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How To Make Corner Notches In The Logs For Your Cabin Using A Chainsaw

11 March 2016

Diego Rojas

Building a simple small log cabin out in the woods to escape the pressures of daily life is something many people who know how to work with a chainsaw can mostly do on their own. After you cut the trees into the logs you'll need to build the walls, you'll need to notch the ends of the logs so they fit together at the corners and won't roll off of one another. Here is how you can create the end notches on the logs so you can build your walls to your log cabin.

Draw Outline on Log

Take a log and lay it out flat on top of a couple of other logs to raise it up to about your waist level. This will make it easier for you to cut without having to bend over. Measure the width of the diameter of the log that you will place into the notch to interlock the two logs together. Mark the outline of the diameter of that log onto the end of the log you are going to notch out – you should have a "U" shaped outline on the end of the log.

Cut Out Notch

Your first two cuts should be along the outer edges of the "U" until you get to where the outline curves at the bottom. Then take your chainsaw and cut grooves in the wood inside the outline until you get to the bottom of the "U". This will weaken the wood inside the notch so you can break it apart with a hammer. Take a hammer and break apart the wood in the notch. You can use the claw side of the hammer to chip away as much of the wood as you can in the notch until you get to the bottom of the "U".

Smooth Surface of the Notch

You will want to make the surface of the notch as smooth as possible so the two logs fit together tightly without leaving space for the wind and cold to blow into the cabin. Take your chainsaw and run the tip of the blade over the surface of the wood in the notch until it is as smooth as possible.

Cut Notch on Other Side of Log

You need to cut a notch on the other side of the log so you can stack the logs on top of each other. Do not use the outline of the first log as each log may be of a different size. Take a new measurement of the width of the diameter of the log that will fit into the new notch on the other side of the log.  Draw the outline on the log so both notches will be directly on top of each other. Cut the notch out like you did for the first one.

You will repeat this process at the end of each corner log. For more information, contact Alaskan Barns or a similar company.

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