The Log Sugar Shack

My little woodlot has been transitioning from cedars to hardwoods over the last few decades. Thankfully this process has given me not only maples for tapping but cedar for projects like fencing the garden and the simple zig-zag fence I’ve been putting along the back line of the lot.

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Last fall I decided to try building with cedar logs and started yarding. The size of the trees pretty much determined the size the building would be.

Spring 2017 set some posts and started yarding laying up logs…

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…and yarding more logs. Not exactly logging the way the pros do it.

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By Summers end I finally had walls.

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(to be continued...)

That fence and cabin are awesome, nice work!

Thanks lyford,

Wish I could figure out how to move this thread to the right topic. Sheeesh.

Red, looks to me like the location of your original post is the only thing you got wrong. That is going to be one sweet shack! Please post more pics as you go along, anywhere'll do! Ted

I moved the thread for you red.

Thank you maple flats.

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Originally Posted by maple flats

I moved the thread for you red.

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Got the roof on. The structure ended up remarkably square and level on the top considering the irregularity of the logs.

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That is so cool!

Thanks tbear.

Love the cabin shack, not something you see everyday.

That is some Yankee ingenuity right there. Used what you had and it looks awesome too. Your syrup is going to be a little sweeter this year boiling in there.

Thank you McKenny Maples and n8hutch.

I’ve often wanted to try building with logs so it’s nice to have the chance to give it a go.

Going to seem luxurious to boil this season.

Sweet shack. Looks like you could live in it.

That really is a beautiful and unique shack. Every time I look at it Im more amazed. There should be a "drooling emogi"! What are the dimensions, if you don't mind me asking, and what size evaporator? Thanks, Ted

Also, what will you use to "chink" the walls with? Honestly, if you weren't so far away I'd love to see it in person. Truly impressive! Ted

Thanks 3GoatHill, I think living in it would stress out even the tiny home enthusiast.

Ted, Thank you for the compliments.
The inside floor space is only 10’ by10’. I’m just a hobbyist so this is fine for my 2x4 evaporator.

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I’ve been experimenting with chinking. The modern chinking they sell with the closed cell foam backer rod gets pretty expensive even for my little shack. I’ve settled on using some EPDM (rubber sort of stuff) roofing scraps that I happen to have a lot of. I’m rolling strips of it up and packing it in between the logs and then using some good caulking to seal it in.

EPDM should do a great job of keeping the moisture out. Sounds like you are a roofer or know one. What do you plan to put over it to give it that authentic look. Obtw I now have a serious case of envy. That building is awesome and would be a great cover for a magazine with steam rolling out the cupola and a sled pulled by mules out front offloading sap. Happy sugaring. :cool:

Thank you USMCtcol, first for your service to our country and 2nd for the compliments on my shack.

For the aesthetics of the chinking, after sealing the edges of the EPDM with grey caulking I will follow with a touch-up of grey paint I had mixed up to match the caulking.

If I run low on smaller scraps of EPDM I'll get some of that closed cell foam pipe insulation to finish. The bigger pieces of EPDM I have work great to cover firewood piles that haven't yet found their way to one of the woodsheds.

Very nice job on the sugar cabin and I also love that fence.
I'm starting to regret milling all my logs. Ha ha

Chinked enough for now. I'll go over it again next year and do the inside. It's sealed up for now and the windows and door are in.

I'll put the top section of chimney on and be ready to boil.

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That's awesome. I wish I had a cedar for every poplar on our farm, I've been researching what to seal poplar logs with to keep them from rotting, thinking of sawing 4x8 cants on the bandmill an doing dovetail corners for a 12x16 shack. Great Job.

Thanks bmbmkr,

I've heard of folks using poplar (aspen) to build cabins. I have some large poplars. It wouldn't take many to log up a wall. Finding a good preservative is the problem.

I had an old article about building with aspen poplar logs. I have to wonder though if using poplar for a sugar shack wouldn't add an extra threat of rot from the steam.

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Originally Posted by bmbmkr

That's awesome. I wish I had a cedar for every poplar on our farm, I've been researching what to seal poplar logs with to keep them from rotting, thinking of sawing 4x8 cants on the bandmill an doing dovetail corners for a 12x16 shack. Great Job.

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I think if you could do large over hangs and keep the siding up away from the ground that the poplar would last quite a long time, but it definitely likes to be dry.

Here's the article I mentioned. https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/LSFES...s_aspen_15.pdf

It's old but has some useful information. I doubt the wood preservatives mentioned are still applicable.

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Originally Posted by red dorakeen

Here's the article I mentioned. https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/LSFES...s_aspen_15.pdf

It's old but has some useful information. I doubt the wood preservatives mentioned are still applicable.

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I love reading these old timber publications almost as I love boiling sap. we have yellow or tulip poplars here. My house is framed with it, as was the house I grew up in. Two barns on the property are framed and sided with it, from our own sawmill. It is ok siding if you keep it dry as N8 said. I am trying to talk my dad into letting me have some of his white oaks for sills and can use my own red oaks for a timber frame in the future sugar house. Maybe before my 7 year old gets to adult hood, I'll build her a cabin with poplar cants. All the cedars around here have been harvested for fence posts and not many wood lots replanted.

Just saw your little shack and must say I think its so cool. My shack is the same size with a woodshed on the back side of it one thing about it you will never be cold in there bet you are enjoying it Red

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Originally Posted by Dlee

Just saw your little shack and must say I think its so cool. My shack is the same size with a woodshed on the back side of it one thing about it you will never be cold in there bet you are enjoying it Red

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Thanks Dlee,

Definitely nice to have a comfortable shack.

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Originally Posted by red dorakeen

Thanks bmbmkr,

I've heard of folks using poplar (aspen) to build cabins. I have some large poplars. It wouldn't take many to log up a wall. Finding a good preservative is the problem.

I had an old article about building with aspen poplar logs. I have to wonder though if using poplar for a sugar shack wouldn't add an extra threat of rot from the steam.

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Red, that is one of the nicest looking log shacks I've seen, and I've seen many here in the upper Midwest. I can attest for the use of aspen for log construction....my dad and grandfather built a 16x30 log cabin with roofed breezeway and connected 16x20 woodshed back in the early 50's in the U.P. and they used aspen, basswood, spruce, cedar, hemlock; vertical log construction, built high and dry and everything still in great shape. A couple of years ago, I built a vertical log sugar shack here in my woods and used cedar and spruce from our land in the U.P., as well as some pine harvested locally; the only suggestion my dad gave me for my construction was to stay away from balsam. I used aspen cut from my woods here for the door and window headers as that dries hard and strong...two of them span 8 feet (one overhead door, one picture window) and even with all the snow we had last winter, and a shed roof design, checking several times over the winter through spring, there was zero sag so they are doing the job. I too, was worried about all the steam so I built a hood and power vent the steam through an exhaust vent through the roof. I used a high quality log home stain/sealer on the exterior.

Thanks Johnny Yooper, I considered vertical logs also.

Your vertical log sugar house looks great.