The Six-Shooter
At this point, mention should be made of
the plate row of logs. This is the top row
of logs in the wall and the top surface of
each of these logs is sloped to conform to
the pitch of the roof. When you get to the
top of the walls, before setting the plate
row, the wall must be notched to receive
the 6×6-in. tie beams which are just what
the name implies—timbers to tie the build-
ing together. Where tie beams join each
other or cross each other, they are cross-
lapped. When the tie beams are set in
place in the walls, they should be caulked
and toe-nailed with two 20d spikes at each
bearing.
It is advisable to shore up the
tie beams before going any further, since,
when the roof is applied, considerable
stress is placed on the tie beams. When
interior partitions are installed, they will
provide ample support for the beams.
After tie beams are in, install the ceiling
joists. These joists are either 2×6-in. or
3×5-in., the latter being a beam, which
protrudes into the rooms, with three sides
smooth and the lower face peeled. They
are supported on 2×2-in. ledgers securely
spiked to the interior face of the exterior
wall logs, and to the tie-beams, which occur
over the bearing partitions. Naturally,
care should be taken to insure that the
upper surface of the ledgers is at precisely
the same level as the top of the tie beams.
Now, add the plate row and continue build-
ing up the gable walls with the standard
tongue and grove logs. When the gable is
completed, the log purlins are set in place a
maximum of four feet on centers, supported
in notches in the gable end logs. The
notches should be caulked and the purlins
spiked in with 20d nails. In some models,
these purlins run upwards of 30 feet in
length. If they even approach this length,
I suggest that you do not try to jockey
them into position by hand, no matter how
big a crew you have. If you cannot build
a rig to lift them into place, rent a crane.
