Log Bed

Every once in a while I get the hankerin' to work on a manly project. I remember fondly things like chopping wood out behind the chicken coup on the dairy growing up. And helping Dad built calf hutches in the commodity shed. And building that 'raft' to float down the canal out of those blue 55 gallon drums (not sure if I ever asked if I could use those, Dad. . .sorry). There's something about producing something with your own hands, sweat (and sometimes blood) that simply gives you a sense of satisfaction.

We had these logs delivered to our house a couple of months ago. They were hand picked by a 'lumberjack' that I know. They come from five different Red Cedar trees that are roughly 80 years old, having grown at high elevation just NW of Mount Rainier under an existing canopy of trees. Therefore they've grown slowly, and their rings are tight, making them a bit prettier. Or so I'm told. Here Matty asks, 'uh. . .this project isn't going to take away from play-time with me, is it?'

We stripped them (the logs, that is), and let them dry for a month.

The first layer (cambium) was pretty easy to remove. But I had to use a draw knife to get down to the deeper layers to show the grain.

Most carpenters measure twice and cut once. I measured about 16 times. . .then thought about it for a while. . .then measured a few more times. . .then cut. . .hoping to only need to cut once. It may have taken me a little longer, but it worked pretty well. Most of this was done by hand. Not a lot of fancy power tools except a drill. Melis helped a ton with sanding, holding the logs in place while I whittled away, planning the dimensions, and hauling the logs around.

One of our favorite parts about this project was actually the smell of the freshly-cut wood. Cedar smells amazing! After using the chisel to make the tenons (pegs), I'd often pick up one of the wood chunks and just take a sniff. Looks like I sniffed one too many times here. Here she is. Although it's not quite done yet. We still need to add the vertical smaller logs on the head & foot boards. That's why they call it a foot board. There's feet on it.
Some of the detail.
There's still a lot of work that needs to go into it - most of the logs aren't sanded very well yet, and then we'll add a clear coat. But it sure feels good having it set up now!

Logs for the bed: a little over a hundred bucks. Eight-inch lag screws to hold it all together: $1.25/each. Making your own bed with your bare hands: priceless.