling me this”, he asked after a long silence. “We try to operate with integrity”, I responded, “and expect others to do the same”. 
I really felt bad for this fellow – working in a hair-splitting job like that could really injure the soul. But hey – just because I hate paper-work does not mean its evil….right? Maybe that was his happy-place.

I could go on…and I bet you have stories you could add. But much better shared around a camp fire where complaints become jokes to laugh at rather than the long loud wail of the self-employed!

Actually what got me thinking about the careers and jobs and the type of people who choose them was a run in with an acquaintance yesterday. She introduced me to her companion as the wife of a local log builder – “you know like in the reality TV show “The Timber Kings”. Hmmmm. “Don’t worry”, she added, “John will get his turn one day”. HMMMMM. I don’t think she believed me when I said that it was not our goal to ‘go and do likewise’.

I am so very grateful for our log-building colleagues, many of whom credit our roots to Allan Mackie and his School of Log Building. Particularly I am grateful to those who I have come to know as family through our mutual membership and involvement within the ILBA (International Log Builder’s Association). I look forward to our AGM’s where we get caught up on the latest tool, jig, and procedure. Where we share, show, and show off our innovations and discoveries with each other.

85-86? The B.Alan Mackie School of Log Building in Prince George BC, where many of the well-known names of today's log building industry began an adventure and learning curve that contributed to the "popularizing" of log homes. B. Allan Mackie Photo

It feels like a family gathering every time. And so it is. And here is what we really share; the common ground that transcends us from being merely industry colleagues or competitors. The log builders that I am thinking of are all innovators, problem-solvers and are fascinated and engaged by procedure. Those traits supersede our common craft and trade. I believe it is unusual that so many like-minded, inquisitive and enthusiastic people were drawn to this method of construction. I wonder about that.

As one of our colleagues said about our group…”it doesn’t matter who you vote for – or what flavour your religion. What ties us together is that we agree on which tool is the best”.

That concludes my somewhat aimless ramble and blog post. Thanks for reading!

“The Log-Builder’s Wife” 

(Oh – credit where credit is due: The Gulag Team: John Boys, Frederic Provost, Christian Bur, Dexter Devorkin and Graig Goodman. The Saskatoon Team: Andreas Fricke leading (thank you so much!) – Jay McKimm, Daryle Shackelly and on the crane (drum roll) Jochen Wagenblast and Owen Gregory!

STRANGER THAN FICTION

There are strange things done in the midnight sun;
Where men go seeking oil,
Where the blackflies bite, and the tar sands ooze
Where sniffer-dogs seek drugs and booze.

But stranger still are the contracts made,
When construction crews are needed,
For their expertise and common sense,
(which is rarely ever heeded)!

But the strangest thing we’ve ever seen,
(And verbatim we have quoted),
Is this sentence in a document,
Where safety rules were noted.

“…do not urinate or defecate in the stairwells, electrical rooms or bottles” , and ” Do not wipe fecal matter on washroom walls…”

Full Stop!

Got Our Attention!

(We are either going to be working with degenerate Neanderthals, or the people we will be working for are so horrible it drives good people to insanity – or is that unsanitary!?)

Funny in a tragic sort of way.

Written by John Boys and "The Log Builder's Wife" 
(inspired by the poem; The Cremation of Sam McGee, by Robert W. Service)

...and funny in a lovely sort of way; Sacha the dog welcomes Jean home from his work on the Wood Innovation Design Centre (WDIC) in Prince George, BC.

BORN TO BURN!

" I Love to Burn!....I was BORN to Burn!"... 
...A quote from one of the fine fellows helping us meet our delivery schedule of the charred wood panels which will be featured on the exterior of WDIC (The Wood Innovation Design Centre) in Prince George.

John had a great time researching this ancient art and the traditional methods of wood burning, as well as a range of other methods.

This video shows how Nicola LogWorks is approaching the burn (which has it's own unique twist, as the cedar material is pre-treated with an intumescent solution)...

By "The Log Builder's Wife"

If Fish is Good for the Brain - then Fishing must be Better!

Our last holiday...was that late 1990's or early 2000's?

Contributed by "The Log Builder's Wife"

It's been too long, I think, since Mr Boys and I have had a holiday...

...most of you who know us have seen this picture a couple of times - and you have to admit for bragging rights - it's worth a second look. (We caught this salmon in our double-ocean-going-kayak which I bought John for his birthday because I wanted it).

...But I think it may be a bit pathetic to keep dragging this picture out because we don't have anything recent to share!

Over 20 years ago, John decided that we should cut ourselves off from TV, in order to use that time for recreation - walk the dogs, go mountain biking and so on...

So we have not had TV since 1994, but rather than using those hours for recreation - we, and particularly John, found it easy to fill those hours with work and more work. Easy to do when you enjoy the challenges of your work like John does - and hard to tear oneself away from it for that same reason!

Never the less, I'm thinking that all work and no play could make John a dull boy which is why I've decided to take up fishing, and I'm going to take Johnny with me! (A lot!)  

So when you phone Nicola LogWorks and you get the message telling you that we are on another call - I hope we are out answering the call of the wild, following the the lure of the lure and testing the old adage: Work fills the time allotted!

Will keep you posted on the success of this experiment! 

Gone Fishing! (The Log Builder's Wife)