my dirt bag cabin

[woodworkingboy]

Yeah, good to see progress.

 

[rumination]

Very nice work there. You sure won't be wanting for thermal mass.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Or bears getting in!

 

[Underwor]

In my pre-school days, I am told we visited a neighbor one evening and caused quite a ruckus. Seems I had to take a leak so the lady of the house told her son to take me out to the outhouse. It was a cold night and he wasn't too thrilled with the idea. What really got him in trouble was when he asked this mother; " Why can't he use the slop jar under the sink? It ain't full yet!" Don't know if he got slapped then or later after we left.

Oh for the good old days!

 

[MasterBlaster]

I like to call it a Chamber pot. Not unlike a cuspidora!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Bob, when did you say that you were born?

 

[TC3]

This thread is so cool! It's pretty amazing to see the process in pix, & thanx (Jaime?) Porkbrick for sharing... can't wait to see more.
I was reading a book to my grandson called "Houses Around The World" and one was a Fujian Tulou, a round structure that looked like adobe and can house up to 80 people. The one shown in the book was huge. In parenthesis next to that was, rammed earth ... That never would have caught my eye or interest were it not for this thread. I googled for images & info and have learned a lot! Thanks again.

 

[Porkbrick]

update. worked on the outhouse the last couple of weekends. the wall cavities are being filled with woodchip coated in clay. this will then be plastered over. so far, the results are encouraging. someday maybe ill get around to putting a door on there too.

found these little gems growing out of the walls. this project may turn into a money maker yet!
no comment on this one, just try to keep your minds out of the gutter.

 

[MasterBlaster]

WoW!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Interesting...
The boys scout leader has about made his whole house and surrounding buildings out of papercrete using shredded paper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papercrete

 

[flushcut]

Nice!

 

[rskybiz]

Dinner from cabin walls. Cool!

 

[Poleframer]

What an odd place to see morels popping out of, neat. Looks like good progress happening, building custom sure is time consuming, I've been on this log home for a few years now, on and off as their funds allow.
You might think of getting a forge and anvil set up and put in some ironwork at some point, it goes so well with other free form construction. It's really not as hard as you might think, no harder than cemented rockwork.
Here's a railing I forged and just installed.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I love it!!!

 

[Porkbrick]

very nice. are those timbers finished with something? they look shiny. ive done a bit of blacksmithing in the past, and your right, tis not that hard. there will certainly be some metalwork in this building somewhere.

heres last weeks progress.




used the GRCS to drag it out of the woods and into my truck. then four of us muscled it into the building and onto the wall. i really wish i had a skytrac. this log will be notched and fit with the remaining stair treads to the loft.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Go for it!!!

 

[Poleframer]

Spar urethane, several coats, we used gloss on the window trim and satin on the logs. I've read it takes to iron well, so thats what the railing will get after a cleanup, stair rail and corner caps.

 

[woodworkingboy]

It's a lovely place that you have there. Do you think there is a definite reason to use something as strong coating as spar urethane? I finished the interior walls of a cabin once with a natural Perilla oil, thinned a bit with mineral spirits. Two coats. A few different types of oil that would work come to mind. It gave a shine and was considerably softer looking than urethane would be, and you can actually still feel the wood. I do generally hate urethane as a wood finish, so am biased. Oil seems adequate for interior, some offering better moisture protection than others, will never flake off or turn yellow, and can be done again at any time without removing the existing finish. I just wonder why such heavy duty is needed inside? Oils with dryers in them will also work on metal.

 

[Poleframer]

Check out iforgeiron.com, some top notch blacksmiths there, good info. I just got a propane forge going I can heat 2 foot sections with. Definitely the way to smith since you're as much in coal country as I am.
All the info to make a nice one is in the gas forge section.
I have done a lot in the winter with a forge using silver madrone cut and chopped into fist size chunks, get a blower in it and a good bed of coals works as well as coal to me. Nice to be by when its snowing out, bottle of brandy, some sweet smoke, hammer and anvil...

 

[Poleframer]

Well, if it was my place I'd oil it and deal with the rust for the patina. I'm on line to do a bigger iron job, and the contractor wants all the ironwork powdercoated :/

 

[Porkbrick]

more work on the stairs. as of right now i have only 2 rows left before i am done with earthbags.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Excellent! Keep us updated!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Ya, really interesting project.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

DO you have a madrone in your home?

 

[Steve Mack]

That staircase is looking good.