Log Cabin Construction

Instructor: Maureen Chambrone

Dates of the class: August 25 – September 10, 2023 (with opportunistic days off depending on weather)
9:00 am – 5:00 pm each day

The Folk School is partnering with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to build a new public use cabin in the White Mountains National Recreation Area. The cabin will be located about halfway between Lee’s Cabin and Moose Creek Cabin.

We will be building an 18′ x 18′ (outside dimension), full scribe, one story log cabin. During the first few days of class, students will practice safety and develop their skills, and then we will all work together to finish the log structure.

Students will learn all the techniques in building a full scribe log cabin from the ground up – from sill logs, to gable logs, to the ridge pole. The simple mathematics of selecting the next log, ripping sill logs, cutting saddles, scribing, and cutting long grooves and notches are some of the many skills to be learned.

Along the way, students will employ safe and efficient working methods. Reassembly of the cabin will take place in July 2024, and a second class will be offered at that time. The foundation and floor will be built, logs insulated and pinned, door and windows cut out and installed, and a roof and deck put on. Logs will be raised off grid without power equipment.

All aspects of the eventual finish of the cabin will be discussed in this class.