How to Make the Grooves in a Log

Create grooves in logs to prevent leakage and drafts.

Logs come in all shapes and sizes. By placing a horizontal groove into the logs, you can join them together without the use of caulk or other joint compounds. The groove creates a weather-tight seal when the logs dry and conform when stacked or placed together. The logs also keep their contour over long lengths of time. Choose the type of logs and length before cutting the grooves. Then place the logs together for many different applications.

Things You'll Need

• Scriber block tool
• Chainsaw
• Hammer
• Chisel

Instructions

1. Place logs on a flat, stable surface. Decide what type of groove to place into the log. A Swedish cope has a U-shaped type groove and is popular since it is the easiest groove to cut. A double-scribed groove is a lateral W-shaped cut. This groove doesn't take off as much wood as the Swedish Cope, giving more log stability when stacked upright. You should use the same type of cut throughout your project.

2. Determine the width you desire for the long groove based on the size and type of log. Create minimum grooves of 2-1/2 inches for a continuous length of only 12 inches. Place a maximum width of 3/8 inches based on log diameter, or increase to 1/2 for irregular contoured logs.

3. Set your scriber block tool to the desired measurement and mark the wood. Make a Swedish Cope --- U-shaped groove --- by placing the chainsaw against the wood lengthwise and going to the desired depth, which can not exceed 1/4 of the log's diameter. Make several straight cuts from one edge of the U to the other until it looks like slices of bread.

4. Place the chisel, pointed down, on top of the horizontal log at the edge of where the chainsaw's blade cut into the wood. Tap on the head of the chisel with the hammer to the desired depth. Wiggle the chisel out. Place the chisel on the end face of the log, flat edge facing upward.

5. Tap the chisel until you've reached the depth point of the other chisel cut, shearing off the thin slices of wood. Continue going across until you have a shallow groove. Move further along the log until reaching the other end.

6. Make double-scribed, or W-shaped grooves, by sawing a V-shaped groove on the top of the log. Roll the log over. Saw two V-shaped notches on the other side, leaving a long section of wood between the two cuts. That wood section will fit into the single V-shaped groove on the next log when stacking the wood to create a wall.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear the correct safety equipment for the job. Don appropriate eye protection to shield against sawed debris. Have ear protection to prevent hearing loss when using chainsaws. Keep a first-aid kit available at all times.

• The Swedish Cope groove can cause the bottom of the log to check, meaning it will split open. This allows water into the log as it rots away. You may have to use certain sealing techniques, such as lining the edges with gasket material, to prevent water penetration.

References

• Build Your Own log Home; Underscribing; Robert Chambers; 2011
• North Country Log Homes Inc.: Log Home Building Process
• North Country Log Homes Inc: What Type of Log Joinery Works and Why?
• International Log Builders' Association; 2000 Log Building Standards -- Section A: for Residential, Handcrafted, Interlocking, Scribe-fit Construction; January 2000