What are log walls? They are walls made of logs that are stacked alongside one above the other and joined at the corners. The logs have lateral grooves, which ensure the breadth of junction between them. These grooves are insulated with padding, which is made of various materials, such as flax, moss and mineral wool. There are many types of joints of logs and two-edged cant, but we mainly use a Norwegian and a Canadian notch.
During the many years of working with Norwegian and German dealers, the Northern House company has gained vast experience in the operation and construction of log houses, bathhouses, cottages and other buildings made of round logs and two-edged cant. Our company handcrafts houses using a Canadian and Norwegian notch method. This method requires extensive skills and experience of craftsmen, and our company has this experience in spades.
Specifics of log construction
All the technical conditions for the implementation of these elements of wooden structures are in a special section of the site, but we would like to highlight the main drawbacks in the construction of wooden houses using the Russian notch method
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If you make a notch from above, i.e., a log of the upper row is rolled into the already finished notch of the lower notch. This is something you should never do as water somehow gets into the notch and stagnates there, and causes a wood rotting process in the joints.
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The notch is made round-shaped, without notches in the lower row, Russian notch. This is the way that houses from round logs are made and that is popular with inexperienced carpenters. This is not recommended because wood dries out. It dries out evenly from the edges to the middle. The wood has dried soft layers and the trunk settles. Accordingly, the fit of rows at the edges of the notch is reduced.
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When hewing wooden walls, it is important to properly consider the shrinkage rates of the house. Years of experience and observations of our specialists have derived a number of fairly accurate formulas for accounting for shrinkage factors depending on the diameter and its final humidity. This knowledge helps with the accurate calculations of extra spaces, which disappear with shrinkage of the house, leaving the overlapping joints as tight as possible.
Advantages of log construction using Canadian and Norwegian notch
Taking into account the fact that the Northern House company complies with all the requirements of European standards for the quality of materials and works for construction, the trunks stumpness, wood moisture, the methods used completely eliminate the above disadvantages.
Conical barriers during shrinkage exclude the formation of cracks. In the Norwegian method, there is also a wedged connection, which makes the notch more tight and reduces the possibility of air leakage. Gaps in the notch for shrinkage are calculated from the diameter of the log, while the log does not hang and slides over the cone. In the Norwegian method, the notch is hewn using a hidden spike, W-shaped groove is used mainly for houses built according to Canadian technology using large diameter logs. When Canadian logging is used, logs are adjusted with high precision, while leaving certain gaps between each row of logs. After the house has settled, the logs interlock, thereby forming a solid connection. The house that is built using this technology, has high insulation properties.
In fact, at the moment these are the best ways to connect logs. If you build a house from dry logs in such a way, then you will never have to think about the cracks. Due to our extensive experience, high quality and the use of the most efficient technologies for the construction of wooden houses, our company has been working with the German company Kanadablockhaus as well as the the Norwegian Traditsonslaft for a long time, and is an official supplier.