The most traditional material for building a private house is timber. It can be made from a wide variety of woods. Recently, laminated veneer lumber, which is made on the basis of new technology using adhesive compositions, has become very popular. The section of timber for building a house is selected based on climatic conditions and the purpose of the building: whether it will be used year-round or seasonally. The question: “How to lay timber?” can be answered. The timber is placed in two ways: “in the paw” or “in the cup”. The last option is also called "in oblo". Both of these installation methods are difficult to work with and require certain knowledge and experience in working with log houses. It is better to entrust such work to a recognized master, since not every builder will undertake it. But, nevertheless, you can build a house from timber with your own hands if you master alternative methods: “in the groove” or “in the key”.

Laying timber “in the groove”

For external walls, timber with a cross section of no less than 150/150 is used, and for internal walls - 100/150. It is laid on a waterproofing layer, which is often roofing felt laid in two layers. The lower plane of the timber can be impregnated with bitumen. The interior walls are laid on tow. In order to connect the ends of the beams, a recess is made in one of them - a groove. The second beam is cut to the width and length of this groove, and inserted into the first one. Please note that the connection must be tight. If necessary, add a layer of tow

Laying timber "into a key"

Notches of the same size are cut at the ends of both beams. It must be taken into account that the sides of the beams must form a right angle. By aligning the notches, we get a hole into which a wooden die is driven.

When building walls, each next row of beams is laid on a layer of tow. All its hanging ends must be tucked into the cracks. It is necessary to ensure that there are no vertical deviations. The side edges of the beam must form a single plane. The ends should also form a straight line. Simultaneously with the construction of the walls, floors are installed. Why are there recesses in the wall beams for laying beams? After assembling the house, all seams are caulked using tow.

Fastening timber with dowels

This method is one of the most common. To understand how timber is laid, you need to know how to fasten it. A dowel is a wooden or other part that is driven into a hole drilled in a beam. For a 150/150 section, the length of the dowel must be at least 260 mm. It can be either regular or polished. Instead of wood, you can use pieces of cut reinforcement with a diameter of 8 mm. A hole is drilled in the timber for it using a 10 mm drill. If you take a smaller diameter, the reinforcement will “hang”. Then the timber is laid, the holes are aligned and the dowel is driven on top. Then a hammer is taken and the reinforcement is driven deeper another 2-3 cm. Holes in the beams can be made before laying, on the ground. The main thing is to accurately measure their location.

metal dowels in a 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 some more news. I even wanted to open a new topic, but for now I’m writing here: We had a strong thunderstorm (really strong, the rain poured down for three hours without ceasing, the neighbors’ fence was blown down and my outbuildings were broken, my greenhouse was broken... - That’s me in order to make it clear that it was no ordinary rain. Simple rains are not uncommon and this does not happen. This is the first time, but still, it’s worth writing. In the morning - an oil painting - the entire western wall - a bathroom, a wall The steam rooms and rooms on the second floor are wet THROUGH from the fifth-sixth crown and down. The bottom couple are generally black with moisture and squelching. I press with 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 Hours later it would all have dried up, if I had come later and wouldn’t 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 beams and onto the inside of the wall. Perhaps there are cracks there as thick as a finger. Perhaps the inter-crown insulation conducts water very well.

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.

Chopped logs are the most unpredictable building 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 spoiled. 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 always dissuade private owners from purchasing log buildings that have stood on the production site for a year or more. As a rule, their 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 to finish a log house. If a large house is being built, then the timber must be brought in 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 in a month. The construction of a building from wood of natural moisture 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 allow the log house to shrink. 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 house from chopped logs is the 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 the house has an open veranda under a common roof. It turns out that part of the rafter system rests on the frame, and part 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 very difficult 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 enter 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 with 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. The inner surface of 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. These are wooden rods installed in vertical holes and connecting 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

The main mistake when installing log houses is not doweling them. 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, recently there have been many more supporters of the use of 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 shrinkage 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 faces north has denser wood. This can be seen in the cut - the annual rings on the northern side 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 a wooden house also places special demands on the roofing. Typically, a log house has not only external but also internal 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 in recent years (about 15-20 years) there has been virtually no pine tapping in the Ural region.

Everyone has long known that any wooden building is erected using one or another fastener. In many cases, dowels are used for timber and logs. With their help, you can build very strong and reliable buildings. There are metal and wooden dowels and dowels. You can buy them ready-made or make them yourself.

Image 1. Diagram of a twist drill.

What are dowels and dowels?

A dowel is a fastening element. It is used very widely in wooden construction and provides wall fastening. This element is otherwise called a dowel. This name came to us from carpenters from Vyatka, where construction from logs and beams began about 300 years ago.

Image 2. Layout of dowels in timber.

That's when they started using birch dowels. They were invented for fastening wooden walls. Later they began to use metal parts.

They were cut from a piece of reinforcing wire. But the most popular are dowels made of wood. For their manufacture, they mainly take birch and oak. When processed, they are given a rounded shape. Their diameter is most often about 25 mm.

When installed correctly, dowels cannot be broken. They hold a wall made of timber or logs in a given position. Metal parts have different thermal conductivities.

This can lead to the appearance of condensation on the surface of the wall from inside the room. If this happens, the piece of reinforcement will begin to become covered with rust, and the wood will rot if it comes into contact with it.

Wooden dowels and their installation

If you wish, you can make dowels from wood yourself. To do this, you need to take birch logs of a certain length, split them into pieces, and trim them to a round shape. It’s even better to use a circular saw to cut the square blocks. You can take cuttings for agricultural tools as blanks for dowels. Another option is to have a lathe. You can sharpen the required number of parts quite quickly on it.

The installation procedure boils down to the following points:

• determine the installation location;
• make a recess;
• install the dowel.

On the plane of the beam you need to mark the center line.

Image 3. Corner joints of timber.

Fasteners will be installed on it. The distance between the fasteners should be approximately 1.5 m. Using a large-diameter drill equal to the diameter of the dowel, drill a hole about 1.5 times the thickness of the timber (image No. 1). When working, it is necessary to ensure that the drill remains perpendicular to the beam. The dowel is inserted into the hole and hammered. Its top should be buried 2-3 cm into the wood (image No. 2). The next row is connected to the installation of dowels in a checkerboard pattern in relation to the lower crown. From the end of the beam you need to make an indent of approximately 300 mm. The humidity of the fastener and the base material must match. A structure cannot do without dowels for timber.

The beams are connected in various ways (image No. 3). Laying is carried out in the main ways:

1. With the rest.
2. Without a trace.

With the remainder - it’s “in the okhryap”, “in the fat tail”, in half a tree. Without a trace - half a tree with an inserted or root tenon, “in the paw” with an inserted tenon. It is better to choose wood that was harvested between December and March. It should be dried for a month with natural ventilation. You need to select finished timber without cracks and chips, without insects (bugs), without a harbinger of rot (cyanosis). There is a prerequisite: the timber must be straight.

Some rules for laying timber

Image 4. Technology for assembling a log house using dowels.

You need to start laying timber in larger sizes (compared to the walls). Waterproofing made of 2 layers of roofing material is installed on the foundation. Laths about 15 mm thick are laid across it in increments of 20-25 cm. The length of the laths should be equal to the width of the foundation. The initial crown is made of timber with a cross-section of 20x20 cm. There is no need to attach it to the foundation, but it must be leveled. All gaps between the slats, foundation and beams are treated with polyurethane foam.

Insulation must be laid on the laid crown. It can be:

• jute fabric;
• tow;

Jute in the form of a ribbon is a very convenient material. It is unfolded and placed on top of the beam, secured with a construction stapler. The material is reliable and practical.

Tow is sold in bales. Before use, it must be rolled up and timber laid. Attaching it is a little worse than jute tape, but tow costs much less than jute fabric.

In last place among insulation materials is moss, which can be found in any swampy place and collected for free. Moss or tow should be placed so that the edges hang 15 cm behind the beam. They will later be used for caulking the walls. The walls are caulked after they have settled.

The next rows are made of 15x15 cm timber. This is where our dowels come into use. You can sometimes use metal pieces of reinforcement with a diameter of 8 mm. The holes are made with a drill to a depth of one and a half thickness of the timber. After drilling all the holes, the top beam is removed, a dowel is inserted, and a heat insulator is laid.

Then the holes are aligned and the top beam is placed on the dowels. Openings for windows and doors can be left immediately, or can be cut out later. The top 2 rows of beams are not attached. After the frame shrinks, they are removed for laying the ceiling. The assembly of the log house is carried out quite quickly (image No. 4).

This way you can build a good house to live in. It will stand and delight you for many years. This building does not require any special finishing. You should choose wooden dowels.