How to Build a Replica Log Cabin Project

Create a replica log cabin for a doll house or school project.

Strict attention to detail and more advanced materials can help students fashion a small-scale model of a log cabin, perhaps for future construction project or dream home to analyze and perfect. A more creative approach can be used to create a personalized doll house or headquarters for action figures. Possible details could include a removable roof and doors that open. This enables the inside to be furnished and altered as desired.

Things You'll Need

• Graph paper
• Pencil
• Cardboard
• Sticks
• Pocket knife
• Craft sticks
• Glue
• Thin wooden dowel rod
• Tree bark

Instructions

1. Create a floor plan for the cabin using graph paper and a pencil. Also sketch the desired exterior, including porches, chimneys and other features. Old fashioned cabins were often one or two room structures divided by a curtain, so keep the design as simple as possible.

2. Determine a scale for the cabin. A good scale for a miniature replica is ½ to 1 inch per foot. The larger the scale, the bigger the cabin will be. On the floor plan, determine how many inches will be required for the entire design and each room, specifically.

3. Create a foundation for the project out of a sturdy piece of cardboard. The cardboard should be about 12 square inches larger than is required for the cabin.

4. Draw the floor plan on the cardboard to scale.

5. Collect small, mostly straight sticks. Do not worry about perfection, because old fashioned log cabins were never perfect.

6. Lay the first layer of sticks in line with the floor plan on the cardboard. Cut notches into the logs where they overlap so that they fit together. Cut out the section where the door will be. Repeat until the walls reach where the top of the door will be. Remember to also cut out sections where the windows will be.

7. Create a door by gluing craft sticks together as a base. Then, glue small sticks to the front and back of the craft stick door. Glue the entire assembly to a small wooden dowel rod. Push the rod into the cardboard. Place a stick above the door and cut a notch where the top of the door sits so that the dowel rod fits inside it. This will allow the door to swing open.

8. Repeat Step 6 until the walls are complete.

9. Fill in the gaps between the logs with white putty to chink or weatherproof the walls.

10. Create the roof by gluing craft sticks together in a flat, straight line that is slightly larger than required for the roof. Repeat to create a second, identical line. Glue them together to form a point. Layer and glue wood bark over the sticks to create roof shingles. Make sure that no craft sticks are visible when the shingles are complete.Set the roof over the finished project.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove the roof to decorate the interior. Build basic, rough-hewn furniture out of sticks to furnish the cabin.

References

• Rustic Replicas
• Building a Log Cabin