This article was born as a by-product when creating another article. But I think it will be interesting as a way out of a situation where there is no time or opportunity to go to a construction store.

While creating another Mozgochin project, I discovered that I had run out of dowels. It was late, plus it was pouring rain outside, so I didn’t see any point in going to the store. It was decided to make the dowels ourselves.

Wooden dowels are used in furniture production for positioning and connecting parts made of chipboard, MDF, plywood, solid wood and other materials to each other.

So, to make dowels we need:

• slats, glazing beads or production waste of a suitable size;
• die;
• drill;
• sandpaper.

We take scraps of suitable size (left over from making the legs of the ironing board). We clamp them in the drill chuck.

And we drive it through a die clamped in a vice.

In principle, this is already a semi-finished product, but you can go over it with sandpaper to make it smooth.

Although most of the time I don't do this. When driving the dowels, the “thread” becomes wrinkled, and only makes the connection stronger. Yes, and the glue is absorbed better.

Now all that remains is to cut it into the necessary pieces. For marking, I made this device.

It seems a little expensive to drive a circular engine for them, but a turbine is just the thing.

In total, we have a bunch of dowels quickly and without much effort.

Photo: birch products with a diameter of 25mm.

Birch dowel is one of the most common and necessary materials, used in wooden house construction to tie timber crowns. If you wish, you can do without jute rope when finishing and painting a house, but you can’t do without a dowel. First of all, this concerns timber houses and other structures for the construction of which wood is used.

This is what an experienced builder, engaged in wooden house construction, tells us: wooden houses with your own hands - for many years, Nikolay Pervachev: “The dowel is an indispensable thing in construction wooden house, acting as a kind of frame, or holder of walls made of timber. The dowel is a cylindrical pin or stick, the diameter of which depends on the size of the wood material used. As a rule, a dowel with a diameter of 2.5 mm is used, and therefore it is the most common and can be easily purchased at any construction market. Moreover, very often ordinary cuttings for a mop or rake, sold in a hardware store or at a garden market, are suitable for these purposes. The main thing is to pay attention to what the cutting is made of. Most the best wood for dowels, birch is considered, as it has all the qualities necessary to fulfill the purpose of installing dowels. Birch wood is quite durable and strong, has a uniform structure, but at the same time it is easy to process and is quite elastic and elastic. But birch and wall wood - pine and fir - should be treated using fire protection products for wooden structures.

The need to use dowels is primarily due to the fact that when drying, the timber begins to twist and turn out, which occurs due to uneven drying of the material and for a number of other reasons, for example, when the paint for the log house is applied incorrectly - very early. If a bending dowel is used in construction, then the beam only collapses in horizontal planes and doesn't spin. A piece of dowel that is suitable in size is called a dowel, and the technology for its use is quite simple; even a beginner can cope with this task, you just need to follow certain rules for installing dowels.

Wood is of great interest in carpentry. hardwood. Birch is one of these materials. You may notice that it is very difficult to find in construction and in any other industry. This can be explained by its characteristics, disadvantages and advantages.

In Russia, 4 types of birch are mainly used in production: common, dwarf, downy and silver (due to their size). But, in general, there are more than 100 varieties of it. They are slightly different from each other in properties and application. Mostly birch is white with a yellow or even reddish tint. Its structure is homogeneous, layered without the presence of natural resins.
Common birch is used to kindle stoves, or as coal for making shish kebab (due to its high calorific value). Skis, plywood, and pressed boards are made from fluffy and droopy fibers, because... these trees are more durable and are not afraid of moisture. Regardless of the type, birch has good physical and mechanical characteristics.

Benefits of birch wood

The advantages of birch wood are:

1. Strength. She is not afraid of mechanical impact (impacts).
2. Hardness.
3. High wear resistance, practically not inferior in this parameter to powerful oak.
4. Beautiful texture of the material.
5. This material bends easily, but in a steamed state.
6. Birch stains well when etched, so it is often used to imitate valuable species wood
7. Resistance to biological microorganisms.

Lack of birch wood

There are also disadvantages to this wood, due to which it is not found in the construction industry:

1. If she is in a room with high humidity, it will easily succumb to rotting processes.
2. Low density.
3. Moisture permeability. Wood, after getting wet or being in a room with a humid climate, takes a long time and does not dry well.
4. When temperature changes, birch begins to warp.
5. Processing birch wood is not easy. It is a hard and highly drying rock.

Birch wood is rarely used for building houses due to its fragility. But if, nevertheless, it is decided to purchase this material for the construction of a building, then it is recommended to lay the first crowns of the log house with oak or larch logs, and then lay birch. Birch is great for holding finishing works indoors, for the production of furniture, plywood, creation flooring(floor boards, parquet), production of auxiliary construction structures.

Before installing the dowel, first prepare a series of holes of exactly the same diameter as the diameter of the dowel. The dowels connect all the crowns of the building in a checkerboard pattern - three crowns through the crown, and are located at a distance of one and a half to two meters from each other. It is also advisable to pay attention to such an issue as the degree of humidity of the dowel and the wood of the structure. The dowel should be slightly drier than the base material, then after drying the dowel will be firmly wedged in the body of the beam and will not move there.” In this way, strength and mobility will be ensured. wooden walls and the inter-crown wood sealant will remain, the wooden dowel will not be able to damage it.

What is a dowel?

Dowel for stairs

• drying out;
• deformation;
• loosening;
• bias.

• condensation formation;

The nuances of creating dowels

Now you need to drill a hole using a drill. It is in this that you will then need to attach the dowels. That is why it is very important to choose the drill diameter correctly. Its dimensions must be identical to the same parameters of the spike. As for the depth, it is 1.5 timber. The question of what dowels for 150x150 timber turns out to be quite simple. In the video you can see how this procedure is performed.

Some secrets of the procedure

brusportal.ru

: how to drill, fasten, dimensions

Do-it-yourself dowels for timber

The construction of structures made of wood implies the mandatory use of special fastening fragments. Such elements are aimed at ensuring that the design is of high quality, reliable, monolithic, and as durable as possible.

An integral part of the structure are dowels, or dowels. It is the quality of this part that determines the reliability of the entire structure. You can easily make dowels for timber even with your own hands. The procedure is not anything particularly complicated. The main thing is to follow the chosen method.

What are wooden dowels?

First, it’s worth understanding what the dowel itself is. The part is a miniature fragment made to strengthen the walls of a log house made of timber. In this case, it is the diameter of the dowels for the timber that acts as one of the most key characteristics.

The purpose of the dowels may be different. For example, wooden dowels are aimed at fixing log structures. The detail allows you to slow down a variety of negative consequences that invariably accompany the functioning of wooden structures. It could be:

Such peculiar pins, installed correctly and correctly, will make the building stable. The beams of the structure will be placed in such a way that they will remain unchanged after a couple of months and after several decades.

Spikes for fixing timber: which ones to choose and why?

The most popular are dowels made from hard wood. The most durable options are spikes made of oak or birch. It is not possible to deform, bend, or break them. However, there is one condition. They must be properly secured. What are their shape and sizes? Optimal solution– details of rounded contours. Their length should not exceed 25 mm. Wooden dowels must be smooth and even not only at the point of installation, but over the entire surface. These are the nails that guarantee maximum long term services.

Installing dowels in timber is a mandatory rule for timber and log structures. Birch thorns are the most common option. Such dowels cannot become an analogue of self-tapping screws or primitive nails. If they are used, it is impossible to guarantee the stability and reliability of the structure. It is also worth abandoning the use of reinforcement. Metal versions may result in a number of negative consequences, which is explained by the direct interaction of materials with different thermal conductivity parameters. What can the use of metal dowels lead to? It could be:

• condensation formation;
• coating the surface of the spikes with rust;
• rotting of the entire layer of wood.

The nuances of creating dowels

How to make dowels for timber? It's actually a simple procedure. It's easy to do it yourself. To do this, you will need to use logs of a certain length. The blanks (ideally made from birch) must be split into many small fragments. It is advisable to make them in the form of squares. Then you will need to trim them. This is done manually. It is recommended to give the workpieces rounded shape required diameter.

Owners lathe making dowels is very simple. Using it, elements are created quickly and accurately. If there are no wooden logs, you can always use cuttings from shovels that have already gone out of use. To give them required dimensions and shape, you just need to cut them. Round parts can be easily created using circular saw.

Subtleties of fastening dowels made of wood

How is the beam fastened with dowels? You can also do it yourself, without using the services of professionals. The procedure is extremely simple. Using wood tenons will first require finding the middle of the plane being used. At this point you need to do appropriate markup. This is where the hole will be created later.

In this case, the task itself disappears: how to drill the timber for the dowels. Undoubtedly, best option- This is a modern drill. It is much more important to ensure that the hole is processed correctly. The entry angle depends on the position of the drill. It must be strictly perpendicular to the base itself. Competency in performing this step will allow you to avoid problems with the installation of fragments in the future. It is also worth remembering that if the dowel is located extremely loosely in the timber, this will deprive the structure of all the advantages of this type of fasteners. You should also avoid excessive density. The length of the dowel should not be longer than established sizes. Protrusion of a part above the surface leads to problems during the inevitable shrinkage of the structure.

Some secrets of the procedure

A dowel made of wood, like the metal versions, is aimed at connecting 2 logs or beams. That is why there are several secrets on how to properly attach them. Professional assembly of timber for dowels implies:

• compliance with chess alternation, taking into account the perimeter of the structure;
• the optimal distance between them is in the range from 1000 to 1500 mm;
• proper combination of openings and bowls of approximately 300 mm;
• coincidence of the degree of humidity of the dowels with a given parameter of the base itself.

The photo shows how to install it yourself without errors. Those holes that needed to be pre-drilled with a drill are now filled with core buttons. They are the ones needed to mark the timber. If you don’t have such a special fragment at hand, you can sharpen it in pencil format. Its diameter must correspond to the prepared hole. They should be attached directly to the center of the base.

The next step is to lay a couple of boards on a perfectly flat and smooth surface. In this case, the parts need to be barely pressed against each other. However, most builders are interested in the question of how to drive dowels into timber. The tenon must be placed as tightly as possible in the groove. There should be no bevels or other defects between the timber and the dowel. In this case, you will not need to drill anything else. Nagel will do his job with ease.

For this purpose, you can use a marking thicknesser. When the tenons are installed, you need to treat the fragments of the boards with glue. This will allow you to connect the workpieces that need to be firmly clamped during the process and then dried.

https://brusportal.ru

legkoe-delo.ru

Dowels for timber - description of the working process

All photos from the article

When constructing buildings, it is very great importance has them correct fastening and fixation of individual elements. Dowels for timber are a type of product that is not visible from the outside, but has a big influence on the reliability and durability of the structure, so you should understand which products will suit you best and how to use them correctly.

In the photo: dowel – important element any log house, be it timber or log

Basic requirements for this type of fastening

The elements we are considering are called dowels in another way, so if you come across this term below, keep in mind that they are one and the same thing. As for products of this kind, their use is carried out only in compliance with several important conditions:

Material of manufacture	Many experts recommend using birch as the ideal type of wood, but it is not always possible to find this option, so the same wood from which the structure is built is often used, especially since waste is most often generated during the work, which can be used to make dowels
Humidity of elements	It must coincide with the humidity of the base material, this is due to the fact that if the indicators differ, drying will occur unevenly, which can lead to deformation and problems in the future. From this point of view, using waste material used is a reasonable solution, since in this case the humidity exactly matches
Correspondence of the hole to the dowel	This requirement means that a pin arrangement that is too loose is just as undesirable as one that is too tight. The fact is that after construction the log house shrinks, so the elements will move down, and in cases of high humidity the material will increase in volume and the structure will rise; the dowel should serve as a guide to prevent deformation, but not impede the movement of the beam
Correct arrangement of elements	Remember one simple rule: the dowel should be deepened by about 2 centimeters relative to the upper beam, this will prevent a situation where, with an increase in volume, the fastener lifts the elements located above

Important! You should not listen to advisers who claim that the tighter the dowel is driven, the better the structure will hold; this option will not allow the frame to move, which will lead to an increase in joints and increased formation of cracks on the surface.

To deepen the fastener, use a spacer of the same diameter

Workflow Description

Let's look at the basic rules for carrying out work; they are quite simple, so almost anyone can cope with them; the most important thing is to do everything carefully and use quality materials and tool.

Making dowels

Of course, you can buy ready-made elements, but their price is quite high, and the DIY process is not very difficult.

The work is done as follows:

When making dowels, neatness and attractiveness are not important, what is important is accuracy and compliance of the elements with the holes

• First you need to choose a manufacturing method, if you have at least a simple lathe, then you can make round options, no different from the ready-made ones sold in the retail chain. If there is no equipment, then you can get by with rectangular elements, there won’t be much difference anyway;
• The length of the blanks should be 2.3 times the thickness of the timber. This is because correct location suggests an option in which everyone fastener passes through three beams, and in the upper and lower crowns it should be located approximately 2/3 of their thickness. As noted above, the dowel must be recessed by at least 20 mm so that deformation does not occur when the structure moves;

This diagram clearly shows all the basic rules for fixing crowns; this option has been used by professional carpenters for more than two centuries

Advice! You can simplify the manufacturing work by purchasing a block the right size, its cost is low, but you just need to round the corners a little - and the fasteners will be ready.

• You don’t have to cut the elements right away, but do it as you work, it all depends on which option is preferable for you.

Fastening the timber

It is important to carry out the work correctly, since this determines how securely the structure will be fixed; the list of measures is as follows:

• First you need to choose a high-quality drill for dowels for timber. Too weak options are often used, so cases when a power tool burns out while drilling are not uncommon. Low-speed modifications with a three-stage gearbox with a power of 1300 watts or more are best suited; they do the job well, as they are designed for high loads;

Choose modifications with a handle on top, it will be much more convenient for you to carry out work on drilling timber

• As for the drill, a screw version is selected required length, it is better not to save money and purchase a product from a well-known brand, since cheap analogues are usually not durable and can fail almost at the first hole. The length depends on how thick your timber is, and the diameter varies depending on the width of the walls; most often, products from 20 to 30 mm are used;

Drills with a diameter of 30 mm are among the most popular

• Drilling is carried out starting from the third row, and it is very important to maintain the vertical position of the equipment when working, because the dowel will serve as a guide, and if it is located at an angle, the surface may bend over time. The work should be entrusted to a physically strong person, as the drill sometimes jams and can turn the tool, which is unsafe when working at height;

When working, you need to hold the drill very tightly

• Remember a simple rule - the hole should be 1-2 mm larger size dowel, this will ensure its sufficiently tight location, while the fastening will not interfere with the shrinkage of the structure. That is, with a drill diameter of 30 mm, the dowel should be 28-29 mm;
• The distance from the edge of the beam must be at least 300 mm, the distance between the attachment points is from one and a half to two meters. Sometimes you can increase the number of dowels by placing them in places that may become deformed;
• Driving in the dowels is done using a heavy hammer or sledgehammer weighing 2-3 kg; in order to drown the elements, stock up on a spacer in advance.

As you can see, the instructions for carrying out the work are not complicated; it is important to have them on hand reliable tool and use the correct size fasteners.

Conclusion

The use of dowels is mandatory for wooden buildings. With their help, the structure is not only strengthened, but also receives guides for proper shrinkage of the structure. The video in this article will talk about some of the points discussed above in more detail.

rubankom.com

Do-it-yourself dowels for timber

The construction of structures made of wood implies the mandatory use of special fastening fragments. Such elements are aimed at ensuring that the design is of high quality, reliable, monolithic, and as durable as possible.

An integral part of the structure are dowels, or dowels. It is the quality of this part that determines the reliability of the entire structure. You can easily make dowels for timber even with your own hands. The procedure is not anything particularly complicated. The main thing is to follow the chosen method.

What are wooden dowels?

First, it’s worth understanding what the dowel itself is. The part is a miniature fragment made to strengthen the walls of a log house made of timber. In this case, it is the diameter of the dowels for the timber that acts as one of the most key characteristics.

The purpose of the dowels may be different. For example, wooden dowels are aimed at fixing log structures. The detail allows you to slow down a variety of negative consequences that invariably accompany the functioning of wooden structures. It could be:

Such peculiar pins, installed correctly and correctly, will make the building stable. The beams of the structure will be placed in such a way that they will remain unchanged after a couple of months and after several decades.

Spikes for fixing timber: which ones to choose and why?

The most popular are dowels made from hard wood. The most durable options are spikes made of oak or birch. It is not possible to deform, bend, or break them. However, there is one condition. They must be properly secured. What are their shape and sizes? The optimal solution is details with rounded contours. Their length should not exceed 25 mm. Wooden dowels must be smooth and even not only at the point of installation, but over the entire surface. It is these nails that guarantee the longest possible service life.

Installing dowels in timber is a mandatory rule for timber and log structures. Birch thorns are the most common option. Such dowels cannot become an analogue of self-tapping screws or primitive nails. If they are used, it is impossible to guarantee the stability and reliability of the structure. It is also worth abandoning the use of reinforcement. Metal versions can lead to a number of negative consequences, which is explained by the direct interaction of materials with different thermal conductivity parameters. What can the use of metal dowels lead to? It could be:

• condensation formation;
• coating the surface of the spikes with rust;
• rotting of the entire layer of wood.

The nuances of creating dowels

How to make dowels for timber? It's actually a simple procedure. It's easy to do it yourself. To do this, you will need to use logs of a certain length. The blanks (ideally made from birch) must be split into many small fragments. It is advisable to make them in the form of squares. Then you will need to trim them. This is done manually. It is recommended to give the workpieces a round shape of the desired diameter.

It is very easy for lathe owners to make dowels. Using it, elements are created quickly and accurately. If there are no wooden logs, you can always use cuttings from shovels that have already gone out of use. To give them the required size and shape, you just need to cut them. Round parts can also be easily created using a circular saw.

Subtleties of fastening dowels made of wood

How is the beam fastened with dowels? You can also do it yourself, without using the services of professionals. The procedure is extremely simple. Using wood tenons will first require finding the middle of the plane being used. At this point it is necessary to make the appropriate markings. This is where the hole will be created later.

Now you need to drill a hole using a drill. It is in this that you will then need to attach the dowels. That is why it is very important to choose the drill diameter correctly. Its dimensions must be identical to the same parameters of the spike. As for the depth, it is 1.5 timber. The question of what dowels for 150x150 timber turns out to be quite simple. Here you can see how this procedure is performed.

In this case, the task itself disappears: how to drill the timber for the dowels. Of course, the best option is a modern drill. It is much more important to ensure that the hole is processed correctly. The entry angle depends on the position of the drill. It must be strictly perpendicular to the base itself. Competency in performing this step will allow you to avoid problems with the installation of fragments in the future. It is also worth remembering that if the dowel is located extremely loosely in the timber, this will deprive the structure of all the advantages of this type of fasteners. You should also avoid excessive density. The length of the dowel should not be greater than the established dimensions. Protrusion of a part above the surface leads to problems during the inevitable shrinkage of the structure.

Some secrets of the procedure

A dowel made of wood, like the metal versions, is aimed at connecting 2 logs or beams. That is why there are several secrets on how to properly attach them. Professional assembly of timber for dowels implies:

• compliance with chess alternation, taking into account the perimeter of the structure;
• the optimal distance between them is in the range from 1000 to 1500 mm;
• proper combination of openings and bowls of approximately 300 mm;
• coincidence of the degree of humidity of the dowels with a given parameter of the base itself.

The photo shows how to install it yourself without errors. Those holes that needed to be pre-drilled with a drill are now filled with core buttons. They are the ones needed to mark the timber. If you don’t have such a special fragment at hand, you can sharpen it in pencil format. Its diameter must correspond to the prepared hole. They should be attached directly to the center of the base.

The next step is to lay a couple of boards on a perfectly flat and smooth surface. In this case, the parts need to be barely pressed against each other. However, most builders are interested in the question of how to drive dowels into timber. The tenon must be placed as tightly as possible in the groove. There should be no bevels or other defects between the timber and the dowel. In this case, you will not need to drill anything else. Nagel will do his job with ease.

For this purpose, you can use a marking thicknesser. When the tenons are installed, you need to treat the fragments of the boards with glue. This will allow you to connect the workpieces that need to be firmly clamped during the process and then dried.

More information

Chopped log - the most unpredictable construction material. During the shrinkage of the log house, the crowns can twist so that through cracks appear in the walls, and their appearance will be hopelessly damaged. Insufficiently diligent builders can damage a house that was built using timber, a carriage or a rounded log. Remont.Divandi experts tell you what you need to pay attention to in order to get a beautiful, warm and durable wooden cottage (or bathhouse).

Customer errors

A minor mistake made by builders during the construction of a wooden house can dramatically worsen the thermal characteristics of the house or shorten its life. But customers can also make mistakes. Conscientious builders They always dissuade private owners from buying log cabins that have stood on the production site for a year or more. As a rule, they have lower crowns have already begun to rot or are affected by fungus. To give it a marketable appearance, the log house can be bleached, but this will also have a bad effect on the durability of the wood.

Alexey Galimov

A similar situation can happen if the timber was brought to a construction site, but they did not start cutting it right away, but dumped it on the ground. After some time, the logs begin to turn blue - this starts the process of rotting. The bluing is removed using chlorine-based chemicals, but as a result, such a log may not adhere to the oil that is used for finishing log house. If under construction big house, then the timber must be imported as needed so that it does not lie, but gets onto the walls as quickly as possible.

Another problem with old log houses is that there is a possibility that the cutters who made the box are already working in another place, and the assembly of the log house will be carried out by other people. The hired team will easily shift the blame for poor quality assembly onto unknown cutters. They say they made an open marriage, and it is impossible to collect it qualitatively. The assembly of the log house should be trusted only to those who manufactured it. Otherwise, there will be no one to ask for quality.

By the way, not only chopped logs, but also other materials deteriorate due to improper storage.

Alexander Bunkov

Alexey Markin, director of AMstroy, talks about another mistake often made by customers.

Alexey Markin

For example, a person decides to build a house from a gun carriage, rounded logs or profiled timber. Log houses from these materials are usually made using special equipment. The customer comes to the enterprise with a project that was prepared for him by a third-party architect, and it turns out that they cannot make the components here as in the project. The equipment is designed for other sizes. As a result, you have to either abandon the selected material or completely redesign the house to suit the technologies available at the enterprise. It happens that reworking a project costs as much as the project itself.

Another piece of advice that protects you from mistakes can be considered naive, but in some cases it will come in handy. Builders strongly advise against contacting companies that promise to build a log or timber house per month. Construction of a building made of wood natural humidity or even dry wood is always carried out in two stages - the construction of a log house with a roof, and after about a year's break, windows, ceilings, and floors are installed to shrink the log house. Only houses made of laminated veneer lumber do not need shrinkage. Previously, the portal Repair.Divandi talked about.

Photo No. 1– A log house with huge cracks.

Builder mistakes: typical and gross

As Alexey Markin notes, the most common mistake when making a log frame from chopped logs, are small areas of contact between log and log (small width of the inter-crown groove). The thermal characteristics of such a house will be low. The head of the Domostroy-SK enterprise, Oleg Valuev, adds that in some cases the crowns may not be adjacent to each other at all (photo 1). Huge cracks will have to be caulked regularly, which will require considerable additional costs. However, the appearance and thermal characteristics of the house cannot be radically improved.

Photo No. 2– The log house cannot sit properly due to incorrectly placed racks.

It happens that builders build a house in such a way that it simply cannot sit down.

Oleg Valuev

This is a very common mistake. Often at home there is open veranda under common roof. It turns out that part rafter system rests on the frame, and part of it rests on the veranda posts. The log house shrinks - by 10-15 cm per year - but the posts do not shorten. As a result, the upper crown hangs on the rack, the edge of the log house closest to it cannot sit down, and cracks appear here. If the material is damp, it can warp the roof.

As Oleg Valuev explains, if you plan to make a veranda under the roof, then between the upper end of the post and the upper crown you need to install a special jack for shrinkage (photo 3). This will allow the log to sit evenly. Instead of a jack, you can put several planks that will need to be knocked out periodically. By the way, shrinkage jacks are clearly visible in the first illustration (Fig. 1) to ours.

Photo No. 3– Jack for shrinkage (photo by Domostroy-SK).

Another mistake that prevents the shrinkage of a log house is an attempt to fasten adjacent crowns with nails. The log lies unevenly on the nail head, and an inter-crown gap appears. Due to a loose fit, the log may begin to “spin” during the drying process.

Alexey Galimov

There are quite severe cases. One day a man approached us with a request to fix a log house made of profiled timber. We arrived at the site, and there the crowns were fastened not even with nails, but with self-tapping screws. If the log can still somehow slide down along the nail during the shrinkage process, then the self-tapping screw holds it tightly. There are huge cracks in the frame, all the jute is on the outside, the joints are turning blue. Here the treatment is only complete disassembly, processing and reassembly.

The problem of poor-quality waterproofing of the lower crown of a log house has somewhat lost its relevance. As a rule, the installation team performs this operation efficiently. However, the customer should pay attention to how the foundation and wooden walls are connected. If the foundation is strip or grillage, then the surface of the strip should be leveled, and between the foundation and the lower crown there should be 2-3 layers of roofing material, or a waterproofing layer of similar effectiveness.

However, excess moisture can get into the wood not only through the foundation. If you lay floors and hang ceilings in a house before the frame has settled and dried, this will impede air circulation and lead to “steaming” of the house - mold or mildew may appear on the internal walls.

Alexander Bunkov

The issue of protecting wood from moisture is especially relevant for the lower crowns of a bathhouse. We recently had a case - we were repairing a bathhouse whose lower logs had rotted. It turned out that the builders had insulated the floors in the steam room and washing department polystyrene foam. The space under the floor was blocked. The water that got under the floor from the washing room did not dry up. Within six months the lower crowns rotted. We raised the frame on jacks, replaced the crowns and redid the floors. The repairs cost a third of the price of the bathhouse... The floors in the washing compartment and in the steam room must be done without insulation.

The head of the Domostroy-SK enterprise, Oleg Valuev, notes that in the washing room there is also no need to make baseboards on the floor. Moisture collects under them and the process of rotting also begins.

Photo No. 4– Mold on unventilated wooden structures.

Unpredictable wood

Even experienced builders cannot always predict where moisture will go and where it will begin to accumulate.

Alexey Galimov

A very recent incident. They polished the inside of a log house made of chopped logs. The days were very hot. The heat is oppressive - moisture goes inside the house. Inner surface The walls turned out to be wetter than expected. The sawdust formed during sanding stuck to the walls and underneath it turned blue. Well, they noticed it in time and cleaned it up. To prevent moisture from forming anywhere inside the log house, the log house must be well ventilated.

To chime or not to chime...

Many Ekaterinburg builders consider it a mistake to refuse to use dowels (dowels) when assembling log houses. This wooden rods, installed in vertical holes and combining two logs adjacent in height. In general, the scheme is as follows: dowels pierce the first and second logs. When a third one is placed on top, holes are drilled in it and in the second log (offset relative to the existing ones) for the dowels of the “second portion” and so on along the entire height of the log house.

Alexey Galimov

Main mistake When installing log houses, do not do any dowels. And without dowels, the log may begin to spin as it dries. However, various factors must be taken into account. For example, if profiled timber with natural humidity is laid in winter, the drying process will be slow. Such a log house can sit normally even without dowels. And if you build in the summer, then dowels are required. Otherwise the log house will move and the cup might be torn out.

Not all builders agree with this position. Some people believe that cutting should be done so that the walls stand firmly and without dowels. However, in Lately There are many more supporters of using dowels. After all, additional fastening of logs allows you to make the shrinkage of the log house more predictable, and in some cases, correct the shortcomings of lumber. The presence of dowels in walls with openings for windows and doors is especially important.

Photo No. 5– Installation of dowels when assembling a log house from profiled timber.

Director of AMstroy Alexey Markin emphasizes that when working with timber, rounded logs or carriages, incorrect installation of dowels can lead to freezing of the crowns. Other experts also remind us of this.

Oleg Valuev

Typically, dowels with a diameter of 22 mm are used. The holes for them should be slightly larger in diameter. For example, we use a 25 mm drill. Otherwise, during the drying process, the log may jam the dowel and this will interfere with the shrinkage of the crowns, since the log will not be able to move down and will hang on the dowel. Let me also remind you that to drill holes for dowels you need to use a very sharp drill. So that he cuts through the jute laid between the crowns, and does not pull it through. Otherwise, cold bridges may appear in this place.

Photo No. 6– Laying jute in the inter-crown grooves (photo by Domostroy-SK).

Insulation/sealant is placed in the inter-crown grooves - moss, tow, linen or jute felt (more often they say simply “jute”). The last option is the most popular today. Oleg Valuev draws attention to the fact that in the cup the width of the joint of the logs is almost twice the width of the inter-crown groove. Therefore, in this place, builders must remember to increase the width of the insulation tape (photo 6).

There are other points that a private developer should keep in mind.

Alexander Bunkov

The side of the log that was facing north has more dense wood. This can be seen in the cut - tree rings on the north side they are thinner. The north side should place the logs outward. Then there will be fewer cracks. However, brigades, as a rule, do not pay attention to the annual rings. They put it in whatever way is most convenient for them. It’s true that customers don’t take this point into account either. When we offer an additional payment of 50 rubles. linear meter - laying logs taking into account the rings, clients, as a rule, refuse.

VIRA Group specialist Yaroslav Kulikov reminds that wooden house also places special demands on the roofing arrangement. Usually a log house has not only external, but also interior walls. They sit faster than the outside ones. This can lead to deformation of the rafter system, which rests on both internal and external walls. To prevent this from happening, small gaps are placed in the rafter attachment points, and the rafters are made sliding.

Yaroslav Kulikov

I would also not recommend using sapwood for construction. These are tree trunks from which resin was collected. They show a characteristic herringbone pattern of cuts. There is no resin in such wood. She's loose. A house made from it will not last long. By the way, in order for the house to be durable, we use the following technique when making a log house - a compensation slot 3-5 cm deep is sawed on the lower surface of the log along the moon groove. Then, when the wood dries, the cracks will go inward. Large cracks should not appear on the outside.

If a house is being built from chopped logs, then the presence of sapwood in the prepared materials can be calculated by the characteristic herringbone of cuts (“the top” of the herringbone is directed towards the butt part of the log). If a timber or rounded log is used, then the absence of a “tap” will have to be taken on faith. However, some guarantee is provided by the fact that last years(about 15-20 years) in the Ural region, pine tapping is practically not carried out.

metal dowels in timber house-Pros and cons

The reason may be the thickness and length of the dowels. The beams hung on them. The beams can hang on the nails after they dry out, and the nails will not give any rigidity (try bending them). And it’s doubtful that they’ll pull the beams together just like that (these are not studs).

I think I agree about the fact that “these are not stilettos.” A very powerful detail. I felt it when I was unloading the 18x18 timber.
The timber there is probably very uneven. This is me watching the laying of timber two weeks ago. So, I think it’s too early for the timber to “hang” on the dowels from drying out.
What should you pay attention to so that such a situation (hanging on the dowels) does not arise, say, by the spring of next year?

Here I have more news I wanted new topic I can’t even open it, but for now I’m writing here: We had heavy thunderstorm(really strong, the rain poured down for about three hours without ceasing, the neighbors’ fence was blown down and my greenhouse was broken in my outbuildings... - This is me so that it is still clear that it was no ordinary rain. Simple rains are not uncommon and This doesn’t happen. This is the first time, but still, it’s worth writing. In the morning - oil painting - the entire western wall - the bathroom, the wall of the steam room and the rooms on the second floor are wet THROUGH the fifth-sixth crown and down. The bottom couple are generally black from moisture and squelch. I press my finger - it oozes. And at the seams and just in the mass! But in the sun, the heat is again over 30 and after a couple of hours it all dried up, if I had come later and would not have noticed, but here - here they are!
The question is serious. If it gets so wet, then in the fall, which is just around the corner, this western wall (prevailing winds) will constantly get wet. Again, it is unlikely to dry out; autumn is not summer after all. Then the frost hits and what do we have? - a frozen log house, as I understand it. What are the options, what to do? A lot has been written here about vapor barrier - they say it is very important - steam comes from inside and the walls can get wet... This is cooler than any steam, to get so wet, there should at least be a laundry room inside. How to solve this problem? Has anyone encountered this? Or am I the only one lucky

The "problem" is very interesting. We also need to consider this issue for ourselves.
I'm not a builder, however. But I can guess the reasons.
Firstly, there is no mention of the thickness of the timber. Maybe he's 10 cm
Secondly, it seems to me that a normal timber cannot pass moisture through itself in such a short time. And for another, longer time. This is not gauze or a colander.
Thirdly, “after a couple of hours it all dried up.” Here, in my opinion, the key word is “dried up”. Exactly, 1-2 cm of timber has dried out. The timber cannot “dry out” in a couple of hours. It’s not for nothing that houses are left to shrink for more than six months. During this time, perhaps, it can “dry out.”
So. Ideas on this matter.
Perhaps the timber does not have a chamfer. And water flowed (and will flow) between the timber on inner side walls. Perhaps there are cracks there as thick as a finger. Perhaps the inter-crown insulation conducts water very well.