FIN E HOMEBUILDING

MONTANA SOLAR HOUSE • PHOTOVOLTAIC CABIN • SIDEWALL SHINGLING • FIXED GLASS

APRIL/MAY 1982 No. 8 $3.00

WORKING WITH DRYWALL

 A master craftsman
shares the secrets and stories
of a lifetime

"In 1924 in Paris, we wood

finishers had a table set just for us
in a local restaurant, because no
decent people wanted to sit near
our dirty bunch. Fifteen years
later, an ex--prince asked me to
honor his table with my presence.
This book is about the stopovers
on the road between those two
tables-about what I learned, my
experiments, trials and errors,
successes and failures."
- George Frank

George Frank knows wood finishing as information you'll have trouble finding
few others know it. And now, after a life­ anywhere else. W hether you're interested 88 Rue de Go
rome
time in the trade, he reveals the secrets in the art of finishing or the science of
he's uncovered (and discovered). It's all wood technology, whether you prefer
Adventures
in
here, from the old timers' recipes for dyes
and stains to the culmination of Frank's
cabinetmaking or marquetry, you'll enjoy
exploring our growing library of Fine
Wood
Finishing
own search for the perfect wax, from a Woodworking Books. Write for a copy of
mirror finish that shines to an 'antique' our free Catalog.
George Fronk

lID
finish that will fool the experts. Along
with the colorful stories that fill his book,
Frank tells you everything you need to To order your copy of Adventures in Wood
know to create beautiful finishes in the Finishing, send your name, address and
old manner. $10.00 to the address below (Connecticut
71/1-2%800-243-7252,
Like all Fine Woodworking Books,
residents add
also call toll-free,
sales tax). You can
to charge
128 pages,
$10.00 posthardcover,
paid 06-X
Adventures in Wood Finishing
is filled with your order to VISA or MasterCard. ISBN: 0-918804-

m lbe'IlmntnnFress 52 Chm,h Hill Road, Box 355, N,wtown, ConnW'cut 06470

 FINE HOMEBUILDING
APRILIMA Y 1982 No. 8

2 2 Sticks and Stones

A house handbuilt from red cedar and basalt by Sebastian Eggert

2 8 Hung Walls
A way to insulate post-and-beam buildings by Pat Hennin

31 Raising Heavy Timber

Tools and tips for maneuvering big beams by Trey Loy

3 4 Hanging an Exterior Door

From framing the rough opening to mortising for hinges by Jared Emery

3 6 Mortising Butt Hinges

37 Three Sides to the Sun
Enough ligh t to cast a shadow can heat this house by W ink Davis

42 Installing Fixed Glass W indows

Double-glazing lets in light and heat, but keeps out drafts by Dale McCormick

44 Electrical Outlet Boxes

Choosing and installing these essential devices by W. Creighton Schwan

46 A Solar-Powered Cabin
Photovoltaic cells and battery storage in a vacation home by Al Simpler

49 Green-Wood Woes by Richard Cobos

50 The Scribed Ellipse

An easy way to lay out elliptical coves by Jud Peake

52 Drywall
How to hang and finish gypboard by Bob Syvanen

58 A Mobile Workshop
A way to get your standing power tools to the job by Cy Westlake

60 Sidewall Shingling
A natural, no-maintenance siding that will last 40 years by Tim Snyder

63 A Modern Mississippi House

Traditional forms find new expression by Robert M. Ford

4 Letters Editor
John Lively
Art Director
6 Q&A Betsy Levine
Copy/Production Editor
Ruth Dobsevage
1 0 Tips and Techniques
Associate Editor
Mark Alvarez
14 Reports Staff rni
ter
Tim Snyder
Assistant Editor
2 0 Calendar Paul Spring
Western Editor
Chuck Miller
70 Reviews
Art Assistant
To finish a drywalljaint, the seam is first taped and Frances Boynton
spackled with a 6-in. knife {caver phota). For a final
7 2 Great Moments

7 4 Details
finish, compound is troweled on with Q
14-in. knife
(phata above) to bring the wide depression flush
with the rest af the wall. For comprehensive instruc­
tions on working with drywall, see p. 52.
Editorial S ecreEdito
Lynn Meffert
Consulting
Bob Syvanen
tary

The Taunton Press: Paul Roman, publisher; Janice A. Roman, as·

sociate publisher; JoAnn Muir, director of administration; Lois
Beck, business coordinator; Claire Gamble, administrative secre·
tary. Karl Ackerman, direct sales coordinator; Mary Galpin, pro­
F i n e Homebuilding (ISSN 02 73·1398) is published bimonthty,
February, April, June, August, October, and December, by
T h e Taunton Press, tnc., Newtown, CT 06470. Telephone (203)
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 LETTERS
S ometime back [ undertook to design and swayback to the roof. The use of toenails is as the rig is lowered and prevents it from
build my own passive solar home in the for what? It simply shows the insensitivity to collapsing onto the floor. Locate these screws
woods of northwestern Connecticut. . . . Now materials that your magazine has elsewhere so that the lowest position of the lift is about
that my wife and [ have finally moved in ­ been able to weed out. 36 in. from the floor. This will allow you
about three months ago-and [ understand -Theodore P. Streibert, West Newton, Mass. to tip a drywall sheet from its long edge
that "afterward" is only a mathematical onto the rig.
approximation for an owner-builder, [ would [ enjoyed your recent article on ground-fault A rope attached to one of the lower braces
like to share my two-year building experience interrupters (FHB #6). [ find myself installing is pulled from the opposite side to raise the
with others. those in many situations. [ have also found sheet to within a couple of inches of the
[ recently gave a public talk-and-slide that it is impossible to obtain cover plates for ceiling. Secure the rope in a cam-stay (the
show . . . . for a local energy group, and with receptacles in conjunction with one or two kind used on sailboats). Position the sheet by
that as a sort of tune-up, [ would like to write switches. None of my suppliers carries them, sliding the rig along the floor. Then raise it
about it. The house was begun on raw land nor is any of them even aware of their to its final height, jiggling the rig at the same
by clearing 65 years of hardwood from old existence. Any enlightenment or direction time to get it right.
stone-walled pasture and cutting in a long you would be willing to pass on, would be When not in use, the whole thing comes
driveway. A timber-frame barn was built first greatly appreciated. apart and can be tied into a tidy bundle for
as storage from native hardwoods. For the -Roger Ramsey, Stevens Point, Wis. transport or storage.
house some of the lumber was produced from -Jerome Eliot, Lincoln, Neb.
our own sawlogs, including 500 bd. ft. of Thank you for your article "Ground-Fault
cherry for kitchen cabinets. But native wood Protection" by Joseph H. Foley. [ was The tip on using a water level (FHB #6, p . 8)
from five local sawmills was used almost disappointed that the article did not address neglected to deal with several important
exclusively throughout the house for major principles of operation (so that readers could points. To fill the hose place a jar of water on
applications like framing (hemlock) and siding make informed decisions about how to use a shelf about waist high, and put one end of
(white pine), and for detailing such as GFC[s), and the specific application of GFC[ the tube in the jar well below the surface of
paneling the bathrooms (red cedar). protection on construction sites, where [ have the water. Take the other end and hold it
Flexicore hollow concrete planks were used power tools on damp ground in the rain, lower than the jar, put it in your mouth and
used as south-room flooring, with a poured with only half my attention on the work (the suck the air out. This way you siphon water
concrete topping and lampblack floated in. other half was thinking about electrical into the tube. This method causes the water
A two-story high masonry wall bisects the hazards and whether my co-workers would to flow from one end to the other without air
entire length of the house, and was built have to use cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to bubbles as long as the end is kept below the
using stacked block filled with concrete to revive me!). water's surface in the jar. Now stop the flow
increase mass, leaving alternate cores open to Your article did prompt me to build my by capping the open end with your thumb.
create air passages in connection with a fan own GFC[ extension cord. This allows me to Remove the other end from the jar and hold
and plenum system, mitigating stratification bring my own GFC[ protection with me. [ them side by side at eye level. With both
and goosing storage potential. ... priced commercially available GFC[ extension ends open to the atmosphere and no bubbles
The whole project cost about $40,000 for cords at almost $ 1 00; [ built my own for less or constrictions, the water level at each end
an almost 2 ,OOO-sq. ft. house, or about $20 than $45. (I found my GFC[ on sale for of the tube will be even.
per sq ft., and the total figure includes more $ 1 9.95.) [s there a safe way to test the device, Here's what to check for before use. Be
than $ 1 0,000 worth of road work, surveying, aside from using the test button? sure both ends are open to atmospheric
and lega[ fees, well drilling, a septic system -Mike Ramey, Seattle, Wash. pressure. Check for air bubbles by holding
and bringing in electricity. both ends at eye level. [f the water is higher
[n all of the extensive owner-builder John Bower's drywall lift (FHB #5, p . 6) on one end, look for bubbles; if there are
literature, [ have yet to come across anything reminds me of a rig [ whipped up orre any, let them rise to the top or drain and
that handles in depth the sheer raw morning when a worker didn't show up. My refill the tube. No constrictions are allowed; if
experience of putting up your own shelter. scissors-type lifter allows one person to put someone is standing on the tube or if it is
Building one's own house has personal, blocked, it will not work.
cultural and political dimensions in addition The specific gravity of the fluid in the tube
to feet and inches and deflection loads. must be uniform. Antifreeze is often added in
Without inflating the subject to balloon winter to keep the water from freezing, and it
pretensions, [ think it has spiritual facets also; adds color, making it easier to see. If you use
if spiritual significance can be assigned to antifreeze, mix the solution first, then drain
jogging, then why not to owner-building? [ and refill the tube. Don't try to add the
sometimes felt as though [ knew no higher
purpose than exactly what [ was doing;
also sometimes felt that my work had been
[ antifreeze to the water in the tube, because
the specific gravity of one end will be greater
and it will not level. Keeping these few things
reduced to a series of barely controlled in mind, you'll find the water level one of the
disasters; on occasion [ would feel both best tools in your box.
on the same day. - Tom Law, Davidsonville, Md.
-Brian Berkey, Warren, Conn.
Upon reading "Done in by Dust" (FHB #4),
[ was greatly interested by the cedar post [ came to realize that drywall dust must be
used as a structural column to open up what a common headache for all of us poor souls
appears to be a dining room of a house involved in making houses a better place to
(FHB #6, p. 67). [ believe this tree trunk live. [ have since increased the life of my
should be relegated to the ranks of theatrical up a ceiling quickly and efficiently, and can vacuum cleaner by using the following trick.
ornamentality. Architecturally, the space be put together in less than an hour using Start with a clean vacuum-cleaner drum.
would be better without it. Structurally, with drywall screws and l x4s. The pivots are Crumple up old newspapers (not too tightly)
the small spans involved, other means could �6-in. bolts with washers between the and saturate them with water. Fill the drum
. easily be used to achieve a more satisfying diagonals, and on the outside of each. The halfway with the wet newspapers and put the
result. As to wood technology, such a tree horizontal top piece is maple, and slides top on. The dust will stick to the paper. [
surely will fail with such poor foundations. freely in slots cut in the top braces. have found that this method with a 20-gal.
[ am sure that the combined shrinkage of A drywall screw at each end of the drum will clean up a 1 2-ft. room.
the 2xs and the subfloor will put an unsightly horizontal member catches the top braces -A rmin Gollannek, Munising, Mich.

4 F I NE H O ME B U I L D I N G
 ,�,,�,��" ' HITACHI
POWER TOOL SALE
CIU SB·75 DUSTLESS BELT SANDER, 3" x
21", 2
Amp.,
speed 1,475 FPM/1,180 FPM, 8.7
115 volt, dust bag, 5 sanding
TR·B 1/4" ROUTER, 6.9 Amp., 11/2 h.p.,
115 volt, 24,000 RPM, 114" Chuck Collet,
3 position precision depth gauge,

LMNG
belts, metal friction plate, centering straight guide, template guide, 6.4Ibs.
guide, double insulated, 10.8Ibs. Sale Price: 517B.00 ppd.
Sale Price: 5173.00 ppd.

September 25, 26, 1982 TR·12 1/2" ROUTER, 12.2 Amp., 115 Volt,
+
HARTFORD CWIC CENTER SB·110 DUSTLESS BELT SANDER, 4" x
24", 2 speed, 1,150 FPM/985 FPM, 8.7
3 HP, 22,000 RPM, 1/4", 3/8", 1/2",
Chuck Collets, 3 pOSition depth gauge ,
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT Amp., 115 volt, double insulated, dust template guide, trimmer guide, straight

Exh ibitors Wanted for Southern New

bag, 5 assorted sanding belts, friction
plate, centering guide, belt tensioner, 17
Ibs.
guide, T.C. straight bit, 12.3Ibs.
Sale Price: $26B.00 ppd.
England's

Exh
giant fix-up
repair, maintenance and restoration.
fair for home

ibitors displaying products and ser­

200 Sale Price: 524B.00 ppd.
SAT·1BO 7" DISC SANDER POLISHER,
6.9 Amp., 2 speed, 3400/1900 RPM, 115
vices for restoration, structural repair,
SOD·110 DUSTLESS ORBITAL FINISH volt, spindle thread 5/8 x 11 UNC, 10 san·
decorative improvements, energy con­ ding discs, rubber pad, wool bonnet,
SANDER,4 1/2 x 9" foam rubber pad, 3.2
servation, as well as manufacturers, Amp., 115 volt, 10,000 RPM, double in· side handle, wrenchs, 6.3 lbs.
craftsmen, distributors, designers, con­ sulated, 5 sheets of sandpaper, dust bag, Sale Price: $157.00 ppd.
sultants, architects. Workshops and 6.6Ibs.
Demonstrations in practical, hands-on Sale Price: 513B.00 ppd.
conservation techniques, preservation TSB·10 10" MITRE SAW, 13 Amp., 115
methods, maintenance tips, home financ­ JHV·60 VARIABLE SPEED JIG SAW, 1" volt, 5000 RPM, 0-45° bevel cut capabili·
stroke, 0·3200 strokes per minute, 3.5 ty, right or left, blade dia 10", max cut·
ing, contractor negotiations.
Amp., 115 volt, double insulated, guide ting 90°, 3 118 x 4 5/16, max cut 45°, 3 1/8 x
Sponsored by the Hartford Architecture roller, universal blade attachment, 4 3 1/8, arbor 518, 1", dust bag, combination
Conservancy and the Connecticut Hous­ blades, capacity: wood 2 3/8", mild steel bid, safety lock switch, 44 Ibs.
ing Investment Fund, Inc. 1/4", guide roller, centering guide, cir· Sale Price: $30B.00 ppd.
cular guide, base tilts 45°left or right for

CT 06103 (203)15247 -6849

For details and exhibitor information,
bevel cutting, 5.2 lbs.
contact: Sandy Hamer, Lewis Street,
Sale Price: 5166.00 ppd. PSM·7 7 112" CIRCULAR SAW, 11 Amp,
Hartford, 115 volt, 5400 RPM, Spindle lock for
quick changing blade, safety clutch, 5/8
F·20A 3 114" HAND PLANNER, 3.4 Amp., arbor, max. blade dia 7 1/2", saw blade,
straight guide, front handle, wrench, 12.5

THE HISTORIN AMERICY OF CUAT NAILS 115 volt, 15,000 RPM, 1/32 max.cutting
depth, 3 1/4" max. cutting width, length
11 11/16", sharpening assembly, blade
setting gauge, guide assembly, 6.1Ibs.
Sale Price: 5122.00 ppd.
lbs.
Sale Price: $143.00 ppd.

DUV·10 3/B" VARIABLE SPEED HAND

DRILL, 3.8 Amp, 115 volt, double in·
TR·6 1/4" LAMINATE TRIMMER,4 Amp., sulated, high 0-2800 RPM, low 0·1250

tt 'In1flIii , 1 l�tr .tb":f��I

I! ,! ,I 115 volt, 30,000 RPM, 1/4" Collet, tilt
base 0.45°, straight guide, 3.9 Ibs.
Sale Price: 5114.00 ppd.
RPM, side handle, wrenchs, stop gauge,
4.4.Ibs.
Sale Price: $124.00 ppd.

CARB I D E TIPPED C IRC ULAR SAW BLADES

,i I: T: �\I 1':2' I! 11 11111 •

� t- �
,!
r J 1-' J
Cat. Nu.

M5210
Description

Combination
Diameter Number
Inches
10
Teeth
50
Arbor

5/8-3/4 RD
Max.
RPM
5500
Price

49.50 ppd

HI"" ""hll {l �" .,tln" ..t. H..... t�U rnU-lt M5212

M4710
M4712
Combination
Gen. Purp.
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10
12
50
60
60
5/8-3/4 RD
5/8-3/4 RD
5/8-1 RD
5/8-3/4 RD
3500
5500
3500
5500
54.50
58.75
65.95
94.95
ppd
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M5110 Thin Kerf 10 100

CUT NAIL KIT r--�-----------------------------

M5112 Thin Kerf 12
- 100 5/8-1 RD 3500 104.95 ppd

A unique collection of Tremont Old

Fashioned nails containing varieties 20 To: THE
Mall
P.O. Box 272, Quant. Item No.
ACOMB CO., Price
West Simsbury, CI. 06092
and a history of Cut Nail Making in
America. Cut nails are
ideal for most nailing
projects. Nail head
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A P R iL / M AY 1 9 8 2 5
 Q &A
The editors invite questions from readers on all zontal insulation. This effectively raises the fine aggregate such as silica sand under air
aspects of building, renovation and restoration. frost-line depth and helps minimize frost heaves. pressure. The problem with sandblasting is that
We 're also happy to publish reader comment on The situation is quite different in wet soils, it cuts away a small part of the face of the brick.
Q&A, Fine Homebuilding, Box
Conn. 06470.
355,
the answers. Send questions and comments to
Newtown,
where heat is rapidly conducted away from the
wall in a horizontal direction, which makes any
This removes the crust that has developed from
years of exposure to the elements. Once this
horizontally placed insulation ineffective. protective layer is removed, moisture will be­
Should wet soil prove to be the problem gin to enter the brick, and it will cause it to de­
Rigid insulation was applied below ground (check in the fall before the ground freezes), teriorate much more quickly than usual. To
to the outside of the concrete foundation of then the ultimate answer lies in how well your protect sandblasted brick, a clear silicone dress­
my neighbor's house. During the winter surface drainage and below-grade drain tile is ing can be sprayed or brushed on. It will need
the ground froze, heaved against the foun­ working. If your soil proves to be wet and you replacing in about eight years. Restoration spe­
dation and seriously cracked it. Extensive find yourself excavating, then investigate a cialists disapprove of this method of cleaning
repairs were required. I have heard that new product called Baseclad. It is produced by brick because of its altering effects and the
the rigid insulation should have been laid Fibreglas, Canada, Inc., and is made purposely n eed for further maintenance. If you do decide
out perpendicular to the foundation wall for below-grade, exterior vertical insulation ap­ to use this method, contact an experienced
for several feet to incorporate the adjacent plications. It has two unique properties that sandblaster so that a minimum of damage is
ground in the insulated area. Is this a good should prove helpful. The first is its semi­ done to your brick.
idea? Would it eliminate frost heaves? compressability, which allows it to give under The second method I have used with good re­
-John Lawless, Montreal, Que. frost-heave pressure. Secondly, it acts as a ver­ sults, but it requires some time and patience.
Peter Mann, who teaches passive-solar house tical drainage layer, conducting surplus water You will need a pair of rubber gloves that cover
design at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ont., through the insulation down to the drain tile. your arms, goggles for eye protection, caustic
replies: The technique of laying rigid insulation This material has been used extensively in soda (lye), cornstarch, two plastic pails and a
horizontally just below the surface of the soil is Scandinavia with excellent results. plastic-fiber brush. These items can all be pur­
normally used i n retrofit situations where full­ chased at a hardware store . Start by brushing
depth excavation is impractical. In new con­ For my new floors, I would like to apply a all loose paint from the wall with a wire brush.
struction i n cold climates, however, full-height hardener or sealer that will take the abuse Mix a quart of the caustic soda with a gallon of
vertical rigid insulation is standard since the of construction traffic, but also be easy to clean water in one bucket, stirring with a
soil is already excavated. The horizontal ap­ finish at the end of the job. The floor will be wooden paddle. Add 8 oz. of cornstarch to a
proach might well solve the frost-heave prob­ tongue-and·groove Douglas fir. What gallon of water in the other bucket. Combine
lem caused by full-height vertical insulation, would you recommend? the contents of the two buckets slowly while
provided that the soil against the foundation - Thomas Hanson, Lakeside, Ariz. stirring vigorously. Be careful with this solu­
wall is not abnormally wet. John Leeke, an architectural woodworker in tion-it is caustic. Wear old clothes and use
In dry soil (drawing, below), heat from the Sanford, Maine, replies: The general practice in your rubber gloves and goggles. If any gets on

r
basement is essentially trapped under the hori-
24in ---!
the construction i ndustry is to lay finish floors
as one of the last phases of work on a structure.
This saves the wear and tear of traffic and me­
your skin, flush immediately with clean water.
Apply the mixture to a small section of wall
with the plastic fiber brush. It will adhere to the

H orizontalI
insulation sloped
to shed water
1I--J�4.,.---
chanical abuse. If there is a compelling reason
to lay the finish floor early in the project, the
following procedure should be used.
Seal the finish floor with two coats of sanding
wall like gelatin and cook the paint off the
brick. After one hour, remove the solution from
the wall with a spray of water from a garden
hose equipped with a nozzle.

I T12 in.
sealer. Sand lightly after the first coat to cut off
any raised grain. This will keep plaster, paint
spills and most of the fine white particles of
j oint-compound dust out of the pores of the
A more thorough job can be done with a
high-pressure water sprayer from a rental com­
pany. If you use the high-pressure sprayer, run

1. wood. Sanding sealer, as the name implies, is

liquid soap with water through the first time,
and then rinse with clear water. This will neu­
easily removed by sanding before finishing the tralize the cleaner and remove all of the paint
floor. I use an oil-extended alkyd-resin spar var­ and dirt. If all the paint doesn't come off the
nish for my finish because polyurethanes do brick walls with this procedure, repeat it until
not adhere well if any sanding sealer is left in you are satisfied.
the pores of the wood. Since this operation is very time-consuming,
To protect the floor from scuffs and dings, it do a small section of wall at a time, and work
tile should be covered with overlapping double your way around the house. It will not damage
layers of heavy building paper or cardboard. the brick, and it removes most paint economi­
Taping the edges may seem like a lot of trouble, cally. For best results, work in fairly warm
but it will keep the tradesmen from tripping weather, and be careful not to get the goop on
over them and tearing up the paper. Even with any shrubs or plants growing near the walls
all this effort, workers on the site should take where you are working.
Wet soil: heat conducted some precautions when using the floor. Keep a
away from foundation. barrel of sawdust handy to soak up spilled Can you teU me more about the process of
paint. However if sawdust is used to clean up floating-in pigment on a concrete slab, as
any spills, sweep it up and get it outside imme­ mentioned by Steve Badanes in his article
diately. Such a mixture can burst into flame by about the Airplane House (FHB *6, p.55)?
spontaneous combustion. -Robert Cook, Worthington, Mass.
There are two methods of pigmenting con­
I have recently purchased a 30-year-old crete, according to Ralph Spear of the Portland
red·brick home that has had the entire ex· Cement Institute in Skokie, Ill. The first is to
terior painted white. How can I remove the mix the pigment completely through the batch
paint without damaging the brick? of mud to be poured. In order to retain the
-Paul Ahlers, Johnstown, Pa. strength of the concrete, a minimal amount of
Dick Kreh, a mason and author in Frederick, the coloring agent should be introduced, and
Md., replies: There are two methods of remov­ will result in pastel-like colors.
ing paint from bricks. The first is sandblasting. The second method is the dry shake tech­
It is done by bombarding the brick face with a nique. It is often used in passive-solar applica-

6 F I NE H O ME B U I L D I N G
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id
Some months ago, while visiting a small
Japanese chisel factory, I watched a
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dovetail waste. The cuts were so clean,
socket design , such as you find on
framing chisels. What I was really seeing,
the master pOinted out, was a
combination tang-socket design. The
and made so quickly, that I asked to see blade is hand-forged with a tang. A

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tang for extra strength. And heavy steel
hoops were fitted to the handle end to
withstand the sharpest blows.
_____________
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easily the most beautiful I'd ever seen.
The wood was Japanese red oak. Very A choice of splendid handles.
Address _____________ dense. Magnificently grained. The Master showed me other chisels with
Laminated Steel. Like a fine handles made of Rosewood. They're more
City Srore ___ __ Zip

Japanese sword. expensive by about half. Next, he

The Master pOinted to the blade. The produced even more precious handles of
Macasser Ebony and of Sharkskin fitted
cutting edge, he said, had a sharpness
not possible in ordinary chisels. (Later, I I
over oak. brought all of these home

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He explained that the blade was made our free 12 page Japanese catalog.
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The overall length of the tools is blade 9";
alloy steel was practical for the cutting
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A P R I L / MAY 1 9 8 2 7
 Q &A
tions because it produces dark colors that will quite right. Unfortunately, this creates the I am thinking of using 2x8 or 2xlO studs to
absorb heat. The pigment itself is limited to the worst roof-flashing condition there is, so use build my house so that I can superinsulate.
surface of the concrete. After the slab has been the best material, copper, and install it with I have been told that I can also use a stag­
poured, vibrated and floated, two-thirds of the care. Don't forget to stick the building paper gered stud frame that is really two sepa­
powdered pigment is broadcast by hand. It is and shingles to the flashing on the new roof rate framed walls around the entire exter·
floated in with the wood or metal floats used in with a tar-base roofing cement. ior. Is this cheaper and more effective?
the initial stages of concrete finishing. The re­
maining third of the pigment is then spread
As with all flashing, consider the course that
rain will take as it hits the roof. Follow that
-Keith Reingold, Ithaca,
EyrIe Brooks, a professor of mechanical engi­
N. Y.
over the same area, and floated before the drop of water until it reaches the ground. This neering at the University of Saskatchewan at
finish troweling takes place. will tell you how to install the flashing properly. Saskatoon, replies: It is cheaper and more heat­
One precaution: This process requires con­ Also pay attention to the wind-it drives water efficient to build the outside walls of a low­
siderable experience with concrete, and with off its natural course. energy house with staggered 2x4 construction
using dry pigments. Timing is crucial, and easy rather than 2x8 or 2 x l O studs.The outside row

� /'//'----.J":...:,
to misjudge. The result of inexperience with of studs can be load-bearing, and the inside row
the pigment and its application is a slab with R oof to be added supports the drywall and insulation. The in­
blotchy color. crease in cost of materials over a standard
frame is basically only one extra row of 2x4s,
I use a variable-speed reciprocating saw in and the extra stock required for framing and
my renovation work. My special plaster­ finishing around the deep windows and doors.
cutting blades dull fast that I spend
so
more time changing blades than cutting.
§:-� --��-
-.�- � - - H ouse Ga rage
One advantage is that this system can accom­
modate any thickness of insulation. Also, if
What kind of sawblade is best for cutting 1 0 in. or more of wall insulation is used, the
lath and plaster, and on what speed should vapor barrier can be placed on the outside edge
I operate the saw? of the inside row of 2x4s, making the installa­
-David Roberts, W ilmette,
Tom Law, a builder in the Washington, D.C.,
III. tion of wiring much easier.

a rea, replies:Although plaster varies consider­ See We have a log house with cement mortar
ably in its composition, because it's an earth detail joints. Is there a sealer on the market, not
[
material, find a silicon-carbide masonry blade
in a circular saw most effective. [use this
drawings
below.
too expensive, that will weatherproof the
logs and mortar?
method frequently in remodeling to make new -John Booker, Shirleysburg, Pa.
openings or to let in new drywall. Be sure to
seal off the room where you are working and
wear a mask, because a masonry blade gener­
[
Alasdair Wallace, a designer and builder of log
homes in Lakefield, Ont. , replies: suspect that
the reason you want to seal your logs and mor­
ates large amounts of gritty dust. Chipping by tar is because you are encountering the peren­
hammer and chisel is the most dust-free nial problem of wood and mortar parting com­
method, but it sometimes causes unwanted pany as the logs expand and contract with
breaks, and is slow. If you continue to use a re­ changes in humidity. There is no ready solu­
ciprocating saw with plaster, use a good metal­ tion, although the problem can be minimized
cutting blade with as few teeth as possible per by protecting the logs from the weather. Build­
inch, and operate the saw at a low speed. ing location, adequate roof overhang, clear­
ance between the ground and the bottom log

"WIF=1T8 in.
Many builders in my area use a solid ply­ are all important. Provision for humidity con­
wood roof deck as an underlayment for trol within the building, especially during the
cedar shakes. However in my remodeling winter, is essential. All too frequently, a wood·
experience, I have torn apart old roofs to
find shakes nailed to lx6 purlins.

because of poor air circulation?

If
I use
plywood, will my shake roof be likely to rot
�===l 1 stove or oil furnace, unless properly equipped
with a humidifier, will reduce the humidity so
much that the logs begin to check.
Pentox or Resilacrete are two clear sealerS
-Glenn Raleigh, Woodland Park, Colo. that may be applied to exterior log-mortar sur­
According to Frank Welch of the Red Cedar Section at building juncture faces, although old-timers don't use anything.
Shingle and Handsplit Shake Bureau (Suite 275, My preference is to spray both interior and ex­
515 1 1 6th Ave. N .E., Belleview, Wash. 98004), terior log surfaces with an aromatic, nontoxic,
the choice of solid or open sheathing depends hot mixture of 30% boiled linseed oil and 70%
on the demands of local codes, but is otherwise turpentine. Heat the oil and remove the mix­
optional. He states that there is no difference in ture from the burner before adding the turpen­
the longevity of a cedar roof using either kind tine. Log ends should never be sealed.
of roof deck. The same applies to red cedar
shingles. However, in the case of shakes, the Readers reply
Bureau recommends solid sheathing in areas I am replying to Stuart Wier's inquiry on speak­
with wind-driven snow. ing tubes (FHB # 6 , p. 1 2). Speaking tubes are
still used on many modern ships. They are con­
I want to install a pitched roof on my flat· sidered part of required emergency equipment
roofed garage, which shares a common by the U.S. Coast Guard. Normally they consist
wall with the house. What kind of roof will of a mouthpiece (with a whistle) that is con­
look best? Also, how can I best flash and nected to the bulkhead piping by a flexible tube
gutter th'e new roof where it meets the
house? -Ron Austin, Park Ridge,
Consulting editor Bob Syvanen replies: In your
III. like the old-style cloth and rubber vacuum­
cleaner hoses. The inside diameter of the pip­
[
ing is about 1 Y.t in. to 1 � in., and can't see any
sketch, there appears to be a hip roof on the reason why plastic pipe wouldn't work as long
house. Therefore, a hip roof (drawing, above as the internal surface is smooth and fairly
right) should go on the adjoining garage. I tried hard. Radius bends should be kept as large as
out other roof designs, but nothing else looked possible. -Stephen Haust, Wexford, Pa.

8 F I NE H O ME B U I L D I N G
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OLD SOUTH COLUMNS IN EXTRUDED ALUMINUM CAN BE USED Build this beautiful
TO REPLACE ROTTING WOOD COLUMNS IN 8 EASY STEPS I Dome Home by
1. Call
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1-800-841-8674 for literature and yourself!
2_ Study literature and price sheet to
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3. Sell spouse on all advantages of aluminum

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ROUND-
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4. Call factory at same toll-free number and
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saUARE-
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A P R I L / MAY 1 982 9
 TIPS & TECH NIQUES
Tips and Techniques is a forum for readers to stock. Bending one leg of the angle over 90° my tools as well as a storage space above them.
exchange the methods, tools andjigs they've de­ just Ys in. down from the top, and cutting slots For inside this compartment I cut 3/.t-in. ply­
vised. We 'll pay for any we publish. Send de­ the same size as the hinges where they are to wood narrow enough to slide between the
tails, sketches and negatives with photographs be positioned on the door, complete the gauge. wheel wells. I edged the plywood on three sides
Box 355,
to Tips and Techniques, Fine Homebuilding,
Newtown, Conn. 06470.
To mark the door, just hook the bend over
the door edge and scribe the hinge cutouts with
to keep toolboxes from sliding off, put a handle
on the front, and attached casters to the bot-
a utility knife. For the hinge jamb, hold the un­
Walls with braces bent face of the top of the gauge to the top of
When plumbing and lining a frame, I use this the jamb and mark the butt spacing. When you
trick if I encounter a stubborn exterior wall, are not hanging doors, the gauge and a couple
bristling with headers and bowed outward. of clamps serve as a handy straightedge for cut­
Nail a 2x4 scrap flat to the inside of the exter­ ting and scribing lines on almost anything.
ior wall below the top plate where it is most -John Toly, Richmond, Calif.
bowed out. Secure a long 2x4 brace onto the
side of the block. The brace must be long The pea-shooter
enough to reach an interior wall that runs par­ Ever need the help of a 4-in. carpenter, or a
allel to the exterior wall you are lining. Hold helper to drive the first nail when you're in­
stalling cabinets? Here's a useful addition to
Exterior wa l l your tool kit that can help you drive those nails
in tight places-the pea-shooter.
The pea-shooter (drawing, below) consists of
three inexpensive and easy-to-assemble parts:
the handle, the driving rod and the holder. The
handle should weigh about 3 lb. and have a
rounded end that's comfortable to grip. A lead
casting, a bumper hitch ball or a steel bar all
make good handles.
The driving rod is about 30 in. long and
should be a piece of oil or water-hardened drill
rod. Mild steel rod can be used, but won't last as
long. For 1 6d and 20d nails, use a %-in. rod. For
3d and smaller, use 5/kin. rod. One end of the
rod is secured by welding to a steel ball or
notched and cast in a lead handle. A steel handle
can be secured to the rod with setscrews, which
also allows the rod to be easily replaced. The
end of the rod that strikes the nail should be
hardened by heating it over a natural gas flame
until it is brownish purple, and then quenching tom. This gave me a drawer that could be locked
the bottom end of the brace about 2 ft. off the it immediately in oil or water. in place when the lid was closed. With the tail­
floor and against a stud in the interior wall. The holder is a piece of tubing or pipe with a gate open, this sliding shelf will reach far
Attach an 3-in. block to the brace, making Yz-in. or %-in. inside diameter (depending on the enough to give access to everything on it.
sure that the block is on the far side of the inter­ driving rod) with a relatively thick wall. The Long material can be carried out the back of
ior wall. Now push down on the brace at the length should be exactly the same as the length the camper shell supported by the top of this
point where the block is attached. The levering of the driving rod, excluding the handle. locker and the tailgate, which are at the same
action of the block against the stud will pull in height. The entire system can be removed in
any bow in the exterior wall. Once the wall is minutes, if the full use of the bed is needed.
straight, the brace can be face-nailed to the Also, I have discovered that the inside of the lid
stud. -Don Dunkley, Sacramento, Calif.
is a good place to store such awkward tools as
my 4-ft. level. -Kevin Ireton, Dayton, Ohio.
Door butt gauge
For accuracy and speed when hanging doors
from scratch, I use a butt gauge (drawing, be­
low) that I made out of I -in. aluminum angle
@.. . .
Holder
;; Born-again bit
I recently needed a clean-cutting bit to drill
through some old Douglas fir molding. Lacking
To use the pea-shooter, draw back the driving
rod into the holder, insert a nail into the end of
I
the funds to buy a good bore, purchased a
cheap spade bit and remodeled it with a flat
the tube, and place the end of the tube where file, as shown below.
you want a driven nail. A few blows with the First, I used the corner of the file to make two
driving rod and the nail is home for good.
-Dave Jochner, South San Francisco, Calif. Make V-eurs L o wer euaing edge
wirh file wirh file.
Sliding tool chest
Length
of door
I was able to solve the problem of keeping my
tools locked up and yet accessible in my pickup
camper shell with this sliding-shelf tool locker.
I mounted a piece of angle iron along each
side of the bed, level with the top of the tail­
l Oin. aluminum gate. Then I cut a %-in. plywood shelf about
a n g l e stock 4 ft. long and as wide as the bed, and bolted it
to the angle. I hinged another piece of plywood
at the back of this where it would fold down
Y4- i n . wide slot for j ust behind the wheel wells. I added a latching
marking h i nge location hasp and now had a lockable compartment for

10 F I NE H O ME B U I L D I N G
 SALE
DPS
Deep Penetrati n g Seal e r
DPS penetrates deeply, seals, stabilizes and
applies easily. It retards the movement of mOIs­
t u re from inside and outside by l in i n g the c e l l u l a r
wa l l s a n d sealing t h o s e c e l l s .
Polymerization is comp lete i n 24 hours. leav­
ing a d ry c l ear, non-toxic, water-proof f i n i s h . .

a n d u p to 1/8"
DPS penetrates from 1 -4" deep on e n d g rai n ,
deep o n s u rface g ra i n

A PASSIVE SOLAR D PS c a n be a p p l i ed by rag , brush, s p r a y o r by

d i p p i n g . I t will enhance the wood's natural color

LOG HOME? and can be m i xed with any o i l based stai n . Var­
n i s h , s h e l l ac , l a c q u e r, e n a m e l s or u re t h a n e s
m a y be a p pl ied o v e r D P S ; o r t w o coats of DPS
will provide a d u r a b l e undercoat f o r a l l f i n ishes.

N a t u ra l l y l T h i s award w i n n i n g d e s i g n i s Introductory Pint: $6 i n c l u d i n g s h i p p i n g .

h a ve p r o d u ced s i n c e 1964.
j u s t one o f the m a n y custom log h o mes we
We combine
Finished , some would give a Freud PPD.
Y a n kee t h ri f t , i n te g r i t y a n d i n g e n u i t y i n t o
o u r e n e r g y- e f f i c i e n t l o g h o m e d e s i g n s . A l l
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Diam
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APRIL/MAY 1982 11
 TIPS & TECH N IQUES
V-cuts near the edge of the bit. Then I removed board. I placed one ladder on each side of the rid of pitch. Very little fluid is needed, and after
the area between the base of the new cutting dormer layout, and hooked them over the 2x4 an overnight soak the residual fluid can be
spurs and the pilot with the edge of the file. The toe board that was nailed at the eave parallel to poured back into its can to be used again. The
resulting bit produces a remarkably clean cut. the ridge. A 2 x l 2 plank could then be laid blades come clean with little effort.
-Duff Bogen, Seattle, Wash. across the treads of the two stairs, and moved -Mike Denman, San Jose, Calif
up and down the pitch of the roof. Framing, sid­
A strapping idea
The easiest way to keep the bottom plate of a
ing, trimming, painting and shingling the
dormers and surrounding area were relatively
Cut-off fixture
I seldom use radial arm saws when I'm working
framed wall from walking when it is being easy, and the system caused a minimum of on a job. They are expensive, difficult to move
raised is to toenail it into the sub floor. The nails damage to the existing roof. around and constantly out of adjustment. The
bend easily as you lift the wall, and the bottom - Wayde Millany, Dillon, Colo. alternative is to use the simple cut-off fixture
shown in the drawing below, a circular saw
Soldering water pipes with a shoe that is parallel to the blade, and a
An old plumber's trick for resoldering copper $ 1 5 saw protractor.
water lines when making repairs is to take a The fixture can be made from 2x lumber of
piece of white bread, make two dough balls any width, and should be long enough to sup­
and then stuff them up the pipe in both direc­ port the boards you are cutting. Attach a block
tions. The dough balls will block the water
while the soldering is being done, and then dis­
solve easily in the water system.
- Chris Valenzuela, Millboro, Va.

Scissor framing
The scissor-like tool illustrated below can be
useful in plumbing and aligning stud walls dur­
plate usually remains in the immediate neigh­ ing framing. With it, a worker can exert and
borhood of its intended layout. maintain great pressure against a wall while
A more secure system uses the strapping that another worker nails bracing to hold the wall in
binds lumber loads. Cut it into 1 2-in. pieces and its correct position.
nail one end to the underside of the bottom The scissor can be assembled quickly on the
plate. The other end should run under the wall job site from a pair of 8-ft. 2x4s and a %-in. by
and be nailed into the sub floor. Concrete nails
will pierce the stuff, or you can abuse your
2/32 nail set and start a hole. The strapping can
be left in place and covered by the finish floor­
ing. -M.F.
Marti, Mon roe, Ore.
7'a-in by 4-i n . machine bolt

Stepping up
I recently added three dormers on a 1 2 : 1 2 roof,
using a toe-board and roof-stair system that
saved me a lot of time, risk and effort. As
shown in the drawing below, the stairs are
made of two 2x 1 2 stringers with 1 6-in. long,
%-in. plywood treads. The uphill end of each
stringer was cut in a curved pattern to keep the Stud wa ll
front edge from damaging the shingles when it
slid onto the roof. The downhill end should be
/
notched on the underside for a flat 2x4 toe-

Curved stringer
.----- �
2x1 2 strrnger
< .'0.]-, . prevents damage
to shingles. Cleat tacked to subfloor ----TcT"--' across the face of the fixture at one end. Make
sure that this end stop is perpendicular to the
. --..;:.. ,"'1
l O- i n . rrse � ".:::/../y-:' edge of the jig. This block should be back­
beveled along the end grain on the working
l O- i n . 4-in. machine bolt. The proportions shown in side of the jig to prevent sawdust buildup when
the illustration are only approximate; I usually it's in use. A 2x4 block can then be nailed to the
trim off one end or the other until the tool feels side of the fixture, with the bottoms flush. This
right and gives the best leverage. is the protractor stopblock. It should be long
To use the scissor for plumbing a wall, tack a enough, with the additions of the protractor
cleat to the sub floor about 6 ft. from the bottom arm length and the width of your saw shoe, to
plate and place the foot of the tool against it. produce the cut-off length that you want.
Next, open the arms of the scissor until its Butt the piece to be cut against the end stop,
raised end can be firmly wedged against the set the protractor across the board and against
top plate of the stud wall. By pressing down on its stop, and run your circular saw against the
the tool's handle, you will increase its span and leg of the protractor. This method will produce
force the top of the wall away from you. Fine fast, clean, accurate and repeatable cuts of any
adjustments can be made by altering the pres­ angle for everything from joist blocking to
sure on the handle. finish work without measuring and squaring
-Malcolm McDaniel, Berkeley, Calif each board.
If you are production-cutting several lengths,
Cleaning sawblades nail protractor stops in several locations along
Pizza pans, which come in various diameters the length of the fixture. Clamping the stop is
with a standard depth , are ideal for soaking faster if only one or two cuts are needed at that
circular-saw blades in chemical remover to get length. -Ron Davis, Novato, Calif

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A P R I L / M A Y 1 982 13
 REPORTS
Framing 11IIDher: 1m or green?
One of the more enjoyable aspects of framing
moisture loss begins immediately and
continues throughout the milling process and
handling at the mill, the reduced cost of
shipping lighter dry wood often makes up the
a house is the freedom from having to choose shipping. This lumber is stamped S GRN, difference. All the lumbermen we contacted
one material over another. Studs don't come which stands for surfaced green . When feel that the use of KD framing lumber is on
in a variety of styles, finishes or colors. buying directly from a sawmill, green the rise, and that its price will continue to
Framing lumber is framing lumber. In some hardwood lumber is often comparatively drop relative to green lumber. Random
parts of the country, the predominant species inexpensive (see "Working with Green Wood," Lengths, a weekly wholesale lumber and
is Douglas fir; in others, southern pine, FHB #7, p. 40). This isn't the case when green plywood market report (P.O. Box 867,
hemlock and larch; but as long as you stay softwood framing lumber is purchased from a Eugene, Ore. 97440), shows KD prices the
away from utility grades (or worse) for lumberyard. In many regions KD and green same or slightly higher than green in most
structural uses, you have only to pick the are competitive in price. Some builders, species. Those areas requiring longer shipping
straightest pieces in the batch and haul them however, prefer green lumber for framing distances from the mills reflected less
back to the job site. Right? Not really. because nailing requires less effort in wet difference in the price of locally kiln-dried
The moisture content (MC) of wood is the wood, and it's less likely to split when nailing lumber when compared with green Douglas
one factor that is often ignored by retail close to the ends. fir from the Northwest.
lumber buyers. Dry lumber has very different Dry lumber is shipped from the mill after The use and availability of dry lumber
qualities from the same lumber when it's its MC has been reduced to a specified level appears to be increasing throughout the
green, and KD (kiln-dried) framing lumber is by one of two processes, air-drying or kiln­ country. In the Midwest and East, local mills
widely available for nearly the same price as drying. Kiln-drying is more common by far supplying kiln-dried native lumber are
green. This seems to be a little known fact in because it can be accomplished in a quarter beginning to take away markets traditionally
regions where using green framing lumber is of the time with a greater degree of control. held by suppliers of Douglas fir from the
the rule. As a carpenter in California I was Most mills kiln-dry only 2x framing stock. Northwest. The increased use of KD framing
only dimly aware of the existence of KD Beams and posts require too much time in lumber can also be attributed to a decrease
framing stock. Since the yards I bought from the kiln to be commercially profitable, of tract-housing starts in the past two years.
carried green Douglas fir, I just assumed that although they can be special-ordered. All dry Custom homes and owner-built houses have
dry stock was more expensive stuff sold lumber leaves the mill with a MC of 1 9% or accounted for a larger part of the market.
primarily to the unwitting amateur. less, which is indicated by the stamp S-dry. For more about green and KD framing
Kiln-dried lumber has some distinct Lumber that has been reduced further to 1 5 % lumber, see the Forest Product Labs/Univ.
advantages. One of these is its lighter weight. MC i s stamped KD o r MC I 5 . But often of Wisconsin-Extension publication (#A3035)
Dry lumber can weigh 50% less than green, enough lumberyard clerks will refer to any How To Buy Construction Lumber by Alfred
which means tipping up walls, rolling joists lumber under 1 9% MC as KD. Oviatt, Jr. ($.52 from the Agricultural Bulletin
Building, 1 535 Observation Dr., Madison, Wis.
and setting rafters can be accomplished in
less time with less help. Another advantage
of dry framing lumber is its stability, since
S ey-
arv To determine the availability of
KD lumber, we randomly surveyed 25 lumber
53706). -written by Paul Spring; telephone
research by Josh Sugarman.
much of its shrinkage has already taken wholesalers in 1 5 states across the continental
place. The sometimes severe problems of U.S. Seventeen of these wholesale yards Rediscovering early America
warp-cupping, bowing, twisting, crooking carry KD or S-Dry framing lumber either How did artisans and tradesmen live and
and checking-are less likely to occur in exclusively or in large part. Five wholesalers work in the early 1 9th century? To find out,
lumber dried to 1 9% MC or less. This allows carry 50% or less dry wood, while four of you might journey to Eastfield Village, in
the builder to use the lumber at a slow pace them carry only green lumber. New York's upper Hudson Valley. There you'll
if necessary. Green lumber must be used In all of the areas surveyed, there is at least find a collection of more than 20 buildings,
quickly and secured by bracing, shear-wall one wholesaler that carries dry softwood all of which were built over a century ago
plywood, siding, subfloor, or otherwise framing lumber, even if the prevailing sales in and recently rescued, relocated and restored.
restrained. This way the warping tendencies the area are green lumber. Large commercial You'll find professional craftsmen teaching
of the wood are minimized. Although kiln­ suppliers like Georgia Pacific, Weyerhauser, time-honored trades like fireplace and brick
dried lumber will pick up surface moisture and International Paper sell mostly KD stock. oven construction, tinsmithing, stonecutting,
when exposed to weather, and adjust its Regions receiving lumber from the Northwest cabinetmaking and blacksmithing.
moisture content to the ambient humidity, it by ocean freighters tend to use more green Eastfield Village is largely the work of one
will not warp as badly as green lumber does lumber, since ships aren't usually equipped to individual, Don Carpentier, whose love of old
initially when unrestrained. store dry lumber and since weight is not as houses and traditional tradesmanship led him
Settling can be another serious problem in costly a factor as it is with land to start saving buildings from demolition,
house construction. Settling in most cases is transportation. States with mild climates, moving them to a secluded part of his
caused by the shrinkage of the framing where houses get built faster, typically use parents' property and restoring them step
members, and it can be minimized by using green wood. According to the lumbermen, by step. One project led to another, and
kiln-dried lumber. A two-story house areas that favor green wood are Florida, Carpentier acquired various skills as he
platform-framed with green softwood lumber Texas, California, Oregon, Washington state amassed buildings. "When I wanted to learn
using 2 x l 0 joists can shrink as much as and western Canada. something," he explains, "I would read every
1 � in. in height due to moisture loss. This can Douglas fir is by far the choice of buyers of book I could find on the subject. I'd look up
play havoc with drywall, fixed-glass windows green wood. It is praised for being generally examples, study them, then finally get the
and door frames. Further, it can cause serious free from the warping that characterizes most right tools and try to do it myself." He's now
structural problems with attached masonry green lumber, especially when allowed to dry a p rofessional restoration consultant.
such as chimneys, and reduce the without controls. This praise is not extended Sharing the traditional skills he'd learned
effectiveness of shear wall because of joist­ to the other species of softwood used for seemed like a good idea, and Carpentier
space shrinkage. But by using KD lumber, framing in the U.S. and Canada. slowly built up a program of courses. He's
you can cut the amount of shrinkage in half. Many wholesalers agree that outlets assisted by an experienced and equally
The moisture content of wood, expressed as catering to the tract builder favor green devoted faculty. I've been to Eastfield on
a percentage, represents a ratio of the weight lumber, while those that sell to the custom three occasions, each time learning more
of water held by a piece of lumber to the builder or owner-builder favor KD stock. about how early American builders and
weight of the wood dry. Some softwoods can Large development builders usually look for tradesmen lived and worked. Students at
have in excess of 200% MC in their sapwood lower price and availability in volume; Eastfield are lodged in a restored tavern,
when freshly cut. Green framing lumber is framing and siding their houses is a matter of sleeping on rope beds with feather ticks, and
sawn, surfaced, banded, and shipped from the days, rather than weeks or months. cooking with iron utensils in a large central
mill without significant drying, although Although kiln-drying requires extra fireplace. You wash from a rain bucket and

14 FINE HOMEBUILDING
 REPORTS
bathe in a nearby pond, and you are asked Japanese temple-buDder on my way to New Hampshire. In Alstead,
to bring 1 0 candles as part of your baggage
because there's no electricity at Eastfield.
talksin New England
Craftsmen can often astonish amateurs or
word of his work had spread, and several
dozen people-local builders and
Each workshop kicks off with a round of laymen while failing to impress other pros, woodworkers, timber framers, townspeople
introductions, and new students say what who know how the tricks are done. This, and the press-crowded into the shop.
their reasons are for taking the course and however, was not the case when Masahiko Like many who work wood for a living,
what they would like to learn. This lets the Ishakawa visited the Alstead, N.H., timber­ Ishakawa is in love with tools. His wages
instructors address specific needs. The framing shop of Tedd Benson. (which work out to just over $5 an hour) go
courses are short-from two to six days-and Ishakawa is a young temple builder who toward the best ones he can find. "No
a balance is maintained between general met Len Brackett (see FHB #4, p. 52) while money," he told Benson cheerfully, "many
information and practical, hands-on they were apprenticed to the same master in chisels." He also makes his own planes for
experience. Students are encouraged to Japan. When he visited the U.S., Brackett special purposes. To travel light, though, he
concentrate on their own special interests. arranged for him to travel a bit to meet had left his tools with Brackett in California,
At the stonecutting workshop I attended last American wood-fitters doing interesting work. so the day before the demonstration, he and
summer, one woman, a student of restoration Benson is the author of Building the Timber Benson drove two hours to Woodcraft Supply
technology, spent two days organizing, Frame House ($ 1 2 .95 from Charles Scribner's Corp. in Woburn, Mass., to buy Japanese
labeling and photographing an extensive Sons, 597 5th Ave., New York, NY 1 00 1 7). saws, chisels and a plane. Ishakawa found
collection of antique stonecutting tools. He and his crew do precise and handsome their quality "moderate," and the next day he
Meanwhile, another participant, an artist, work. Enthusiastic and talented craftsmen in spent a long time at the bench truing,
grabbed a chisel and hammer and set to their own rights, they were astonished by sharpening and fine-tuning the new tools.
work on a large block of marble, "getting the their guest's dedication, his feel for wood and Ishakawa talked first about the hierarchy of
feel of it." his skill. "We don't have the knowledge of buildings in Japan, as he saw it. At the top
Many workshops devote considerable wood that he has," says Benson, "the sort of are the tea-ceremony houses. No power tools
attention to tools, and students are thing you learn from a master. We've lost all are used on these traditional structures. Large
encouraged to bring their own. The first that in this country, and we've been learning temples and shrines are next. Builders use
morning of last summer's Moldings 1 780-1880 on our own as we go along." power tools here-mainly contractor's
workshop was spent learning the different Though Ishakawa had planned to spend saws-but always cut shy of layout lines and
profile shapes of molding planes and the only a day or two in New Hampshire, at then plane or chisel down to them, so the
sequence of their development. Then after Benson's invitation he wound up staying a final surfaces are achieved with hand tools.
lunch, we gathered all the planes we had week, watching his hosts at work, trying their Ishakawa works only on these two levels.
brought, excited about being able to identify saws and chisels and demonstrating some of The wood he uses is top-quality stock, air­
many of them for the first time. Some his own techniques. He doesn't speak much dried for five years. Cypress and redwood are
students started buying and swapping, and English, and no one in the shop speaks common. Oak is used in large buildings for its
before long a full-tilt tool exchange was Japanese. Tools and timbers served as a strength . Cedar is used sometimes too, and it's
underway. Before the course was over, medium of simple communication . To enlarge Ishakawa's favorite wood, because it works so
the care and use of molding planes had upon answers to the more sophisticated well, smells so good and doesn't check.
been comprehensively explained and questions, Ishakawa decided to give a formal, The next level of building is the traditional
demonstrated; we also were able to practice interpreted demonstration toward the end of Japanese house. Techniques remain similar,
cutting various profiles. his stay. A phone call from Benson had me but green wood is sometimes used, and the
Field trips are essential for some courses,
and the surrounding area is rich in examples Ishakawa discusses the proportions of a keyed scarf joint during a demonstration in Alstead, N.H.
of early buildings. In one house we inspected
a fireplace that clearly shows the transition
from the earliest type of hooded firepit to an
enclosed hearth; in another we saw an
exquisite Palladian window and a tiger-stripe
maple staircase. During the molding course
we toured the local towns on foot, with
Carpentier pointing out the different trim
styles and their dates. After a day of this I
found my awareness of architectural details
greatly expanded-I was looking at old
houses in a new way.
Each workshop closes as it opens: Students
are asked to evaluate the course and make
suggestions on how to improve it. In the six
courses that rve attended I have yet to hear
anything negative. Cabinetmaking students
have been known to make occasional
requests for power tools, with tongue in
cheek, of course. It is certainly difficult to
spend two hours doing by hand what a
machine could do in several minutes, but
rediscovering traditional tradesmanship is
what Eastfield is all about. After several days
of soaking in the ambience of the 1 9th
century, sharing common interests with a
small and diverse group of people and
learning from master craftsmen, I have
always left with renewed enthusiasm.
For a list of this summer's courses, write
RD,
Eastfield Village, Box 1 45,
N.Y. 1 2062. -Carroll Burritt
East Nassau,

-
 REPORTS
carpenters typically cut right to the line and to one of our job sites, not one warning label or dam like a neoprene gasket around the
leave the machine-tooled surface unrefined. remained. Even if one had, just what is an unit. This separates the glazing compound
The fourth and lowest level Ishakawa oil-based caulk? How do you find out? from the edge seal and holds the stop )1;6 in .
dismissed with a single word: concrete. To begin, I went to the hardware store and to Ys in. away from the glass, thereby
The proportions of the tea-ceremony houses picked up a tube of General Electric silicone providing a good bed for the caulk.
and temples have been established by custom series 1 200 caulk, which I wanted to use on According to Martin, the sealant industry is
and long tradition. So have the proportions of the insulated units. Does silicone have an oil constantly improving on current products and
the timber-frame joints that hold them base? I thought not, but when the legal developing new ones, like butyl hot-melt
together. Ishakawa had used American tools responsibility for voiding a guarantee is sealants and urethane-based sealants. It's
to cut the joints he was demonstrating-a concerned, it's best to have the word of an difficult to keep abreast of what does what.
keyed scarf and three different types of authority. The label ' didn't list the chemical A glazing installation is effective where there
keyed mortise and tenon. Pegs are seldom contents of the caulk's base material, but it is no contact between the unit edge seal and
used; never, he said, where people could see did give a phone number to call for more glazing sealants. When this separation cannot
them. His unfamiliarity with Western tools information. When I dialed it, I was shunted be achieved, the installer of the glass units
didn't show. The joints he made with them from the industrial section to the can wrap the edge of the unit in aluminum­
were tight, precise and proper. The keys (oak construction-products division to a consumer foil tape to place a physical barrier between
or cherry in Japan, yellow pine for the representative. No one could tell me if GE the two sealants.
demonstration), which he had left long for 1 200 caulk was compatible with the windows Tremco doesn't publish a list of compatible
the purpose, had to be hammered out. Even in question. Finally I was told they needed to caulks because of the possible legal difficulties
then, the joints had to be j olted on floor or know the chemical makeup of the unit's edge of appearing to recommend one brand over
bench before they'd come apart for display. In seal. It took many calls to my supplier to find another. Box says that compounds generally
answer to a question, Ishakawa said that he out that Tremco made the primary sealant, a compatible with their polysulfide are their
doesn't relieve the faces of his joints. He tries, product they call Polysulfide JS709. Armed acrylics, silicone and extruded butyl tapes.
instead, for a perfect connection. The joint, with these specifics, I called a Tremco sales He agrees with Martin that caulks high in
he said, should be airtight. Because he works representative who said, naturally, that oleoresins (oil) or solvents (like many
with extremely dry wood, Ishakawa doesn't Tremco silicone is compatible with JS709 but hardware-store butyls) will react with
have to worry about the substantial shrinkage that he couldn't recommend GE's. Next I polysulfide. "Placement is just as important
that American timber framers always have to spoke with Jim Box, manager of insulating as selection. A little bit of contact isn't going
contend with. glass at Tremco, who has worked in their lab to cause the unit to fail, but don't embed
The last part of the demonstration covered for 20 years. He assured me that my caulk the unit in caulk."
the sharpening and use of the Japanese could twine with their caulk. All the primary-sealant manufacturers test
plane. The irons of Japanese tools are slightly I'd gotten Box's number during a spiral of their products, but there's been a standard
hollowed on the back, with a narrow flat other calls. During one conversation with a method for less than two years. Before that,
along the cutting edge. Ishakawa showed manufacturer, I was referred to their trade lab conditions would differ in terms of
how to restore the flat after it's been honed organization, SIGMA (Sealed Insulating Glass temperature, humidity and so forth. Now tests
away (gentle hammering of its edges on a Manufacturers Association, 1 1 1 E. Wacker are overseen by ASTM C-24, the American
hard surface, followed by dry hand­ Drive, Chicago, Ill. 6060 1), which does Society for Testing and Materials, to see how
burnishing on flat steel). Some of us had a go testing, publishes information on installing different chemicals and caulks affect the
with the sharpened plane, and agreed that insulated glass and maintains an intra-trade elongation, tensile strength, cohesion and
the Japanese pull stroke was freer and more rating system. (Sigma evaluates the products adhesion of primary sealants. "All the
powerful than the traditional Western push. of their members and rates them A, B or C. companies know how to test for
Ishakawa exhibited superb craftsmanship The manufacturers can use these grades in compatibility, but there is disagreement about
and set everyone at ease with his engaging their advertising, but one carrying a C rating where to draw the line," Box says. "If the
manner. It was easy to see why he had been wouldn't be likely to.) elongation of a primary sealant is reduced by
such a welcome guest in Benson's On one attempt to reach SIGMA, I got the 1 5%, people disagree if that's okay or not. All
shop. -Mark A lvarez name of Al Sanford, of GE. Sanford told me caulks affect the elongation some." Also, over
that the manufacturers of primary sealants time the results may change. In one test
Caulk compatibUity scare publish lists of compatible glazing during the first month, the polysulfide edge
During the winter and spring of 1 98 1 , word compounds, and they will send them out if seal was gummy because of the solvent
spread through the construction trades that consumers ask for them. He said, "You're not migrating in. In six weeks, after the solvent
all insulated glass units are not sealed with right in assuming that if a caulk works on had diffused and evaporated, the edge seal
the same material, and that a caulk one unit it will work on all. To say. 'As long was back to normal.
compatible with the edge seal on one unit as you don't use oil-based caulk, you're all I was pleased that I was finally able to
might react disastrously with the black goop right; makes some assumptions about the ferret out this much information, but I was
on another. Such a reaction would destroy specific chemistry of the caulk." astounded at how long it took. What about
the insulating value of a glass unit by letting I finally reached Tom Martin, chairman the owner or the small contractor who is
air circulate between the two panes. of SIGMA's technical policy committee, who installing the glass tomorrow, has had no
I had a hard time tracking down these said, "As a broad general rule, a caulk courses in chemistry and doesn't have a
rumors. It was tough to find people who containing more than 4% oils or solvents budget for long-distance calls?
knew their stuff. I made 1 5 or 20 phone calls should not be used in contact with an Each insulating glass unit should be
around the country, back and forth from insulating glass-unit edge seal. If such glazing accompanied by a list of glazing compounds
insulating-glass manufacturers to sealant compounds are applied above continuous and their degree of compatibility with the
suppliers to caulking companies. There was glazing shims, this contact will be prevented." edge sealant. The format could be similar to
a lot of buck passing, but with each call I In today's market, says Martin, the silicone oil-filter boxes, where lists of appropriate
gained a little more i nformation and learned sealant used as a secondary sealant of dual­ vehicles are displayed in a small area.
to refine my questions. seal units is superior to others under extreme For the long term, we should push for more
Unfortunately, a builder can't rely on the temperature cycling and ultraviolet radiation, accountability from top to bottom. For the
manufacturers for labeling their products as and is also more resistant to adverse effects present, we must be especially cautious. The
to caulk compatibility. Our wholesaler puts a of glazing materials. chemistry of caulks and sealants is constantly
sticker on the two outside panes in each case SIGMA is a proponent of dry glazing, which changing. Unless you want to spend your
of insulated units he ships. The stickers warn is still more appropriate in heavy construction life reading trade journals, assume that any
against using oil-based caulks next to the than in small contracting jobs. The two chemicals are incompatible to some
edge seal. But when the units were delivered organization recommends the use of a shim degree. -Dale L. McCormick

16 F I NE H O M E B U I L D I N G
 Thls W&H
MOlder Pla.ner I
Will Add
versatility
And ECOnOmy
TO Your Workshop

Versatile - Because it does

so m a ny jobs so easi l y: base­
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d o l l furnitu re, an d m u c h more.
C o n v e r t s f r o m m o l d e r to
p l aner i n two m i n utes.
Economical - Because it
does the j o b o f several too ls.
E l i m i nates m a c h i n e shop set­
ti ng. H e l ps cut the cost of re­
LET THE SUN SHINE IN .. . Skylights offer a striking and inexpensive way to
i m prove your day time living. Pleasant, efficient, overhead day-lighting will
sto r i n g o l d h o m e s . b u i l d i n g
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transform dull rooms into bright, cheerfu l , much more livable space. Each c o ns tr u c t i o n a s s u r e s l o n g ,
V e n t a r a m a bri ngs d e f i n i t e s o l a r w i n t e r h e at- g a i n w i t h n a t u r a l a i r­ trouble-free l ife.

Please write for free literature.

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plumbing . . . to too ls to books
THIS HALF CAPE is available in an architectural to you-name- i t . . . we have H a n d feed a n d powerfeed
package with two and three bedroom floor plans.
what you're looking for ! Send models ava i lable. sta rt i n g from

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A P R I L / M AY 1 982 17
 / < . �-

In seven i s sues, we've written about everything from We can't repeat these ideas and s t i l l keep up with the
expanding a kitchen t o moving a house. And the ideas changing world of homebuil ding. So we keep all our
keep coming. Exciting, workable ideas you won't find b ack i ssues in print . That way, you can always get
outside the pages of Fine Homebuilding. hold of the articles you want when you want the m .

1 FEBRUARy/MARCH ' 8 1 Staircase Renovation,

Solo Timber-Raising, On-Site Shop, Four E le­
B rick, A Matrix of Design Variables, Hybrid
Trombe Wa l l Additions, Passive Solar Thermo­
tion, Contracting Your Home, Fonth i l l , Troub le
Spots in 1 9th-Century Framing, Ground-Fault
ments of Designing, Site-Bui l t Solar Collectors, siphon, Rebuilding a Modern House, Florida Protection, Rhode Island Stone-Ender, House of
Gentle Stripping, Venting the Plumbing System, Cracker House, Redwood Turret. Steel and Salvage, Home Access for the Handi­
Molding and Casting Materials, Peaking Over a
Flat Roof, Mass ive Passive, A Greek Revival 4 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER ' 8 1 Rebuilding a Fire­
capped, Keeping Termites Out of Your Home,
N 62FL-Airplane House.
Restoration, Redwood C lassic, Building by the
Book, Igloo.
Damaged House, Tools for Timber Framing,
R.M. Schindler's Kings Road House, Capping a 7 FEBRUARy/MARCH ' 8 2 B u i l ding a Curved

2 APRILIMAY ' 8 1 Restoring a Porch, Bernard

Maybeck's Wal len II House, A Large House on a
Foundation, Renovating a Chimney, Estimating
Construction Costs, Framing an Open-Plan Salt­
box, Dis tributing G reenhouse Heat, A Modular
Wal l , Shaping Compound-Curved Sills, Expand­
ing a Kitchen Step by Step, Sizing Roughsawn
J oists and Beams, An Island Retreat, Batten
Limited Budget, Passive Cooling, Waterproof­ Home, House of Steel. Doors, Earth Shelter on Cape Cod, Working wi th
ing Earth-Sheltered Houses, Round Log Con­ G reen Wood, Buying Green Lumber, Tax Shel­
struction, Upgrading Your E lectrical Service, 5 OCTOBER/NoVEMBER ' 8 1 Moving a House, ters, Getting a Building Permit, A Russ ian Fi re­
The Point of Repointing, Tab le-Saw Molding, Rebuilding an Addition, Making Curvil inear place, A New Facade, Attic Venting, A Silo House.
Hands-On Down East, Custom Kitchen Plan­ Sash, Bow-Cot and the Honeymoon Cottage, Re­
ning, Sculptural Studio Addition, Cord wood s toring Brownstone Facades, Wood Founda­
Masonry Sauna. tions, Understanding B u i ld i n g Regu l a t ions, To order any or all back issues, send your

3 JUNE/JULY ' 8 1 Formal Entryway, Landscap­

Ageless Adobe, Building a Contemporary Adobe
Home, Solar Site Evaluation, Truss Frame Con­
name, address and $3 per copy ($4 in Canada)
to The Taunton Press, 52 Church Hill Road,
ing for Energy Efficiency, Frank Lloyd Wright's
Jacobs II House, Form-Based Stone Ma sonry,
On-Site Carpentry with a Circular Saw, The
s truction, Concrete Log Cabin.

6 D E C E M B E R ' 8 1 1J A N U A R Y ' 8 2 Cooperat ive

1 ·800·243· 7252, and charge your order to
or MasterCard (Connecticut residents call
VISA
Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. Or call toll· free,

Septic Tank Revealed, Rumfordizing Brick by C raftsmanship, Classical Style in a Porch Addi- 1 -426·8 1 7 1 ).

back issues of F I N E H O M E B U I L D TauInton PNres PublG.

ication A

18 FINE HOM EBU I LD I NG

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E m er y v i l l e , C A
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PURCHASES OVER
( E xcept A l ask a & $500

H a wa I I )

A P R I L / MAY 1 982 19
 CALENDAR
Calendar lists workshops, lectures, shows and confer­ Minnesota Greensboro. Contact Nancy Baird, Dept. of Housing
and Interior Design, School of Home Economics,
ences of direct interest to home builders and renova­

for the Aug./Sept. issue, June 1.

tors. The deadline for the June/July issue is April J; Solar construction for building professionals­
workshop on the design, construction, detailing,
pricing and marketing of passive solar buildings.
U NC-G, Greensboro, N.C. 27412; (919) 379-5472.

Colorado April 2 1 -22, Minneapolis/St. Paul. Contact the

Sunrise Builders School, Route 1 2 1 , Grafton, VI,
Oregon
Log-building classes-beginner's course, April 4-16
Energy auditing seminar-sponsored by the Asso­ 0 5 1 46; (802) 843-2285. and May 2-24; roof structures, April 18-23 and
ciation of Energy Engineers, May 1 3- 1 4, Denver. May 1 6-2 1 ; finishing techniques May 23-28. Contact

Rd., Suite 340, Atlanta, Ga.

Contact AEE Energy Seminars, 4025 Pleasantdale
30340; (404) 447-6452.
New Mexico
Adobe building course-basic construction, laying
Legendary Log Home School, Box 1 1 50, Sisters, Ore.
97759; (503) 549-7 1 9 1 .
up a wall, home tour, passive solar heating and cool­
House building classes -April 13 to June 3, Tues. ing, plumbing, wiring and plans. May 24-29, Albu­ Selling Your Work - Series o f lectures b y artists,
and Thurs. evenings, Boulder; April 19 to .June 9, querque. Contact Southwest Solaradobe School, c/o artisans, interior designers and architects. July 2 1 to
Mon. and Wed. evenings, Denver. Seminars on financ­ Adobe Today Magazine, Box 7460, Old Albuquerque Aug. 25, Wednesday evenings. Contact Sharon Mar­
ing the owner-built project, April 1 7 and May 22; es­ Sta., Albuquerque, N. Mex. 87 1 94; (505) 842-0342. cus, Curriculum Director, Oregon School of Arts and
timating costs, April 24 and May 29; timber-frame Crafts, 8245 S.w. Barnes Road, Portland, Ore. 97225.
construction, May 1 ; earth-sheltered housing, May 8;
acting as your own contractor, May 1 5 . Colorado
New York
Workshops in early American crafts-basic cabi­ Pennsylvania
Owner-Builder Center, 1 636 Pearl St., Boulder, Colo. netmaking, May 1 7-2 1 ; architectural and ornamental Transformed houses -Photographic exhibit of ver­
80302; (303) 449-6 126. stonecutting, June 7 - 1 0; box gutters 1 790- 1840, nacular architecture in American urban areas,
June 14- 15; slate roofing and repair, June 18; early owner renovations and the products and practices of
Workshop-site-built solar collectors, April 1 7. Con­ 1 9th-century painting and graining, June 2 1 -25; the home-improvement industry. April 10 to May 9,
tact Domestic Technology Institute, Box 2043, Ever­ timber framing, July 12-14; moldings 1 780- 1850, Chandler Ullmann Hall, Fine Arts Dept., Lehigh Uni­
green, Colo. 80439. July 1 5- 1 6; paneling 1 780- 1840, Aug. 23-25; window versity, Bethlehem.
preservation, Aug. 26-28. Eastfield Village, Box 145
Connecticut
Energy lectures and seminars-using wind
R.D., East Nassau, N.Y. 12062; (518) 766-2422. Rhode Island
Exhibit-Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Archi­
power, April 2, Audubon Center, Fairfield; movable Specifying for preservation and restoration­ tectural Drawings, 1825- 1 945, May 7 to June 1 9, Bell
window insulation, April 9, Glastonbury Medical seminar for architects, engineers, contractors, Gallery at List Art Center, Brown University, 64 Col­
Center, 1 3 1 New London Turnpike, Glastonbury; in­ owners and others engaged in preservation and res­ lege St., Providence; Rhode Island Historical
troduction to passive solar heating and cooling, toration, April 23, Marriott Inn, Marriott Dr. at Car­ Society's Aldrich House, 1 1 0 Benevolent St., Provi­
April 1 6, Audubon Center, Fairfield; passive solar rier Parkway, East Syracuse. Contact Dick Singer, dence; and Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of
retrofits and conservation, April 1 7, Audubon The Construction Specifications Institute, Suite 300, Design, 224 Benefit St., Providence.
Center, Fairfield. Connecticut Audubon Center, 2325 1 1 50 1 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202)
Burr St., Fairfield, Conn. 06430; (203) 259-6305. 833-2 1 60. Vermont
Infrared scanning seminar -evaluation and appli­
Florida
Next Generation of Housing Technology -confer­
Low-cost underground and cordwood masonry
workshops -lectures, hands-on sessions, house
cation of infrared scanning equipment to detect heat
losses in buildings. April 1-3 and May 1 3- 1 5 . Contact
ence, April 26-27, sponsored by the National Insti­ tours, July 1 0- 1 1 , July 1 7- 1 8, July 26-30, Aug. 7-8, Paul Grover, The Infraspection Institute, Hullcrest
tute of Building Sciences and the U.S. Department of Aug. 1 4- 1 5 . Contact Robert L. Roy, director, Earth­ Dr., Shelburne, vt. 05482; (802) 985-2500.
Housing and Urban Development, Orlando. Contact wood Building School, RRl , Box 1 05, West Chazy,
NIBS, 1 0 1 5 Fifteenth St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, N .Y. 12992; ( 5 1 8) 493-7744. Two-week building courses -beginning May 30,
D.C. 20005; (202) 347-5 7 1 0. June 20, July 1 1 and Aug. 1 : design/build program,
Restoration technology workshop-April 22-24, design intensive program, professional program
Maine
er-builder
Own classes -energy-efficient house
Snug Harbor, Staten Island. Includes
polishing and gilding, problems in architectural res­
French­ (hands-on construction for architects and other de­
sign professionals); 12 courses in all. Yestermorrow,
renovation and solar retrofit, April 12-23; passive toration, new restoration techniques. Contact Snug Box 76, Warren, Vt. 05674; (802) 496-5545.
solar design for professionals, April 24-25; energy­ Harbor Restoration Shop, 9 1 4 Richmond Terrace,
efficient house building, May 3-2 1 ; energy auditor
training, May 9- 1 5 ; timber framing, May 24-28.
Staten Island, N.Y. 1030 1 ; (2 12) 448-2500. Wisconsin -
Extension courses historic preservation and
Cornerstones, 54 Cumberland St., Brunswick, Maine City Dwellings and Country Houses - Robert energy conservation, April 15; owner-built housing,
0401 1 ; (207) 729-5 103. Adam and his style. Drawings, furniture and silver April 1 5- 1 6; cost management in building design,
by a late 18th-century Scottish architect and de­ April 29-30; practical applications of earth-sheltered
Building class-April 1 2-30. ,.T he Shelter Institute,
38 Center St., Bath, Maine 04530; (207) 442-7938.
signer, to April 1 1 . Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 2 East
9 1 St., New York.
architecture, May 6-7. University of Wisconsin­
Extension, 432 N. Lake St., Madison, Wis. 53706;
(608) 262-206 1 .
Massachusetts
Renewable energy workshops-solar green­
The Mayor's House -Gracie Mansion and other
dwellings. Exhibits of paintings, prints, photographs, Canada &
houses, April 3; advanced solar greenhouses, April 1 7 maps and furniture documenting the mansion's past. 82 Homes Gardens Show -April 2-4, Esquimalt
and May 8 ; wind energy, April 1 7 ; superinsulation re­ To June. New York Historical Society, 1 70 Central Sports Centre, Victoria, B.C.
trofit, April 24; energy-efficient design for new con­ Park West, New York.
struction, May 1; solar retrofitting your house, May 8;
solar domestic hot water, May 1 5 ; t hermal shutters North Carolina Overseas
Energy tour to France - includes visits to solar fur­
and shades, May 22. Berkshire Community College, er-built shelter course -passive solar design
Own naces, a solar village and a photovoltaic/wind
Room 201, Melville Hall, Pittsfield. Contact Alan
Silverstein, Center for Ecological Technology, 74
Nort h St., Pittsfield, Mass. 0 1 2 0 1 ; (413) 445-4556.
phant, New Homestead School, Route
N .C. 28906; (704) 837-8873.
I,
and low-cost techniques, May 2- 1 5 . Contact Mike Oli­
Murphy,
energy site. April 29 to May 9. Contact Jordan Ed­
ucational Travel Services, Jordan College, #60
Pine St., Cedar Springs, Mich. 493 19; ( 6 1 6) 696- 1 1 80.
W.
Michigan
Alternate energy course-wind/solar/domestic
Problems in hous ing-graduate course, covers op­
tions for housing, increasing energy efficiency
Architectural conservation study tour to Eng­
land -May 1 6-29, in conjunction with the Asso­

Group, Jordan College, 360 W.

hot water, April 3, Detroit. Contact The Energy

Springs, Mich. 49319; (616) 696-1 180.

Pine St., Cedar
through passive and active solar systems and site ori­
entation, land-use policies, financing alternatives.
June 15 to July 2, University of North Carolina,
ciation for Preservation Technology and the Univer­
sity of York (England). Write Heritage Enterprises,
Box 298 Sta. B., Ottawa, Ont. Canada K I P 6C4.

20 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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------------------- ----- - A P R I L / M AY 1982 21
 FINE HOMEBUILDING
APRIL/MAY 1982 No. 8

Sticks and Stones

A house handbuilt from red cedar and basalt
in the Pacific Northwest

by Sebastian Eggert

h e voice on the telephone inquired, "Would

you like to help build a stone house on the
Olympic Peninsula? You know, in Washington
its frequent seismic shakings. A call to the local
building department gave us two particularly
important guidelines for rock-wall construction
State?" It was Rick Hayton, a designer and in this earthquake-prone area. First, the foun­
builder who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. I had dation had to be connected to the rock wall
worked on and off with Rick for about six with sections of rebar, 3 ft. on center and pro­
years, and knew him well enough to expect jecting at least 3 ft. into the stonework. Second,
weird phone calls and unusual requests. I quick­ the wall had to have bondstones. At 1 40 lb.
ly said yes, but didn't know at the time just how per cu. ft., a manageable rock is roughly 1 ft.
challenging the project would be. When I saw square by 3 in. or 4 in. deep. Consequently, a
his drawings, I wished I'd said no. wall; as thick as ours would actually be two
Rick had designed a compact house with a walls built side by side. The bondstones are
truncated rectangular floor plan (drawing, be­ large enough to span the full thickness of the
low), to be notched into a south-facing hillside. wall; they work as ties to keep the two walls
The north and west walls were to be a curving from pulling apart. The building code requires
mass of rock 2 ft. thick and 22 ft. h igh at the that bondstones be placed every 3 ft. on center,
peak. The south and east walls would be almost both horizontally and vertically.
entirely glass, inviting the sun's rays deep into Another i mportant consideration was the
the interior of the house. weight of the structure. At the highest part of
Inside, a spiral staircase and a cylindrical the wall, we calculated the combined load of
stone chimney would be strong points of visual the walls, roof, and floors to be close to three
interest and essential structural elements as tons per linear foot. This is a staggering load,
well. Each would carry heavy steel brackets to and the soil survey told us that for most of the
secure the fan-shaped patterns of the rafters. foundation, footings would have to be 3 ft. wide
The layout would require precision work with and 2 ft. thick, reinforced with three #4 rebars,
wood, steel and 200 tons of irregular stone. I two at the bottom and one at the top. A founda­
was more than a little apprehensive, but Rick tion width of 3 ft. would allow us room for mud
was convinced we could do it. sills, and the inevitable variations in the rock
The Olympic Peninsula is a region known for wall. The cylindrical chimney would be built on

Second-level plan
Casement-window
thermal shutters

Fi replace

I First-level plan
A P R I L / M AY 1 982 23
 a monolithic concrete pad, bristling with ver­ midity, temperature and moisture content of wall for plumb by dripping water from a
tical rebar for a solid connection with the the sand, variables we just couldn't control. sponge adjacent to the wall on windless days.
cinder-block and concrete core of the chimney. We mixed our mortar in a 2-cu. ft. cement We erected the scaffolding on the inside of the
mixer, and passed the prepared mud to the wall, where the appearance of the stonework
B uilding with basalt-Efficient stonelaying scaffold in 5-gal. joint-compound buckets. was most important. We doubled up 2x4s for
requires rocks in many different shapes and There we dumped the bucket loads onto ply­ uprights, and used 2x6s for joists and 2 x 1 2s for
sizes. Squarish blocks for framing window and wood mortar boards. We liked 1 2-in. bricklay­ planking. We cross-braced the scaffolding with
door openings are essential, and if they aren't ing trowels best for moving and spreading l x4s, and added plywood sides to the planking
included in the random selection delivered to large quantities of mortar. Their wide blades to keep rocks from falling from the top. Small
the site, they have to be hand-picked at the carry plenty of mortar, and their pointed tips rocks were passed up in buckets, and large
quarry. We were lucky to be just three miles help to work it into the irregular surfaces. For rocks were handed up one at a time. We were
from a local quarry, and spent many hours applying small amounts of mortar, we used all aware of the danger of tools and materials
there selecting the square-cornered blocks we 5 �-in. pointing trowels, which are just smaller falling as the wall went up, so we instituted a
needed. Although the quarry's shaker mill sep­ versions of the bricklaying trowels. fifty-cent fine for anyone who dropped any­
arated the rock into different sizes, the "one­ Laying up the wall, we chose rocks that fit thing from the scaffolding. The money went to
man rock" we ordered came to us as anything well with the rocks under them, and tested the refreshment fund. When we heard any­
from small chunks to boulders that three of us them in place without mortar. Slight projec­ thing drop, we'd yell " fifty cents!" The guilty
together could barely move. tions that prevented a close fit were knocked party had to cough up the change on the spot.
We discovered immediately how different the off with the chisel edge of a brick hammer. While the wall builders struggled with their
local blue-black chunk basalt was from the Cat­ Sometimes the rock broke where it was hit. burden, the chimney crew began building the
skill Mountain bluestone we were used to. Sedi­ Other times it shattered along unseen fissures, stone cylinder. In addition to housing the open
mentary rock can be quarried in such unvary­ leaving a pile of chunks to use somewhere else. fireplace on the first floor, the cylinder was to
ing units that it requires little mortar to set in Quarried rock has been blasted, sorted, contain a bedroom fireplace on the second
place. The Olympic Peninsula igneous basalt stored and transported, all of which contribute floor. Structurally it would serve to support the
was so irregular that it required a surprising to a thick layer of dust and sometimes caked-on roof and second-floor deck; it was fitted with
amount of mortar to pack the jagged voids be­ mud. Mortar won't stick to dirty rocks, so we numerous beam and rafter brackets. To keep
tween the rocks. soaked each rock in a bucket of water and the weight down, we used lightweight cinder
The same overlapping principle used in hosed and brushed it off before it went into the blocks for the chimney's structural core (draw­
bricklaying applies to building with stone. The wall. We removed dried mud with long-bristled ing, facing page). In the mortar between each
joints between the rocks should never occur di­ wire brushes. Then we laid the clean rock in block, we placed masonry ties to connect the
rectly over one another, and the stones should position on a mortar bed thick enough to ooze outer layer of rock to the chimney. The ties are
be arranged in interlocking patterns that take out slightly around the edges when the rock corrugated metal strips, % in. wide and 4 in.
advantage of their natural hollows and projec­ was pushed into place. If it was a hot day, we'd long, which project into the mortar joints of the
tions. The mortar should be thought of as pad­ spray the wall occasionally with a fine mist to rock veneer. Like the bondstones, the ties pre­
ding, not glue, and small chunks of rock should keep the mortar from drying out too quickly. vent two adjacent walls from pulling apart.
fill the frequent odd spaces. Gravity is the When it had begun to set up (usually in about We laid rock eight to ten hours a day for ten
ultimate test, and the stones should be able to four hours), we pointed the edges with a �-in. weeks, and escaped without permanent physi­
stand as a unit-with or without mortar. caulking trowel. In general, if the mortar wants cal injury. Caring for your body is an important
We used a mortar recipe of one part lime, to fall back out of the joint while pointing, it part of this kind of heavy work. A bad back can
three parts portland cement, nine parts washed hasn't set up enough. If it's hard to pack and spoil all the fun, so we always lifted the heavy
masonry sand and plenty of clean water. The tends to crumble, it's too late. stones with our legs bent and our backs
lime gives the mortar a plastic quality, allowing Pointing cleans up excess mortar and also straight. We wore loose-fitting jeans, which
it to hold its shape, yet still stick to vertical sur­ forces mortar back into any voids between the allowed easy squatting without splitting seams.
faces. Like the perfect martini, the perfect mor­ rocks. We wire-brushed the previous day's joint­ Our hands suffered considerable abrasion, so
tar is an elusive mix: It must be able to hold its work each morning while it was still green, we used skin lotion daily, and avoided handling
shape with a minimum of slump, yet elastic before we fired up the mixing machine. The mortar like the plague. When moving rocks up
enough to be squeezed into the irregular cavi­ brushing gave the joints a pleasing, consistent to the scaffolding we wore gloves, but they
ties between the rocks without crumbling or texture, and removed any misplaced mortar. were too clumsy to wear while laying stone.
dribbling out. The volume of water in our mix We laid up stone from the footing to as high For windows and doors, we built simple
varied from day to day, depending on the hu- as we could comfortably reach, checking the wood forms to keep the rough openings within

The evolution of a structure: Below left, the perimeter foundation and upper levels. The single pole at the right is the center of the spiral stair­
chimney footing have been poured. At the northeast comer of the house, a case. Right, the last of the red cedar beams has been bolted into the
concrete-block basement is under construction. Center, the chimney has brackets in the masonry wall and chimney cylinder, and the roof is ready
been built, and the floor and rafter brackets can be seen at the middle and to be sheathed. Photos: Sebastian Eggert.
 Designing around the site
When we first visited our client's property, we
were struck by the lush natural beauty of the area.
Concrete c h i m ney This portion of the Pacific Northwest has a climate
that comes as close to a temperate rain forest as
any region in the Northern Hemisphere. The dense
Plywood form ( left in place) fog that often blankets the land creates an aura of
Flue tile mystery. In designing the stonework for our client's
house, we tried to make shapes that would evoke
this mood of brooding uncertainty and heighten
the setting's natural sense of drama.
Given our background in landscape design, we
conceived a plan for the property, within which
the house would be integrated as a landscape
R a f ter-bracket ring
element. Thus the building's major features were
established on our site plan well before the floor
plan and functional details took shape.
We decided early on to have two stone walls
running through the property, roughly
perpendicular to each other. From the east, one
wall would border a scenic approach path. From
the south, the other would edge an access road
routed inco'nspicuously to the rear of the site. The
stone arms would converge on the site, rising and
assuming the hill's pitch as they ascended the
slope. Just below the crest of the hill, having
reached a height of 22 ft., the walls would join in a
1 2-ft. radius arc and become the north and west
walls of the house. Broad-leaved evergreens
planted at the base of the walls would soften the
abruptness of the stone as it rose from the ground.
To the south and east, the house looks out over
meadows that slope down to a natural depression,
which we planned to make into a pond. A section
of the low western stone wall running alongside
the driveway could expand into a bridge and dam
f i replace for the pond. The upper expanse of the meadow
would be seeded with wild flowers, willows would
be planted by the pond, and crabapple and cherry
trees would complete the major landscape
additions. To date, however, only the house has
been done, but the owners hope to complete the
entire landscape plan some day.
Cradled by the two long stone arms where forest
and meadow meet, the house has its masonry back
to the woods and to bad weather. In good
weather, the large windows, which face south and
east, catch the sunlight and let the stone wall
To build a chimney that supports function as a heat sink for solar radiation.
the roof and second story, a block We chose local red cedar as the second structural
foundation was laid on a concrete material, both for its durability on the outside and
footing. Upper and lower fire boxes
for the warm earthy tones it takes on when oiled.
are encased in concrete, and circular
courses of block form the core of the We decided that all the structural woodwork would

with·#4
cylin der, which is tied top to bottom
rebar. Stone veneer was laid
up and attached to the block with
be exposed on the interior. This meant joining
beams and h eaders without evidence of fasteners
(except for those held by steel brackets), and
masonry ties. sanding and oiling all wood surfaces. For
convenience in construction and for a more
substantial look, we decided that all wood should
be milled to full (not nominal) inch dimensions.
For the grace it lends to the overall scheme,
quite often we like to use curves where a plan
might ordinarily have a right-angle corner. In this
Steel-cone damper extension case, we rounded the opposing northwest and
southeast corners and decided to place a major
structural element concentric with each-the stone
arc has a cylindrical stone chimney, and the glass
wall, a cedar-pole spiral stair. The whole plan had
the look of a one-celled animal that just had
undergone division of its nucleus. We tried to work
complementary curves into other aspects of the
design. The boundary between the oak and slate
floors, for example, curves around the chimney
and the spiral, then sweeps into the kitchen and
past a sliding glass door in the north wall.
Given the smallness of the house, an open plan
seemed the best arrangement for the ground floor.
The bedroom and bathroom upstairs have a full
clerestory exposure. The bedroom fireplace has a
raised hearth. The area directly below the
bedroom, with its lower ceiling, carpeted floor and
pot-belly stove, is a cozy sitting room, a nice
Structural chimney cylinder contrast to the openness of the front area.
-Richard Hayton and David Zatz

Il ustrations: Frances Boynton

 prescribed tolerances. Two lengths of 3h6-in. by
Rafter-bracket layout 6-in. angle iron, welded back to back, served as
headers (detail drawing, below). The headers
The roof framing plan called for 4x6 cedar rafters radiating from the chimney to the stone wall
rest on leveled mortar pads, which were al­
(drawing, below). Rafter *1 is perpendicular to the wall and slopes down to the chimney cylinder
lowed to set up before the steel was put in
at a 4: 1 2 pitch. Subsequent rafters change angle and height as they follow around the arc.
place. Laying stone over the headers required a
On the-chimney cylinder these beams were held by brackets welded onto an eUiptical steel
band, which we embedded in the chimney's stone veneer so that bracket *1 projected at a 4 : 1 2
run of fairly symmetrical rocks and some deli­
pitch. The connections between the rafters and the stone wall were made by individually placed
cate balancing. Rocks were set in mortar on op­
brackets. To lay out this puzzle, we turned to string lines.
Before building the wall, we laid out reference marks on the foundation and plumbed up from
posite sides of the welded steel flanges, and
then weighted down with loose stone. When
them to locate the position of the chimney brackets, and wall brackets * 1 and *7. The height of
the mortar had hardened, we expanded the
bracket * 1 was determined by the rafter's 4: 1 2 pitch. With brackets * 1 and *7 in place, we ran a
wall back to its standard thickness.
taut string between the bottom of bracket *1 and the point at which the rafter plane intercepts
The steel brackets that join the structural
members to the stonework are an important
the wall at bracket *7, establishing the plane on which all the rafters would lie.
I found the midpoint of the string, where rafter *4 crosses it, and placed the end of a straight,
element of the overall design. Mounting the
rafter·length 2x4 in the *4 chimney bracket. Carefully holding this jig stick above the string at
beams in recessed pockets in the stonework
the center mark, we jockeyed wall bracket *4 into position following the angle and pitch of the
would have been adequate, but the brackets
give an added measure of safety during earth­
stick. As soon as the *4 bracket was secure and the mortar dry, I reset the string to connect the
quakes. These brackets also work as decorative
three installed wall brackets. Again dividing the span of the string, this time in thirds, I set the
remaining four brackets in the wall using the jig stick as a guide. -S.E.
elements, accenting junctures between wood
and stone. We kept them simple, with a gener­
West ous saddle for the beam, and length enough to

� Rafter-bracket layou t
secure them about halfway into the stonework.
Short lengths of Yz-in. rebar, welded horizontal­
ly on the hidden ends, secure the brackets dur­
ing an earthquake (drawing, bottom).
Elevation Before we began construction, we plotted the
exact location of the beam, rafter and joist
S t ring l i n e
brackets. When the wall reached the proper
height above the footing, we located the refer­
ence points on the foundation, plumbed up to
the correct height and set the bracket in the
S tone wall stonework. The beam brackets were easy to
locate, but the chimney rafter brackets were a
different story, explained in the box above left.
Plan Finally we could see the end of the stone­
work. The wall was 22 ft. high, and acrophobia
was setting in when we leaned over the wall to
point the outside joints. After the last rock was
Foundation of stone wall
in place, we smoothed off the top of the wall
with a crowned mortar cap to prevent water
Header section from collecting on the top of the wall. Mortar
at all doors and windows
caps will crack if they dry too quickly, so we
3/w i n . by 6-i n . angle iron welded together kept ours covered with wet burlap and plastic
sheeting until it set up.
When the last of the mortar had set, we gave
the whole business an acid wash. We suited up
in rubber boots, heavy rain gear, filter masks,
gloves and goggles, and equipped ourselves
with long-handled brushes. After soaking the
stonework with plenty of water, we brushed a
dilute solution of hydrochloric acid and water
over the entire wall. The mixture smoked and
fizzed furiously, bubbling greenish foam until
the acid was neutralized by the mortar. The
acid bath cleans the mortar smears off the
rocks (heavily caked mortar has to be chipped
off) and leaves the stone its natural color. It also
y,-in. rebar (#4) helps even out the texture of the mortar joints.
As we took down the scaffolding, we caught
an unobstructed view of the stonework. With
the sun low in the sky, it looked more like an
ancient ruin than a house under construction .

rebar C losing in-The autumn rains weren't far off

when the stonework was completed, so we
quickly turned to the framing. We had red
cedar beams, posts and rafters rough-cut by a
Rafter bracket
one-man mill for $200 per 1 ,000 bd. ft. Even in
1977, this was a good price for structural

26 F I NE H O M E B U [ L 0 [ N G
lumber. For another $50 per 1 ,000 bd. ft. we
had the lumber planed to exact dimensions.
The framing included a lot of challenging
intersections, among them a simple, yet sturdy
and attractive, rafter-to-beam joint in the living
room. Here, we marked the location of the 4x6
rafters on the 6x 1 2 beam, and cut a I-in . deep
mortise for each rafter. When the beam was
positioned, we secured the rafters with a single
1 0-in. by Yz-in. countersunk lag bolt angled in
from above.
On the eastern edge of the living room is a
circle of 6-in. diameter poles. These poles have
several functions. They support the two levels
of roofs, and contain a spiraling, oak-treaded
staircase to the upstairs bedroom. At their tops,
the poles are joined to rafters and beams by a
curved steel bracket similar to the one em­
bedded in the stone cylinder.
After the framing members were installed,
we decked the roof with 2x6 tongue-and­
groove stock, which we butted to the stone
wall. We waterproofed this junction by cutting
a I-in. deep notch into the stone with a mason­
ry blade, a few inches above the roof surface. A
copper counterflashing overhangs the step
shingles that were woven into the perimeter of
each course of cedar roofing.

Refinements- When the house was closed in,

we discovered that a fire in the see-through
fireplace would smoke disconcertingly at times.
The fireplace had a high crown to the damper,
an adequate smoke shelf and a straight run of
l 2-in. flue, 20 ft. long and extended well above
the roof level. The three-sided fireplace in the
bedroom never had this problem, so we tempo­
rarily closed off one side of the downstairs fire­
place. This eliminated the smoking, so we
blocked up one side permanently. Evidently, a
change in air-pressure caused by opening a
door was the source of the problem.
After extended periods of rainfall, we noticed
some minor seepage through the stone wall. A
close inspection of the mortar cap revealed
some hairline cracks, so we sealed them with a
heavy layer of tar. As an extra precaution, we
sprayed the entire stone exterior with a silicone
compound. The seepage stopped.
The floor area of the house is quite small, but
the way the spaces blend gives the home a feel­
ing of spaciousness. At night, the expanse of
glass on the main floor reflects the interior
lighting like mirrors, multiplying the sense of
volume. Notched into its cedar grove and
cradled by its curving stone wall, the home
radiates an uncommon sense of shelter. 0
Sebastian Eggert, a designer and general con­
tractor, lives in Port L udlow, Wash.

Welded brackets of 3j,6·in. steel (above right)

connect rafters and beams to staircase poles.
The curving pattern in the oak and slate floor,
right, traces the circular shapes in the plan. The
deep grey slate is set in mastic on a particle·
board sub floor. The random·width oak floor·
boards were chosen for their irregular color
and grain patterns. At the far end of the room,
the circular staircase carries the 6x l 2 beam and
its let·in rafters.
 Hung Walls
An effective way to insulate
post-and-beam buildings

by Pat Hennin

E st-and-beam construction is popular for a

variety of reasons. It is a traditional technique,
and its long history can lend a new house a
surface, vapor barrier, insulation, sheathing
and siding are outside. Weather can never
reach the framing, and the heavy timbers be­
tion. In addition it maximizes snow-load resis­
tance, helps keep the vapor barrier warm and
discourages ponding at the roof's edges.
sense of sturdy permanence. The exposed come a part of the house's thermal mass, tem­ To build a double roof, deck the rafters (usual­
framing is handsome. And for the owner­ pering the heating and cooling peaks. ly 4 ft. o.c. for a timber-frame house) with full­
builder, post-and-beam is often an inexpensive Floor space lost to insulation in standard dimension 414 boards. The underside of the
way to frame up an entire home, either be­ framing (60 sq. ft. in a 24-ft. by 36-ft. house with decking will be the finished ceiling, and the
cause local mills sell beams for less per board a stud wall 6 in. deep) wastes $ 1 ,800 at a con­ rafters will be exposed on the inside. Next
foot than stick framing lumber, or because a servative $30 per sq. ft. All this space is re­ cover the decking with 4-mil or 6-mil poly­
chainsaw mill can convert trees on the site to covered using the hung wall. It's also hard to ethylene sheeting, cutting it a foot or so long so
timbers. Once the heavy frame with its long beat this system for maintaining a complete it can be draped later over the vapor barrier at­
spans is up, though, a serious question arises. In vapor barrier, and it virtually eliminates con­ tached to the wall. Now put a second set of
a building without stud walls, how do you in­ densation sweating, because the polyethylene rafters, 24 in. o.c., over the decking, toe nailing
stall your insulation? sheeting is well insulated from the outside and every other rafter through the decking into a
We have developed several systems at the close to the inside warmth. rafter below. Upper rafters that fall between
Shelter Institute to deal with this problem. The lower rafters should not be nailed to the deck­
"
most effective one is the hung wall, which is A double roof-The hung wall can be sus­ ing because the nails will show througll tbe
suspended from the house's rafters and filled pended from the rafter tails of almost any roof, underside of the boards. The rafters are ri\ade
with insulation. It can be built to accommodate but we like to use the double roof shown in the secure by nailing �-in. plywood or 22-ga. steel
as much insulation as you want to use. The drawing on the facing page. Like the hung wall, gussets to both sides of the rafter pairs where
heavy timbers are inside, and the interior wall the double roof gives lots of room for insula- they meet at the peak.
At the edges of the roof, we project ladder
rafters perpendicular to what would have been
the next-to-last common rafter and add a barge
to the ends of these. They overhang the side of
the house and will easily carry the weight of
the side walls. To insulate the corner itself, we
build a box of 1 x6s that is suspended from the
first ladder rafter and filled with fiberglass insu­
lation. Choose upper rafters deep enough to
hold all the insulation you want to use. The up­
per rafters are then sheathed, and roofing ma­
terial is applied.

Hanging the walls- Nail I-in. vertical boards

to the top beam or to the solid blocking be­
tween the lower rafters, and to the first floor
header and sill. Be sure their good sides are in,
because they will form the interior wall,
although they can later be covered with dry­
wall, built-ins or the like. You won't want to be
catching glimpses through cracks of vapor bar­
rier or pink fiberglass, so the wall boards
should either be dry enough not to shrink, or
be shiplapped % in. to % in. Fasten your poly­
ethylene vapor barrier outside this wall so that
the extra foot of vapor barrier from the roof

Hung walls and double roof insulate Hennin's

timber·frame house, photo left. Grouped fixed·
glass window units on south and west walls get

sealed against heat 1088

the most from the winter sun; at night they are
by Astrolon insulating
curtains (see box, p. 30). The drawings on the

ing hung walls and setting In

facing page show the basic technique for mak­
single windows.

28 FINE HOM EBU ILD I NG

 2 x l 0 upper rafters 2 f t . o . c . , every Plywood o r
other one toenailed to lower roofers
rafters below

Lower rafters 4 ft.

8 x l 0 top plate

Polyethylene barrier
Boards will form
imerior wall and ceiling.

8 ft. 0.G. typ ical

Ladder rafters

2x6s to carry s i l l
a n d lower s i d i

It-impregnated sheat hing

F i berglass insu lation

2 x 6 bottom plate

I nsulated corner box

6- i n . long, 1 Y,- i n .
angle i r o n of Ys- i n . steel Hung wall with double roof
A P R I L / MAY 1 98 2 29
 aren't chemically stable, and some types may
Insulating curtains. Hung walls filled with i nsulation can go a long way toward
keeping your house warm, but what should you do about your windows, which sit there with a
lose insulating value over the years. Fiberglass
costs about four to ten times less per R than
value of R-I per pane? The typical double-glazed solar house can trace 50% of its heat loss to night other insulations, and is a good choice.
radiation and conduction through its south-facing glass. Thermal shutters can raise the windows' We usually use 4x8 asphalt-impregnated (AI)
resistance value by about 4. sheathing because it's both permeable enough
Another approach, and one that's simpler for existing houses, is to use reflective curtains. These
to let moisture breathe out and soft enough to
can i ncrease the total window system's value to about R-5, cutting window heat loss by about 50%,
form a good wind seal when it's nailed to the
and the annual heating bill by about 30%. Such curtains, which can be covered with fabric, work in
hangers with 1 %-in. roofing nails. It's also easy
two ways. First, they reflect i nfrared energy back into the room i nstead of letting it pass out
through the windows. Second, they trap a layer of air next to the window, and inhibit conductive
to notch around the upper rafters.
heat loss. They are also good vapor barriers and keep the warm, moist inside air from condensing Once the AI sheathing is in place, nail verti­
on the glass. These curtains usually roll down from the top, and one way to seal them effectively is cal board-and-batten or board-on-board siding
to the top and middle blocks, and to the bottom
a I
to use I x3 shutters, which hinge closed and are held with magnets (drawing, below). At the bottom,
Y.,-in. dowel or a metal rod will hold the curtain down snugly. All the materials listed below work
well. We've noticed little difference i n their performance. -P.H
2 x6 finishing board. Use l Od nails. The battens
or second layer of boards should be nailed with
8d nails, 1 2 in. on center.
G lass
Material Wilind.th1
Window coverings: what they cost

($Costyd.501 (sCost
q.$.04ft.1 Openings-Windows and doors can be in­

' ..
I
A l u m i nized polyethylene
Mylar 565856 2.3.1.025000 092211
stalled individually between the hangers, or
grouped and raised into place as a unit. When
:' I
C u rtain Astrolon
5454 you're installing individual windows or doors

� 1 05.3..065005 9537
Astrolon VIII
Foylon (for more on working with fixed glass, see
44 38 4.40 Bdth, Maine
Warm W i ndow
Window O u l l t
Willdow O u i l l on rollers
custom
custom
Astra/on IS dls[n/Juled by The S/leller insl/(ure, Center Sf.,
pp. 42-43), you have to be sure that the hangers
can support their additional weight. We use
2 Yz-in. split-ring connectors to attach the tops of
04Oh5I3O04 266 op . PO981 59.75, Olp., 350Vr 053081288 SAf,pRraovpenflddre,
Fay/on IS made IJY DUraCQle C
For mformatlon on Warm Wmdow, wnw
NE, Sedf {le, Wash
Technology C r Box
N Diamond

Wmdow QUI!l IS made IJY

Bra{{/eboro,
Lake Cfly Wa y the hangers to the rafters, and bolt 1 Yz-in. angle
iron between their bottoms and the 2x8
header, as explained in the box below. If a win­
dow has exterior siding below it, the outer 2x6
blocking beneath the sill will carry its weight.
will hang over it. If any leaks develop in the for the quantity of insulation you want-in Grouped windows and doors are raised in
roof, the water will run down the roof poly and thickness to carry your sheathing, and in their framework between sections of hung
outside the wall poly, which should extend length to reach from the rafters down to the wall. They can be raised conventionally, with
below the sill. Your insulation may get wet, but sill. Nail 2x6 horizontal blocking on 4-ft. verti­ glazing flush to the edge of the house platform.
your framing will stay dry, and you won't have cal centers between the hangers as nailers for This results in the windows and doors being set
any leaks inside. the sheathing. For instance, vertical boards can in from the siding of the hung walls. Alterna­
If, instead of standard transparent or black be roughsawn 1 x6s with 2x6s every 8 ft. where tively, their vertical framing members can be
poly, you use aluminized polyethylene or poly­ the horizontal sheets of sheathing butt. notched and hung over the edge of the plat­
ester to double as a heat-radiation barrier, The tops of the vertical boards should be form. This brings glazed surfaces and doorways
staple it up with its shiny side out, so the house notched for 2x6 or 2x8 blocking, which is end­ close to the plane of the exterior walls. Both
looks wrapped in foil. Then nail 1x3 horizontal nailed through the 2x rafters. These blocks, methods work equally well, and the choice be­
strapping 2 ft. on center to create the airspace supported by the notched hangers and the tween them is an aesthetic one. We have found
that is needed for radiation. rafters, will carry the weight of the exterior that indented windows have the effect of bring­
The skeleton of the hung wall consists of ver­
tical boards (hangers) attached to the side of
siding. Finish the bottom of the skeleton with
horizontal 2x6s.
ing the outside in . 0
each upper rafter tail with 1 0d nails or split-ring Insulation goes between the hangers. Rigid Pat Hennin is the founder and director of the
connectors. These hangers are sized in width foam boards are easy to apply, but they all Shelter Institute in Bath, Maine.

Split rings and angle iron

These are two connectors that an owner-builder can fabricate whenever
extra strength is needed. A split-ring connector is designed to hold two
pieces of wood together better by holding onto more of each piece. We
Y,- i n . deep g roove in wood make ours out of Ys-in. steel tube of various diameters, and usually cut
them I in. long, with a narrow slice through the wall to accommodate
B o l t and washer
expansion and contraction.
To use a split-ring fastener, cut a '/,-in. deep circular groove in both
boards with a hole saw and set the ring in it, with half of its length
protruding. The other board's groove fits over this projection, a hole is
enlarged through the center, and the whole thing is held together with a
Assembled bolt, a washer and a nut.
joint
Angle iron is great for connecting boards or posts perpendicular to
S lice through wall each other. You can get it in 22-ft. lengths from any steel wholesale
outlet (check the Yellow Pages). A length of 'Is -in. by I '/,·in. by I '/,-in.
angle iron weighs 27 lb. and costs us $8.66 ($.39 per ft.). We usually use
6-in. lengths as fasteners, so this comes to 44 of them at $.20 each-a
real bargain. You can cut angle iron with a $3.50 metal-cutting blade
that fits any 7 Y.,-in. circular saw. This process throws out hot sparks, so
be sure to wear goggles. -P.H.

30 F I NE HOM E B U I LD I NG
 Raising Heavy Timber
Tools and tips for maneuvering big beams

by Trey Loy
w' en there were many gigantic redwood
and fir trees in the Pacific Northwest, huge logs
were m illed into massive timbers to build saw­
splitting the end of the handle. The upper part
of the collar is fitted with two eyes through
which a bolt passes to secure a large steel hook,
in our timbers, but the new wounds were hard­
ly noticeable among the old scars.
Ramps are great back-savers for moving logs
mills, bridges, wharves, warehouses and build­ shaped like a fishhook, which swings parallel to or timber to a higher level. To load a truck use
ings for heavy industry. Lumber 12 in. square the pole. If you want to move a beam laterally, two stout planks at least 3 in. thick and wide
was common, though larger beams were also swing the peavey so the hook digs into the side enough to walk on and place one at each end of
sawn. (The largest piece I've seen is 1 8 in. of the timber and place the pointed end on top. the truck bed. Roll the timber over and over
square and 42 ft. long, but the old-timers say Lifting and pulling on the handle pivots the with peaveys, walking the beam up the ramp. If
they milled bigger ones than that.) The joinery timber. It is easy to flop the timber over and the luck of the day left you with only one
of these structures was simple, relying on steel over until you get it where you want it. If you peavey, tie a rope to the other side of the truck
pins, bolts and plates for strength. hook the peavey into the end of a timber, you bed, run it around the center of the timber two
Today, many of the big-timber buildings are can make a dead lift. or more turns, then back to a person standing
dilapidated beyond repair. Often the owner just A sweet william, sometimes called a timber on the bed. The turns of rope act like a contin­
wants to get rid of the old wreck, so salvage packer, is similar to ice tongs, except that the uous lever. As one person pushes with the
rights can be obtained before the wrecking hooks are suspended so they swing and swivel peavey, the other pulls on the rope (drawing,
crane is called. Salvaging any material is sound from a steel collar fastened to the center of a top of next page).
economy, and in recycled lumber there are 6-ft. wooden handle. The tongs grab opposite Rollers under a timber make light work of
some terrific finds like clear, tight-grained red­ sides of a timber, and the scissoring action moving a beam end first. Firewood-size logs
wood, and well-seasoned fir that is suitable holds the timber firm. Two workers can lift the work fine on rough ground; on the smooth sur­
even for fine cabinetry. Used lumber, cleaned end of a beam for carrying or help drag a load face of a ramp or subfloor we use lengths of
of paint and grime by rough-planing, sandblast­ up a ramp. These tools left some deep gouges 2-in. pipe. You alter the direction of travel by
ing, and wire-brushing, reveals a new and rug­
ged complexion that's quite pleasing to the eye,
with nail holes and blemishes adding character.
Using a peavey in the end grain, you can either push orlift
a heavy timber. For lateral movement the
hook digs into the side of the beam, and leverage is applied through the hardwood handle.
We recently built a house using timbers pur­
chased before it was designed. The timber had
framed a navy warehouse in Eugene, Ore.; we
bought 2 ,400 linear feet of Douglas fir 1 2x 1 2 s
i n 1 0-ft., 20-ft. and 30-ft. lengths, and 9x 1 8s 3 2
ft. long. Many pieces had several coats o f paint,
and others were covered with dirt, grime and
grease. The lumber was roughsawn and box­
cut; its width sometimes varied more than an
inch from one end to the other, and many
beams were twisted along their entire lengths.
Wide checks had further distorted dimensions.
Broken nails and the torched ends of pins pro­
truded from the surface-nasty stuff to work
with. We pulled most of them with a nail puller
and a crowbar. After the house was framed, we
cleaned the exposed surfaces with a portable
sandblaster, keeping the nozzle moving to
avoid gouging grooves in the earlywood.

Moving and raising timber-Maneuvering

heavy posts and beams is no great task if you've
got a crane or boom truck. But the four of us on
this job didn't have access to any such large
equipment. So we used a few old-fashioned but
effective tools: a peavey, a sweet william, a
pulley, a ramp (inclined plane) and a gin pole.
A peavey is a stout hardwood pole, usually of
ash or maple, about 6 ft. long and hollowed at
one end to receive a pointed steel pin (photo,
right). A tapered steel collar keeps the pin from

A P R I L / M AY 1 982 31
Using a rope as a lever
tapping the roller askew; the timber follows the butt of the pole by nailing two pieces of lumber
When you've got only one peavey, a few turns of
rope around the center of a timber will rollers' path. on the floor in a V-shape, or by digging a shal­
create the leverage you need to work it The posts for this house were light enough to low hole in the ground. Then lay the gin pole
up an inclined plane.
be carried by three men using a peavey and a over the X, with its butt end resting in the
sweet william. Once on the sub floor, we man­ chock. Raise it to about 7 5 °, with the tackle
handled each post into an upright position, plumb above the X. This will keep the load
plumbed it as well as possible, and braced it from rubbing against the pole during the lift.
with 2x4s nailed temporarily to the stem wall The main guy line should run in a straight
and to stakes driven into the ground at right line behind the pole. Stretch the side guy lines
angles to the building's face. We moved heavier out to either side of the pole, slightly behind the
pieces onto the subfloor by rolling them up a chock. The farther from the pole you anchor
strongly braced 2x8 ramp, using a wedge of the lines, the smaller the angle of pull, which
wood behind each roller as a brake to prevent means less force is needed to raise and secure
the timber from rolling back down. the pole. We usually fasten the main line at
Though we tried to put the lumber we'd need least 1 00 ft. from the pole and the support lines
first on the top of the pile, invariably the timber at least 50 ft. away. Loop the lines around
we needed was at the bottom. At those times a something stable, like a tree or solid framing,
Lever and fulcrum
You can maneuver huge timbers with the proper lever and fulcrum came in handy. Using a lev­ or drive stakes in the ground at an angle away
application of leverage. er, it's best to have the load on the other side of from the pole. We use 2-in. steel pipe 4 ft. long,
the fulcrum so you are pushing down with your driven 2 ft. into the ground with a maul.
weight to raise the load. With the load between The main guy line is run to its stake and
you and the fulcrum, you have to lift up, and given a couple of turns around the pipe or an­
that's the kind of lift that can bust something chor. The side guy lines are secured with a knot

FUIC:��:�:�:��=-����
First pry up one end, with the fulcrum between
you and the weight.
loose inside. For levers we used steel bars, the
peavey, and lengths of lumber. By prying up
the end of a beam so it is slightly raised and
slipping a block of wood underneath as far
capable of retrieving slack called a trucker's
hitch (drawing, facing page, top). The pipe and
the loop of the hitch act like two pulleys, and
though there is some friction, this method
toward the middle as possible, you turn the makes it easier to haul the pole up. In fact, the
-' -!; . _ -- beam itself into a lever. I'm always amazed at friction works to keep the load from slipping
the small effort needed to seesaw a half-ton of back when the lines are held together.
wood back and forth. By alternately placing ful­ On our job, one of us manned each of the
crums of increasing height on either side of the three lines and a fourth worked the pole, lifting
balance point, you can raise the beam higher the end of it over his head and walking toward
and higher, as shown in the drawing at left. the butt. After the pole reached about 45°, we
With the fulcrum at the balance point, the tim­ raised it the rest of the way with the lines alone,
ber can be swiveled in a new direction . as the fourth man made sure it didn't slip out of
the chock.
The gin pole-To raise the top plates, ridge When the gin pole is nearly in position, untie
beams and rafters into place, we used a gin the lower block and holding the falls (the rope
. . _.-:-::':-;:-:.�-.-:;:-·f �-- - � �­
. - ---=-�-_::� Larger block pole. This is an upright pole with three guy
lines for support; a block and tackle hung from
you pull on) firmly with one hand, attach a
weight to the lower block hook (we used a
Press down on the end of rr;b
the ti er itself, insert the top does the lifting. A gin pole works only chunk of timber) for a plumb bob to center the
a larger block, and so on. for vertical lifts and must be repositioned for block and tackle over the X.
Once the tackle is
every piece, but it can be moved around the plumb, draw the guy lines taut, secure them,
site easily by two workers, though four are re­ and double-check everything. Tie off the lower
quired to raise loads. You can set up the gin block again to keep tension on the pole. Now

-' - . _---..:=..•-:...- :�: BIC;�':..::.......,.- ---

:.=

Once the timber is high enough you can rotate

it on a fulcrum block set under its center.
k i n g i n center
pole anywhere there is a solid place for its butt.
Our pole was a fir sapling 22 ft. long, straight,
true and measuring 4� in. in diameter at the
butt and 3y:! in. at the top. We passed a %-in.
steel pin 18 in. long through a hole drilled 1 ft.
roll the timber in place, positioning it with its
mid-section over the X.
Lifting-It took quite a bit of time to prepare
for each lift, and because of the size of the tim­
from the narrow end to serve as a yardarm for bers, some days we got only one rafter into
The gin pole has been raised, and the trucker's place. (The gin pole can work well and quickly
the rigging; a loop of chain hung over the top of
hitch on one guy line is being tied off. The tackle
that will raise the timber is dropping straight the pole and resting on the yardarm supported to raise lighter weights like standard ridge­
down from the yardarm. A 'Xs-in. braided steel the upper block of the block and tackle. When poles). We tried to maintain an even pace, with
cable supports the pole from the rear. we moved or set up the pole, we ran out the two of us preparing the rigging and two work­
lower block and tied it to the bottom of the ing on the next piece. Dealing with these tre­
pole. The guy lines are spliced with eyes that mendous weights requires teamwork. First we
slide over the pole and rest on the yardarm. We chained the timber to the lower block hook.
used �kin. braided steel cable 1 20 ft. long for Those of us who had to lift used our legs, and a
the main guy line directly supporting the pole short countdown was called out so we could
(cable won't stretch) and two lengths of �-in. heave in unison. As two of us hauled in on the
rope 1 00 ft. long for the side guy lines that posi­ falls, the other two guided the timber into place
tion and brace the pole. with tail lines tied to the ends of the timber. It's
To set up a gin pole, first find the balance easy to swivel the beam in an arc and rock it
point of the timber to be raised, and then deter­ like a seesaw to maneuver it around stuff that is
mine where this point will be after the piece is
in place. Directly under this imaginary point,
already in place. D
X
mark an on the floor or ground. Four or five Trey Loy is a carpenter. He lives and works in
feet back from the X, make a chock to hold the Little River, Calif.

32 FI N E H O M E B U I L D I N G
 Tying the trucker's hitch Take the free end
of the rope around
3
Truckers often have [Q tighten loads down on
ffa tbeds. This hitch, a modified slipknot, lets them the post and back
do it quickly without a lot of trouble. It comes in through the third
handy any time you have to snug up a line that's loop, formed by
fastened at one end. the other two.

2
Insert the second loop
within the firsl loop,
crealing yet a third.
Snug things up a bil.

Pulling on the free end wtfl first tighten the

hitch, then move it toward the post, pulling
4
1 Make a loop with a double twist
in the section of the rope leading
the guy line taut. Be sure both [Q start the
hitch far enough away from the post and to
leave enough slack In Ihe line as you begin
to the gin pole - the rope's standing to lie it. When you're done, lie things off
part. Make another loop below with two half-hitches in the free end around
the first loop. the doubled rope between post and hitch.

Setting up the gin pole

/ '/. . - I n braided steel cable

2- i n . steel pipe, 4 I t . l o n g ,
d riven 2 I t . i n t o g r o u n d

/-\ +
At least 50 f t .
[he burt and 3Y, 4Y,
22-f[ long fir pole, In at
in. at Ihe top,
sits in hole In ground.

How strong? A civil engineer calculated for us some of the do so unless force surpassing the buckling strength of the wood is
applied. The buckling point for our clear fir pole is 2,145 lb., and
diameter pole 20 ft. long leaning at an angle of 770• ft.
forces working on the gin pole and rigging. He considered a 3 %·in.

block and tackle is 1 ,000 lb. The main line, which is 100
The load on the
long, keeps
theoretically it could be used to lift timbers as heavy as 1 ,
might work, but when we raised the 3 2 -ft.
9x18 ridge beam weighing
800 lb. It

the pole from bending toward the load and has to resist a force of around 1 ,400 lb.-I hauled on the block and tackle with my ' 5 1
288 lb. The resultant force of the cable and the load on the pole is Plymouth-the gin pole twanged like a freshly plucked guitar string. To
calculated to be 1,088 lb. The force trying to kick the pole out of its
chock is about 270 lb. The force on the side guy lines is negligible, but
exists. Thus the gin pole carries most of the burden and will continue to
surfaced 6x6 of clear-grained fir 20
strength of 22,000 lb. - T.L.
ft.
lift heavier loads a stouter pole and stronger rigging are required. A
long, for example, has a buckling

A P R I L / MAY 1982 33
 Hanging an Exterior Door
From framing the rough opening to
mortising for hinges, installing a door
requires patience and precision

by Jared Emery

A n exterior door has to fit its jamb tightly,

though not so tightly that it causes a shoulder
separation when you try to open it. You'll have
door to a median dimension that will accommo­
date seasonal changes in the wood.
The rough opening for the exterior jamb
with the sill planed and the stop in place. Or
you can make your own.
First give the jambs a primer coat and then
few problems if you're using a prehung door­ should be framed in larger than the door by the assemble the frame, using waterproof glue and
one that's already fitted to its jambs. But if your total thickness of both legs of the jamb plus three 1 2d casing nails through each side jamb
roughed-in opening is an odd size or you want � in. on either side for shim space. For ex­ into the head. To avoid splitting the wood, don't
to use your own special hinges, say, or you ample, a 3-0/6-8 door with a jamb made from nail within about � in. of the jamb edges.
want jambs made out of something other than I-in. stock would require a rough opening of Square up the frame and then nail the sill in
stock pine to match your casings or paneling, 39 in. wide and about 82 in. high. place the same way. Finish by driving two 1 6d
you may want to hang your own door. This can The legs and head of the jamb should be I -in . casing nails through each corner of the head
be an awkward and frustrating task, but getting thick. The sill should be of 6/4 stock. These and the sill into the jambs.
the proper fit is largely a matter of cutting the units are available unassembled, prerouted Next you have to prepare the rough opening

Rough framing Door in place Ys - i n . clearance

f--....."rr-
Rail
Stiles
Center of center
Panel
hinge halfway
between

Header
centers of
other h i nges
f-_----10
36 i n . to
center of
16d casing nails
every 12 in. to
. -...L..
l l ln. lockset

16 in. attach
jamb to rough
Trimmer framing. Hinge side detail

Door-stop rabbet
Stud

clearance

S h i m s scored
and broken flush
Beveling the bottom
of the door
Dra w 7°
line
through mark,

I II
with lower end
1 on inside. Cut

; \
with circular
sa

S u b-floor cut away

and joists notched
to accept si l l

\
1 5-lb.
building felt
lap ped fi rst i n to sill
ope n i n g , then wrapped
a round sides, then header.
Staple it on or use roofing nails.

34 FINE HOMEl:lUILDINC;
to receive the frame. Wrap the studs of the Fitting the door to its jamb-This part of the of the door, and a third one centered between
opening with 1 2-in. to 1 6-in. wide strips of job requires that you carefully measure the the two. If you're using a %-in. thick casing on
1 5-lb. roofing felt for extra insurance against opening and know the tolerances demanded by the inside of the jamb, you should leave � in. of
water infiltration. The sill of the frame must the weatherstripping you intend to use. Of the the hinge leaf outside the mortise. This brings
finish out flush with the top of the finish floor. many types available, the one I like most is the the outside of the hinge's barrel into alignment
In most cases, you will have to cut out at least spring-type weatherstripping. Made of bronze­ with the outer edge of the casing, and allows
the subfloor, and you may have to notch or colored light-gauge aluminum, it has a nailing the door to swing 1 80 0 without running afoul
trim the rim joist as well. surface and a flange that angles back toward of the casing and levering the hinges loose.
the outside, against which the door will close. If For laying out and mortising hinges, the door
Fitting the frame to the opening-The rest you use this material, you should size the door must be held securely with the hinge side up. A
of the job depends on how well you set the � in. less than the jamb width. This dimension door buck is best for this (see the box below)
frame. The two most common errors in this allows Ys-in. gaps at both the hinge and lock though you can brace the door with a sawhorse
work are racking the frame in its opening, and sides. The optimim clearance for the lock stile by nailing a strip of wood to each. First mark
plumbing one leg while leaving the head out of is };6 in., but it's a good idea to leave the door a out the hinge positions and then cut the mor­
level. Once the frame is within the opening, little wide at first, so that any irregularities in tises, as explained on the next page.
level the head by shimming beneath the sill the jamb may be planed into the door after it Next, mount the hinge leaves. Drill the pilot
under the appropriate leg. It's best to use two has been hung. holes for the screws just slightly off center,
wedges when you shim, driving one in from At this point, you should do any trimming on toward the closed edge of the mortise. The
each side. Next, shim the hinge jamb plumb, the hinge side. This will leave a full stile for wedging action of the screw head will pull the
setting double wedges at the hinge locations; mortising the lock hardware. This is especially hinge tightly into the mortise.
drive l ad finishing nails only partway through important if the door has a glass panel in it. When the hinge leaves are in place, the door
the jamb into the trimmers to hold it snugly Having a lock mortise break through the stile can be set into its jamb, wedged up to the cor­
against the wedges. Plumb the other jamb the into a glass panel is guaranteed to be a heart­ rect height and shimmed against the hinge side
same way, add several more shims along each stopping experience. of the jamb. Using a utility knife, score the jamb
side to keep things steady, recheck for square, Finally, plane a 50 bevel on the lock stile, so slightly above and below each hinge. The
then drive and set 1 6d casing nails through the that the leading edge of the door will clear the knife-marks indicate the exact location of the
center of the jambs into the trimmers every angled portion of the weatherstripping. I use an h inge, something a pencil line cannot do.
1 2 in. to 1 6 in. Then remove the l ad nails, electric Rockwell Portaplane; a well-sharpened It is good practice to make the mortises on
which held things temporarily in place. jack plane works well, too. the jamb YI6 in. or so narrower than the mor­
Up to this point, what you've done would ap­ The height of the door should be � in. less tises on the door. This is especially true if either
ply equally to prehung doors or to those you than the total jamb height, for Ys-in. clearance the door or the jamb is to be painted. This dif­
would hang yourself. If you were working with at the head and just enough clearance at the ference in widths allows for the thickness of the
a prehung door, you would already have had to bottom to allow it to close. (The bottom of the paint between the door and the stop and for the
determine which way you wanted your door to door should be cut to fit its weatherstripped expansion of the stop. Mortise the jamb the
swing. I f you're hanging your own, you could threshold later, after you hang the door.) Check same way you mortised the door stile. But
wait this long to decide whether the door will the jamb again for square ness and plumb be­ you'll find it more awkward to do precise work
open on the right-hand or left-hand side. All ex­ fore you do any cutting. on a vertical surface than on a horizontal one.
terior doors open to the inside. If there is a light After the door has been fit to the jamb, it is Always put the pin in the top hinge first, so
switch on the wall, the door should swing away ready to be hung. Hinges should be selected ac­ the door can hang while you catch your breath
from it so someone entering can reach inside to cording to the size of the door. Most exterior and ease your cramped arms and aching hands.
turn on the lights. doors are solid core and 1 % in. thick. Building If the mortises have been cut accurately, the
One of the best kept secrets of carpentry is codes require them to be at least 3 ft. wide. The hinge leaves will line up and fit together. If one
how to determine the "hand" o f a door. This is best hinges to use to support this much weight of them doesn't, though, loosen the screws on
i mportant when you're ordering some lock are 4-in. by 4-in. loose-pin butt hinges. both leaves of that hinge and tap them together
hardware or a prehung unit. Simply stated, with a hammer. Then insert the pin and re­
when the door is closed and you are standing Installing the hinges-Place the top of the tighten the screws.
on the inside, if the knob is on the right, it's a top hinge 7 in. from the top of the door, the bot­ There should now be Ys-in. clearances on
r ight-hand door. tom of the bottom hinge 1 1 in. from the bottom both the hinge and lock sides of the door. But

There are two common ways to hold a door

a Building
i""-"" - -""- - .:=- - ---:..-:..-:::..-::. ::. :: ::. ::.
while you work on one of its edges. Door
bucks work well for me. You can buy these,
but I make mine out of triangles of 2x8 stock,
usually stair-stringer scraps. I nail two of
door buck -
-:::.. - -
- - -:::" -:::" -:..
-:..-:...-:... -
:...-:...- :.. -::.
�:
I
Door

these a door-width apart on a platform of Yz-in. I

plywood long enough to hold the door. Then I I
I I
fasten 2x4 blocks to each comer and in the I
I
middle as legs. The weight of the door deflects 2x4 blocks I
the plywood, pressing the tops of the triangles
against the door. This holds it steady, and you
can take it out with no fumbling around. Door
The other method is to set up the door
parallel to a sawhorse and tack a small strip
of wood to both the horse and the door with
4d nails. A single strip will hold the door, but
this method is a bit more cumbersome than
using a door buck, and the nailed strip gets in
the way if you're planing. -J.E. e:E===�
dging action �====C�We
A P R I L / MAY 1 982 35
 Mortising butt hinges the optimum clearance on the lock side is 7\6 in.
Some carpenters like to trim the door to this
For mortising hinges, many tradesmen like to tolerance before hanging it, but I've noticed
use a router. But with a good butt chisel, a that the general tendency is to trim off just a lit­
hammer and a little practice, you can cut
tle too much. (You can shim out the hinges with
mortises for hinges on a single door 88 fast as
cardboard in this situation, but that's a step I'd
you can with a router. Router setups take
time, and you'll probably have to trim the cut rather not have to take.) There are often slight
with a chisel anyway. So
job with a few hand tools?
why not do the whole irregularities in jambs that have to be accom­
modated, too. I prefer to check the door once
Lay out the mortise firsL The two lines it's hanging, scribe for the 7\6-in. gap, then take
across the grain must be struck with a knife it down again and plane to the line, maintain­
to cut the wood fibers cleanly. The two lines ing the 5 ° bevel.
with the grain-one for the back edge of the
leaf, the other for the depth of the mortise­
Hardware and weatherstripping Next, let
-
should be made with a scratch awl or other
in the lock hardware and apply the weather­
pointed tool. Don't use a pencU only, or you'll
stripping. It is a good idea, when mortising for
get imprecise results, and risk splintering the
wood outside the area you want to excavate. the lockset, to cut the mortise slightly deeper
Detennine the depth of the mortise by than it has to be. This will give you some room
figuring how wide a gap you need be twee
door and the hinge jamb. For an interior door
n the for adjustment if the door needs any planing in
later years.
with no weatherstripping, you may want to cut A high-quality lockset comes with an adjust­
the mortise slightly deeper th� the leaf is able faceplate that can be set to the bevel on
thick, to make the gap neat and minimai. For the door. Less expensive locksets don't, and set­
an exterior door, the mortise wUI be 88 deep
as the leaf is thick. The barr e l of the hinge
should be set out from the door enough 80 ting the lock deeper into the door keeps the
faceplates of moderately priced locksets from
protruding at the lower side of the bevel.
that when the door opens, it clears the casing.
With the layout done, score the wood in Nail weatherstripping to the jamb with the
about %·in. wide increments down the length flange angled toward the outside every 2 in.,
of the layout. Use a sharp chisel 88 wide 88 or using the small-headed brads supplied. The
wider than the mortlse, and hold it at about
45°, 88 shown in photo 1 . With a single blow
spring flanges of bronze weatherstripping have
to be m itered at the corners to fit, and it must
from h amm e r or mallet, cut the wood tissue to
within a hair of the depth line. About 10 of
these cuts should do for a 4·in. butt. The
be cut around the strike plate on the lock side
of the jamb. I nail the flanges down above and
below the strike to prevent excessive wear.
closer you hold your chisel to 90°, the more
There are several satisfactory types of
force required to sever the wood fibers. Do
weatherstripping available for the threshold.

,!II ......._=.. ::------l 3 not at this stage try to cut straight down on
the lines at the ends of the mortise.
Next hold the chisel vertically, so its bevel is
away from the line, and cut the back wall of
The most common is an aluminum saddle with
a rubber or vinyl insert. The saddle is notched
to fit around the door stop, casing and jamb, so
the mortise with a few light taps of the that the rubber insert will lie beneath the door.
hammer (photo 2). If you try mak
to e this cut
before scoring up the wood inside the mortise,
Once the saddle has been fitted and secured to

you will probably split out the wood along the

line, and ruin the whole job. This wUI happen
the sill, the door must be cut to fit.
To find the cut-line across the bottom of the

beca use the stUl·intact waste will not yield and

will force the chisel to act like a wedge
door, set a framing square against the rubber
insert with the tongue of the square against the
instead of a cutting tool.
hinge-jamb leg. This will tell you if the saddle is
Having cut the back wall of the mortise, you lying square to the jamb, and will also give you
should now pare away the scored tissue. a measurement from the rubber insert to the
Begin ahout lfz in. away from one side, index bottom of the bottom hinge.
..... --'4
- the edge of the chisel (bevel up) in the depth
line, and pare straight back to the rear waU
With the door once again lying on the saw­
horses, transfer this measurement to the center
(photo 3). This should not require much force, of the edge of the hinge stile. Then draw a 7°
which means that you shouldn't risk running
the chisel past the rear wall of the mortise.
be sure your chisel is sharp, and that you've
So line through this mark, the lower end of the
l ine being on the inside of the door. Where this
line comes out on the inside, draw another line
scored the wood to the right depth before you
across the bottom face of the door. This is the
begin horizontal paring.
The first cut should give you a nice flat cut-line. If the door has a veneer face, score it
surface the fuU width of your chisel. As shown first with a knife to prevent chipping. Then set
in photo 4, you'll use this surface to register a circular saw at 7° and cut the door bravely. If
the chisel for subsequent cuts to get the whole you're going to paint the door, prime the cut
mortise in the same plane. When you've pared edge at once. If you're going to stain it, do so at
5 away most of the waste, chisel the end waUs
square to the bottom. Again, don't try to make
once and then apply varnish or one of the ure­
thane finishes. Don't let a new door hang for
these vertical cuts until you've gotten the
long without a sealer or prime coat.
adjacent tissue out of the way.
Rehang the door and check its fit. It should
When aU's done, the hinge should fit snugly
close snugly and give slight resistance when it
(photo 5). Another advantage in mortising with
a chisel is that you can quickly make slight is opened. 0
adjustments in the depth of the mortise,
something that would take a lot of fiddling if Jared Emery is a writer disguised as a carpenter.
you used a router. -John Lively He lives in Charlottesville, Va.
 Three Sides to the Sun
Enough light to cast a shadow
can heat this house in the Montana Rockies

by Wink Davis

h e realtor bounced us in his Buick to the

crest of a ridge in the Montana Rockies, crunch­
ing the dry August grasses and wildflowers in
a house there with some solar features. It was
properly oriented, with a bank of windows fac­
ing south, but lacked other elements necessary
relatively mild temperatures (20° to 40°F),
which almost invariably bring snow. When a
storm breaks, it is followed by clearing skies
our path. Gazing down into a gentle, bowl­ for an efficient solar-heated house. Impressed and cold temperatures (- 40° to O°F), and fre­
shaped meadow, we found a site with every­ with the possibilities of solar heating, I read quently by strong gusty winds from the north,
thing we had hoped for-privacy, proximity to everything on the subject I could lay my hands which drive the chill factor even lower. Cold,
town, an open view and a plentiful supply of on, and began to develop my own ideas and to clear and windy weather gradually gives way
firewood. The south-facing slope allowed full work out plans for our new house. We knew to a warming trend, and the cycle begins again.
exposure to the low winter sun, while trees and that living in a passive solar home would be a During periods of extreme cold, the sun is gen­
hills formed natural windbreaks to the east and new experience, so we discussed our needs, erally shining enough to warm a house. Snow
west. It was the perfect site for the passive solar wishes and taboos. We both made concessions: means cloudy skies but also brings warmer
home my wife Nancy and I wanted to build. Nancy agreed to hard tile floors and the neces­ temperatures. Warm and sunny periods are in­
That was the summer of 1 979. We tied up the s ity of operating shutters twice daily in winter, frequent and very welcome.
deal that fall and stood watch on the land and I gave up dreams of an underground house The site and the wind told us to keep the
through the winter, evaluating the sun, snow, with water walls everywhere. (I also gave up house low. I also wanted the winter sun to
wind and shadows. hope that the house would be an ever-evolving shine through the house onto the north wall, so
Before our move to Montana, I was a builder test facility for my solar ideas-Nancy would concrete walls and floors would get maximum
in Colorado, where I had worked on conven­ not live in a science experiment.) direct gain. These requirements call for a nar­
tional homes for several years. We had lived in Winter weather cycles in Montana begin with row house, long on the east-west axis. But a
 2 8·ft. by 1 00·ft. rectangle is hard to work with, spaces between the top of the walls and the ceil­
and not very pleasing in my opinion. ing are either open or glazed to admit sunlight
Our way out of rectilinear thinking came into the northern rooms.
with a visit to the house of friends in Cody, The foundation was insulated below grade
Wyoming, one cold and windy day in Decem· with sprayed-on, high-density polyurethane
ber 1 979. Their house, designed by architect
David Wright, had very much the configura·
I
foam, 3 in. thick at grade, tapering to in. at the
footing, where temperatures are less extreme .
tion, floor space and dimensions we had been Z-shaped flashing protects the exposed edge of
working with. But the long rectangle was bro­ the foam. For i nsulation above grade, we used
ken into three contiguous sections set at 30° to
one another. This variation suddenly leaped
the Dryvit system (FHB #3, p . 8).
After the walls were poured, we screeded
out as the obvious solution to our problems about 4 in. of sand to establish the sub-grade,
with a long, narrow house. At once the unimag­ covered it with 4-mil polyethylene for a vapor
inative shape came alive with possibilities. In­ barrier and then laid down 3 in. of double foil­
ternal spaces related to one another in new faced beadboard rated at R- 1 0 . Two-inch bead­
ways, and sheltered alcoves were created at board at the edges forms a thermal break. Next
the junction of the angles. came 4 in. of sand, in which we laid plumbing
In addition to these aesthetic advantages, the supply pipes and electrical conduit. The sand, an
30° angles solved a fundamental structural diffi­ excellent base on which to pour the 4-in. slab,
culty in passive solar houses. Because window protected the insulation during the pour, and in­
space must be maximized, little room is left for creased the mass of the heat sink. The finished
diagonal bracing, and adequate rack resistance floor is Mexican terra-cotta tile in thinset and
is hard to provide. In this design, the angles on medium-grey grout. The dark red tile absorbs
the south wall transfer racking forces into the heat and provides good conductivity to the 8 in.
roof framing and ceiling decking. of mass below.
The visit to Wyoming also confirmed the via­ The south wall is post and beam. We placed
bility of heating with the weak winter sun in 4 Yz-in. by 7Yz-in. select structural fir posts on 6-ft.
the northern Rockies. A cold front arrived centers along the south wall. These were ten­
about the same time we did, and with the out­ oned at the top into the rafters, and notched to
side temperature around - 1 0°F, we sat down hold the double 2x4 top plate; we also grooved
to tea in their warm, sunny living room. When the posts along their full length to accept tracks
the sun set and chilly air currents descended off for the folding, insulated shutters we were plan­
the windows, beadboard shutters were put in ning to add.
place, and our host lit a fire in the potbelly To expose as much mass as possible to the
stove just for ambience, as the outside tempera­ sun, we put the interior window sill only 8 in.
ture plunged toward - 30°F. above the finished floor. With the sill height es­
tablished, the entire wall was sheathed with
The floor plan-Once we had located our Yz-in. COX plywood. Window frames were fixed
building on the site and decided on the basic to the rough openings, allowing a %-in. by %-in.
structure, we got together with a local designer
and builder, Pete Stein, and produced a floor
I
rabbet to project Yz in. beyond the sheathing.
The wall was then sheathed again in 1 Yz-in.
plan and construction drawings. We located Thermax for an R-rating of 1 2 , and finally with
spaces that need the first morning sun (the kitch­ a layer of roughsawn cedar siding.
en, dining room, office and sunroom) in the west I had dreamed of timber-framing the house,
end of the house, oriented 15° east of solar south but bowed to expediency and built the rafter
(drawing, facing page). The living room and assemblies on site by laminating three 2x
greenhouse face 1 5° west of south, receiving planks. We bolted them together and also used
their best sun a little later in the day. The bed­ construction adhesive for extra holding power.
room wing faces due southwest, catching the The two outside pieces of each rafter are 2 x l Os
late afternoon sun almost directly. and the center is a 2x8, giving a 2-in. reveal
The site plan revealed that the grade slopes below. This design allowed us to use standard
mildly southwest and falls almost 5 ft. between lengths of lumber and to butt-join and splice
the house's northeast and southwest corners. In them to get the 26 ft. needed for the long run.
addition, the natural grade line would be nearly The rafter assemblies are supported with
level across the north wall of the east wing. Ac­ 4 Yz-in. by 7Yz-in. posts at various positions on in­
cordingly, we decided to sink the east wing into terior walls. At the last moment, we decided to
I
the ground 4 ft. and raise grade level ft. at the
southwest corner. This solution would keep the
do away with a freestanding concrete mass
wall at the back of the living room because it
northern profile of the house low, helping to de­ would constrict the space. But in doing this we
flect winter winds, and providing relatively low­ eliminated the central support for the roof
cost insulation for the areas below grade. members in the living room; so I redesigned
In solar houses I think it's important for the ma­ them and made king-post trusses to span the
sonry or concrete mass to serve structurally as entire house. The rafter assemblies and trusses
Top, site·built rafter assemblies support the
roof, providing long spans and clerestories for well as to store heat. The north wall in my design were lifted in place by hand; the north end
solar gain. The rafters were made by sandwich· is poured concrete, which supports the roof, re­ bird's-mouths rest on the wall plates, and the
ing a 2x8 between two 2xlOs, using bolts and tains sheltering earth berms and collects heat south ends slipped down over the tenons to rest
construction adhesive to secure the lamination. from the clerestory windows. Interior mass on both the posts and the top plates. Once the
Above, the post between two windows is ten·
oned to fit into the laminated rafter. The slot cut walls, both poured concrete and cinder block, rafter assemblies were square and braced, we
into the rafter and the post will hold folding support the roof structure, divide the space and extended the roof planes with string lines to de­
window· insulation boards. collect heat. Partition walls are 8 ft. high. The termine their intersections, and measured di-

38 F I N E HO M E B U I L D I N G
 Bending the rectangle to catch the sun
divided into three sections joined a t 30°,
To get the most from the winter sun, this house is
and the
plan follows the topography of the bowl-shaped
meadow. The angled south walls increase the
structural stability of the house and allow
more uninterrupted spans of glass. The
activity areas in the west wing of the
house receive the first morning sun
and soak up solargain in concrete
partitions and tiled slab floors.

��__------ K i ng-post truss

o•o
Mass walls
Oak floors
Carpeted floors

o Tile floors
Supporting stud walls

Floor plan
•

Rafter-to-post assembly
(south waUl

Construction adhesive
/ Post section

4Y2-1 n by 7 Y. - i n . post
Foundation detail

Doveta iled nailing block

---+:..:.....::!...�
�2'1O
for Z - flash i ng
between each member

13
Sprayed urethane tapers
from
to
in. thick at grade
in. at footing. --------I:.;.:.�y
2
b y 4-i n . carriage
bolts, ft. O . c .
Fir
window
frame
%-i n . COX
plywood

1 x rough cedar trim

n. Thermax

3-i n . double foil-faced

high-den sity expande d
polystyren e ( beadboard )
 House performance during the coldest month (Feb. 5 to Feb. 22, 1981) rectly for the two ridge/valley rafter assem­
blies. We bolted opposing pairs of laminated
Date OF -30 -20 - 1 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 rafters together through the ridge and valley

tf- I If
5 Sunny, calm, increasing
Ii ..• members and spaced the rafters 6 ft o.c.

6
cloudiness overnighr
-_. 1-- - .// (I Originally I had planned to insulate the roof

\ (
Cold, snowy, some sun; fire in myself with a 7-in. blanket of Styrofoam, but to
eventng j / insulate such a large area (3,000 sq. fl.) we
7 Snowing a . m . , windy; small fire
g
all day; heavy snow overnt hr
, needed a period of dry weather. It was early

8 I September, raining and threatening to snow

V I
More snow and wind, some when we got to this stage, so I abandoned the

9
weak sun, small fire all da y / first plan. Instead, I decided to hire a contractor
8:37
Very cold and srrong wind,
C I ( {
...
cloudy; fire all day, sunrise to spray 2 in . of urethane over a waterproof
10 4040, 1"--I�iI-'\i".... --- membrane of polyethylene and then to add just

11
Sunny, calm, cold; sun off
house fire in eventnq
Cloudy, weak sun, calm, fires in
early morntnq and eventnq
f-. I ...I.......... 1"'\
-
I / ) under 7 in. of Silva wool (a cellulose product by
Weyerhauser rated at 3.56 R per in.) to bring
the R-value to 40. We toenailed 2x4 furring
12_._- ----------- \
1314
Warm, chinook Wind, cloudy, no
sun; small fire mosr of day
Warm, sun briefly in afrernoon
III );) �l
strips to 2x8 purlins to get the required depth
and provide a nailing surface for the roof deck­
ing (drawing, left). With this system we water­

15
Cloudy, rain, warm, windy; fire
.
m evenmg
Cloudy, warm, calm, weak sun,
Wind increasing in p. m.
1\" /
t ,
proofed the roof in two days. The cost of the in­
sulation and its installation was less than the
price of the Styrofoam alone.

16 Windy, warm, parr/y cloudy,

violenr rain and Wind in p. m. jJI..... \ ,
The project went well, and was finished in
the allotted six months. The only delays were
17 Windy, warm, parr/y cloudy, rain
p. m. ; fire in eventng I
caused by rain and by the eruption of Mt. St
Helens, which rained ash across the landscape
1819 Parrly cloudy, warm, lors of sun "- and brought a Governor's edict that outdoor

('\1\1"'-\-I-�- �
work cease for several days. My role as owner­
Sunny and warm
2021 Sunny and warm
Sunny and warm
1--I--- -- builder, for all its pressures and headaches, was
very satisfying. Since I controlled the budget

22 Sunny and warm ) \

and schedule, I could simplify or complicate
plans and procedures and save money as well
as spend it On-site changes are usually night­
mares for a builder, but in this house I was able
Metal roofing to experiment, and I welcomed new products.
The house ended up costing $55 per sq. ft., in­
cluding all materials, labor and utilities.
gO- l b .

One year later-We've found that enough sun

to cast a shadow can heat the house, although
very little heat gets stored. On such days we
build a fire in the evening, but we don't bother
to bank it overnight because the mass hasn't al­
lowed the living space to cool below 56°F. I
monitored the performance briefly, and plotted
o.C.
the results for two weeks in February 1 98 1 , the
coldest, cloudiest period that winter. Then I
Layered insulation
stopped, when the results (see chart, above left)
confirmed what I suspected.
In that eight-month winter, we burned less
than a cord of wood, about a third of it during
the chilly, wet and cloudy spring, when the out­
side temperatures were generally above freez­
ing but the sun refused to shine. In that kind cif
weather, heat loss is slight, and a small fire
takes the damp chill off the air. We used no
electric heat, and our monthly utility bills ran
about $25.
The house is bright and pleasant, and the
floor plan is convenient. Noise transfer, a famil­
iar complaint of passive solar owners, is the
only significant problem. Because we left the
house open from one end to the other to allow

l,..alGting the roof. Two-by-eight purlins, laid

down over a vapor barrier and separated by
2x6 blocking, provide space for sprayed ure­
thane foam and loose Silva wool insulation. The
two-day job cost less than the original plan to
use rigid foam-board insulation.

40 F I N E HOM E B U I L D I NG
When the owners decided to eliminate an inter­
ior wall, rafter assemblies over the living room,
above, were transformed into king-post trusses.
The open spaces atop the partition walls allow
heat to circulate.

for heat circulation, noise carries freely. In an

effort to remedy this, I installed fixed glass at
the back of the living room, an expensive and
not entirely successful solution to the problem.
To this extent the house is still evolving.
Ironically, passive solar necessitates an active
relationship. You must be prepared to light a
fire, open and close windows and insulated
shutters, put on a sweater when it's chilly and
take it off when the sun comes out. We know
when and where the sun rises at various times
of the year, and we pay close attention to tem­
peratures, precipitation and wind. We have to
be acutely attuned to the changes of season.
For me, the experience of being close to the
natural forces around us is the most exciting
aspect of our passive solar house. 0 A post-and-beam porch shelters the entry at the northwest corner. At grade level, Z,shaped flashing
protects the insulated foundation. Metal rooflng was chosen for its appearance, relatively low cost,
Wink Davis designs and builds passive solar longevity, fire resistance and its ability to shed snow. The material is quickly fastened with seH­
homes in southwestern Montana. tapping, neoprene-washered hexhead screws.

A P R I L / MAY 1 982 41
 Installing Fixed Glass Windows
Double-glazed units that don't move
let in light and heat, but keep out drafts

by Dale McCormick

W ndows have traditionally provided light

and ventilation, but asking them to perform
both functions isn't always wise, especially
Iiir-Y-��--
--Hili-
G lass

Dead a i r space
Dual seal
means more work, but j ambs are independent
of the house's framing, and can be plumbed and
leveled within the rough opening. If you don't
when many of us are installing large expanses use a jamb and attach your windows directly to
of glass on our south walls. Windows that don't the studs, the fate of the glass is wedded to the
open can be sealed more tightly than those that future of the frame. The key to a good marriage
do, and they cut down on the infiltration that is dry wood and accurate framing. Generally,
often amounts to 40% of a house's heat loss. Primary seal fixed windows with jambs look more finished,
Ventilation can be handled by screened wall ( polyisobutylene) but you can also achieve an attractive effect
Edge seal
openings, carefully placed and built to be heav­ ( polysulfide or without using a jamb, if you choose a hand­
ily insulated and tightly sealed during cold hot-melt butyl) Edge seal some wood as the structural material for the
weather. Even if you like movable sash for ven­ Single seal ( polysulfide or silicone) window wall.
tilation, you can intersperse it with fixed panes. Factory-sealed insulating glass
For large expanses of glass, it usually isn't
Dual-seal units are more resistant to
punctures or practical to invest the time and material neces­
Insulated glass-A single pane of glass is a other damage that could destroy the insulating sary to build a jamb for each pane. There are a
value of the air space. They generally cost more
lousy insulator, typically yielding an R-value of and come with longer guarantees.
number of ways to install double-glazed win­
less than 1 . Two spaced panes trap a layer of dows without jambs. One method we often use
still air between them and can cut heat loss in is shown in the drawing at the top of the facing
half. Three panes create two air spaces and cut sicant that absorbs moisture trapped between page. The glass, attached to the outside of the
heat loss even further, but triple glazing isn't the panes of glass at the factory. The glass and studs, is held in place by the casing, which
cost-effective in most areas, especially if you're channel are sealed with either one material or doubles as a stop. We set each glass unit to bear
planning to use some form of insulation inside two (drawing, above). When only one seal is % in. on the studs, leaving a %-in. gap between
the windows at night. The problem with double used, it is usually hot-melt butyl or one of the units if we're framing with nominal 2x4s.
glazing has always been to eliminate condensa­ varieties of polysulfide. Such units are often Manufacturers of insulating glass recommend
tion between the panes while at the same time guaranteed for five years. Better windows have that the units be installed with Ys-in. interior
sealing them to prevent convection from de­ two seals. The primary sealant, a moisture bar­ and exterior face clearance between the glass
stroying the insulation value of still air. Al­ rier, is polyisobutylene. The edge sealant is and the stop. For this, we use butyl glazing tape
though you can build your own double-pane in­ either polysulfide or silicone. Don't confuse any all around, which functions both as a bed for
sulating windows by installing separate sheets of these materials with the glazing sealant you the glass and as a dam to prevent the caulking
of glass in a wood frame, moisture will··invari­ or your contractor will have to apply when in­ from touching the edge seal. Butyl also reacts
ably migrate through the wood, and the resul­ stalling the glass. It's important for the factory with the primary sealant, so keep their edges
ting condensation looks bad and can lead to edge sealant and your site-applied glazing seal­ separated. This is easy if you use narrow tape.
rotting frames. Weep holes aren't a good solu­ ant to be compatible (see p. 1 6). We set the glass on two neoprene blocks
tion-you don't want air movement. I recom­ measuring � in. by 4 in. by the thickness of the
mend buying ready-made double-glazed units. Jambs-A jamb is a frame that holds the win­ unit. These should be positioned in from the
Commercial insulated windows are built of dow and is set within the rough opening in the edge of the window by one-quarter the length
two panes of glass separated in an aluminum side of the house. Fixed-pane windows can be of the glass panes. Last, we caulk with a water­
channel. The channel contains silica gel, a des- built either with or without a jamb. Using one proof material compatible with the edge seal-

Tilt? While you are designing your house or

An aluminum
overheating in summer and snow cover in winter. Also,
addition, you have to decide whether to install your
windows vertically or angle them to accept more solar
glazing system

')'.-i n .
in the summer, when you don't need it, many more Btus
come through glass angled at 60 0 than through vertical
by
radiation. fve stopped using slanted south-facing glass EPDM 2Y.- i n . windows-and vertical glass can be more easily shaded.
except in a few special situations: a space that will be rubber wood On the other hand, there is a very small difference in
used mostly to grow plants; a space that can be closed gasket glazing performance between 60 0 'glass and 90 0 glass during
support
off from the house so that overheating in summ
night insulation in winter are not problems, or a
retrofit of a narrow south porch, where slanting
er and

UGS
December and January, because the low winter sun is
more nearly perpendicular to vertical windows then.
If you do choose to angle your glass, it's probably
the glass from the roof eave to the ground will yield clamping bar best to use a commercial-style aluminum glazing system
more room.
Angled glass creates what is basically a glass roof,
#14 16
hexhead screw
2% i n . long, in. o.c.,
with EPDM rubber gaskets (drawing, left). Aluminum
won't expand or twist as wood does under the extreme
inviting a multitude of problems: leakage, breakage, with weatherseal washer conditions faced by a roof surface oriented south.

42 F I NE H O M E B U I LD I NG
 Window to wall
Window to window
2x4 framing stud Fixed glass
#4 hexhead screw
without a jamb
'/,-in . drywall
3 i n . long, 1 2 i n . o . c.

'I.- i n . by 2Y.- i n .
B utyl tape wood glazing support Casing
acting as stop Sill detail

B utyl tape Caulk Caulk

��;;;;:;:..-
v.in.

'I. i n .

3-i n . drywa l l screw

Neoprene block
'I.-i n . plywood set in
one-quarter
the length of the
window u n i t

Right Clapboards

I nterior casing

R a bbeted jamb
1 Y, i n . by 7 i n .
S i l l detail

Double glazing
Double glazing

- - - - - - - - - - -c.-b-,...".--.
. ....
B utyl tape
% in.

Quarter round 'I. i n .

Exterior
siding
B rick mold
1 Y, in.
Sill

Setting block

Fixed glass with jamb

ant. As shown in the drawing, caulk should act­ casing of movable sash will visually tie the two eled so that rain will run off, and it should have
ually cover an opening, not just be run along a types of window together. a drip kerf to prevent water from running in
crack. Wood should be primed before assem­ Jamb stock should be dry. Pine or Douglas fir along its bottom surface. A groove under the
bly, because many caulks, including silicone, is fine. Redwood is a good choice for green­ sill to accept siding material makes for an
pull away from bare wood over time. houses. Rip your stock to a width equal to the extra-tight installation.
Last summer, we built an inexpensive green­ distance between the interior and exierior fin­ In the shop, rabbet the tops and bottoms of
house this way, using pressure-treated lumber ish materials. You can rabbet your jambs, as the side jambs to accept the head and sill, keep­
to withstand condensation and moisture. The shown above, to produce an integral stop. If ing everything square. Glue and nail them into
greenhouse looks appropriately plain and prac­ you do, the rabbet depth should match the size place with 1 2d ring-shank nails. The finished
tical. We also used this method of glazing on a of the stops that you're going to apply to the jamb unit can then be plumbed and leveled in
sunspace kitchen/family room in a summer outside-usually � in. The width of the rabbet the rough opening with shims under the sill and
house we were retrofitting for year-round use. should be at least 1 in. greater than the thick­ along the side jambs. When you install the
Here we used lauan studs to frame the south ness of the glass, depending on the thickness of glass, use the same clearances and techniques
wall, and lauan exterior stops to hold the glass. the glazing tape you'll be using. An alternative you would in a jambless installation, and be
The result is elegant. It's not the method but the to the rabbeted jamb is to use 5/4 stock (which sure to leave Ys in. between the inside edge of
materials (and the care with which you use is really 1 in. thick) for the jamb and add 4/4 in­ the butyl tape and the interior edge of the rab­
them) that determine how your window instal­ terior stops, which can also act as stops for in­ bet. Brick mold is a good exterior trim treat­
lation will look. sulated shutters. ment, because it closely matches the trim on
For relatively small areas of fixed glass, espe­
cially those that are integrated with operable
Either way, it's best to build the window sill
from 7/4 stock. As shown in the drawing, the
commercially manufactured windows. D
windows, I think it's best to design fixed win­ sill is wider than the rest of the jamb, and Dale McCormick is in charge of building ser­
dows with a traditional jamb that can be made should be designed to overhang the exterior vices at Cornerstones, an owner-builder school
in the shop. Exterior casing that matches the siding by at least 1 in. The sill should be bev- in Brunswick, Maine.

A P R I L / M AY 1 982 43
 Electrical Outlet Boxes
Learn how to choose and install
this basic part of your electrical system

by W. Creighton Schwan

Yo u don't have to be an electrician to install

electrical outlet boxes. Whether you are work­
ing on new construction or an older home, you
along. To obtain a copy of the NEC, write the
National Fire Protection Association, Battery­
march Park, Quincy, Mass. 02269.
single large box, accommodating a series of de­
vices. Generally speaking, rectangular boxes
are used for switches and receptacles, octagon­
can save money and sacrifice neither safety nor Electrical terminology can be confusing. All al boxes are used for built-in lighting fixtures,
performance by installing them yourself. the boxes we'll be talking about are outlet and square boxes are used for heavy-duty out­
Electrical outlet boxes serve three purposes: boxes, but most rectangular ones are common­ lets, such as oven or drier receptacles.
They support the installed light fixture, switch ly called switch boxes, even though receptacles
or receptacle; they protect the fixture and wir­
ing connections from physical damage both
during and after construction; and if any arcing
are more often installed in them than are
switches. The NEC calls them device boxes, be­
cause switches and receptacles are both wiring
Plastic VS.
metal-Although electrical device
boxes were once made only from formed or
fabricated steel, today plastic boxes are used
or fire should occur inside the box, they usually devices. Boxes vary in size, and this determines widely in new construction along with non­
confine it there. The National Electrical Code the number and size of the wires they are rated metallic sheathed cable (NEC type NM, usually
(NEC) has specific requirements governing out­ to carry. Some switch boxes have removable called Romex, a trade name). Wiring to plastic
let box installation; rn refer to them as we go sides and can be ganged together to form a boxes with Romex is quick work, since you

Octagonal boxes are usually used for built-in

"--- C eiling joist lighting fix tures.

K nockout holes ready to receive

cable and connectors

Adjustable mounting
bracket

Square boxes are normally used

for heavy-duty receptacles
. .<'i.rio (#
� ..
" Plastic boxes are cheaper than

Wall-mounted switch box can also be used for

receptacle device.
fr metal ones and designed to be used
with Romex cable.

Removable side for Thickness o f fin ished wall

ganging boxes

'7�

Box i_MIl_tien in new co_ tnu:

tion. Outlet boxes may be plastic or
metal, and come in different shapes-square, rectangular and octagon·
al. Most have integral mounting brackets. The front edge of the box should
be set out from the stud enough to end up flush with the finished wall.

44 F I N E H O M EB U I LD I NG
don't have to secure the cable directly to single lighting may be from portable lamps supplied choice of fixture may dictate some other
switch boxes. The Romex must be fastened to a from receptacles controlled by wall switches. height. Wall outlets are usually 12 in. or 1 8 in.
stud within 8 in. of the box, and the cable Ceiling outlets for built-in lights are usually off the floor. Whatever height you choose, be
sheath should extend at least � in. into the box. placed in the center of the room, but if a ceiling consistent throughout the house.
Plastic is nonconductive, and switch boxes joist happens to fall dead center, shifting the
need not be grounded. Plastic boxes that will outlet a couple of inches off center will prob­ InstaUation-In a wood-frame house, all
hold lighting fixtures must be grounded, how­ ably not be noticed. boxes must be secured to structural members.
ever, just like all metal boxes. Most plastic For horizontal spacing between receptacles, This shouldn't pose a problem, since you'll prob­
boxes have a threaded hole with a screw for at­ apply this NEC rule: ably be able to find a stud or ceiling joist very
taching the ground wire. A final advantage: close to a planned receptacle or switch box.
In all rooms except bathrooms, closets, Most boxes are fitted with an integral mounting
Plastic boxes often cost less than half the price
storage rooms and garages, no point on a
of their metal equivalents. bracket, which allows you to nail the unit to the
wall at the floor line may be more than 6 ft.
It's best to use metal boxes when you are re­ side or face of a stud. The type and thickness of
from a receptacle in that wall space. Each
fitting or adding on to an existing electrical sys­ time the wall is interrupted by a door or
your finished wall determines how you position
tem that has armored cable (BX) or thinwall fireplace, a new wall space is created. Sliding the box. If you put up gypsum board or any
conduit (EMT). Plastic boxes don't have the doors in exterior walls are considered wall other noncombustible wall such as plaster or
knockouts or clamps that BX or thin wall con­ space, and only wall spaces less than 2 ft. tile, the front edge of the box must be no more
duit require. Metal boxes are also compatible wide may be ignored. In the kitchen, wall than % in. back from the finished surface. If the
with Romex cable, and they offer more flexibil­ spaces 12 in. or less may be ignored, but wall is to be wood paneling or other combust­
where counters are interrupted by range tops, ible material, the front edge of the box must be
ity because they can be ganged. Plastic boxes
sinks or refrigerators, the space on each side
can't, though you can buy large, multiple-unit either flush with or slightly project from the
is considered separately. The receptacle
sizes. Whatever material you choose, never surface. You can support ceiling outlet boxes by
behind your refrigerator doesn't count.
buy an electrical box that doesn't have the nailing an integral bracket to the side of a ceil­
Underwriters' Laboratories Inc. mark on it. The height of wall outlets is a matter of per­ ing joist, or by fastening a hanger bar between
sonal choice. Wall switches are usually cen­ two adjacent joists.
Determining box location The NEC re­
- tered at 48 in. or 50 in. above the floor. Be sure If you are installing outlet boxes in an exist­
quires a fixed lighting outlet controlled by a the switch box is mounted on the latch side o f ing house, the NEC allows boxes to be sup­
wall switch in every bathroom, hallway, stair­ any door opening. Wall outlets for bracket ported by the wall alone rather than by a stud
way and attached garage. In other rooms the lights are usually 72 in. from the floor, but the or joist. Your biggest job in this case will not be
installing the box, but snaking the new wiring
through the wall (so you don't have to tear part
of it away). Supporting boxes in old work re­
Mounting bracket quires a carefully cut hole for the box and spe­
is inserted
cial mounting brackets, which can either be
and wall. \
between box
built into the box or attached separately.

Cable-to-box connections-With the excep­

tion of single, nonmetallic switch boxes used
with Romex cable, all electrical cable must be
secured either inside or outside the outlet box
with clamps or threaded locknuts. In each

/' metal box, removable panels called knockouts

leave holes to fit each type of cable, and the
Ears are clamps available with each box can be likewise
bent over in�ide box. adapted. To remove a knockout panel, give it a
sharp blow with a hammer, pry one edge loose
and twist the slug free with pliers.
Box 1n•• II"Iio In
_ .. em ting UJllII.
Cut the hole carefully to fit the box outline, using a sharp util­
ity knife. Then attach the cable to the box and fit the box in place. Slip in mounting brackets along the
Once the knockout opening is clear, you can
fasten the cable to the box with the connecting
box sides as shown, above left. Then pull the brackets tight against the wall and bend the protruding
ears over the box edges, clipping it securely. The face plate will hold it against the wall.
hardware. Romex connectors come as clips,
screw-downs, or threaded locknuts. BX connec­
tors are usually screw-downs, and conduit will
always have a threaded locknut connector.

Grounding- Practically every type of metal

outlet box has to be grounded. Where the wir­
ing is BX cable or metal conduit, the metal itself
T hreaded automatically grounds the box when it's se­
connector cured with the proper cable clamp or box con­
nector. With Romex the separate uninsulated
Clamp
holds cable. -+--4:;"
"L....cJ-.c"«� grounding conductor must be attached to all
other grounding conductors entering the box,
and also to the box itself, either with a ground­
Screw forces ---I--'F-� ing clip to the edge of the box, or to a terminal

Shea thing protrudes

clamp against cables.
screw in the back of the box. 0
slightly beyond clamp.
W Creighton Schwan, of Hayward, Calif. , is an
electrician and engineer. He is co-author of

C"bk-to-box co....ectio ....

A threaded connector for Romex must be fastened to the cable before
being joined to the box by its locknut. You can use screw-down connectors with Romex or BX.
Practical Electrical Wiring (McGraw-Hill, 1221
A ve. of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020).

A P R I L / M AY 1 98 2 45
 A Solar-Powered Cabin
Photovoltaic cells, battery storage and low-demand appliances
bring electrical self-sufficiency to this small vacation home

by Al Simpler

R otovoltaics are silicon cells that convert

the energy in sunlight into electrical current.
The theory behind their operation has been
panels I now use on the cabins I build for cus­
tomers are manufactured by ARCO Solar
(20554 Plummer St., Chatsworth, Calif. 9 1 3 1 1),
understood for some time, and they have been a subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield. The cabin
effective in certain specialized applications, needs at least three panels, each with an output
such as powering electronic equipment in of about 33 watts per hour. I set them side by
space. But using photovoltaic (PV) cells for side, on the south-facing roof of the cabin,
household electricity hasn't yet worked out, whose 3 3 0 inclination is close to optimum for
though. They are expensive, and the number year-round solar absorption in this part of the
of panels required to power an average appli­ country. Each PV panel has two wires leaving
ance load would cost tens of thousands of dol­ it: a positive and a negative. Hooking them up
lars. You'd also need an auxiliary system to pro­ to the four deep-cycle, heavy-duty 1 2-volt bat­
vide electricity on overcast days, during the teries was like wiring a new battery into a car,
night, and under overload conditions. Photo voltaic panels on the roof of this remote but there were more terminals to connect. I
By reducing wattage demand, however, it's cabin power all the lights and appliances. The had to install a voltage regulator between the
possible to use PV panels as the backbone of a solar collector for the thermosiphon water PV cells and the batteries to protect them from
heater is positioned on the ground at left, with overcharging during peak sunlight periods.
small-scale electrical system. My PV designs for
water lines running into the house.
vacation cabins are based on this premise, and The regulator also stops the reverse flow of cur­
they've worked so well that I'm starting to take rent from batteries to panels at night.
on the higher demands of full-time residences. best way to bring electricity to the remote site.
I started to look into photovoltaics about four Having studied electronics during a stint in the Low-energy appliances-Multiplying the
years ago, after buying an island in Lake la­ Air Force, I felt I'd be able to do the wiring for 1 00-watt combined output of the panels by six
monia, near Tallahassee, Fla. There I built a the house and battery storage system. hours of daily sunlight gave me a figure of
small cabin to use on weekends or rent out to 4 ,200 watts of DC electricity generated per
other vacationers. Though the cabin is far from The photovoltaic panels-It took several week. Compared to a house with conventional
the nearest utility pole and accessible only by months to locate photovoltaic panels for my appliances, lighting and outlets, which can safe­
airboat, I still wanted to have an electricity cabin. Finding the proper components was dif­ ly handle wattage demands of 24,000 or more,
source to power a CB radio, tools, a water ficult, because photovoltaic panels are not gen­ my solar-based system is minuscule. Still, the
pump, lighting fixtures, a refrigerator and some erally sold to individuals. Most are manufac­ power requirements for my cabin are usually
other appliances. After seeing a newspaper ad tured for research and industrial use, and I had greatest over a weekend, giving the batteries a
for a marker buoy powered by photo voltaic to convince the companies that I had a reason­ chance to recharge during the week, and I
cells, I decided that a 1 2-volt power supply, able use for them. Once I had them though, never use all the appliances at once. The real
charged by a photovoltaic panel, would be the they took only a few hours to install. The challenge was to find appliances that wouldn't

46 F I NE HO M E B U I L D I NG
 tax the electrical supply, and to develop a way
to monitor power use to prevent total dis­
charge. It's important to know how much juice
is left in the batteries after a full day's use.
Converting sunlight into electricity
For starters, I installed a propane stove. The
20-lb. refill tank is easily transported to and
from the cabin. For the oven, I chose a micro­
wave that draws only 700 watts of power, Top layer contact grid: The forked
busbar and finger pattern offers
about Xo what a regular oven requires. For hot

�
high conductivity while minimizing
water, the cabin has a simple thermo siphon surface coverage.
Ci
heater, with the collector on the ground outside
the house, and a I S-gal. hot-water tank above
the ceiling joists under the roof. The water
pump is a standard �-hp deep-well type, which
Sil icon P-Iayer �
I turn off when the cabin isn't occupied.
For lighting, fluorescent is the best choice.
Equivalent brightness in incandescent bulbs re­
Static P-N ju nction

S i licon N-Iayer
-4
�� '-. .
quires five to six times more power, and incan­
descent light creates heat, an undesirable side
effect in Florida. To save power, I divided the
lighting requirements into two categories. Tiny
peanut lights (available from Sportronics Inc.,
P.O. Box 09045, Springwells Sta., Mich. 48209),
rated at only three watts apiece and located
along the wall paneling, provide minimum Base plate
lighting and use hardly any power. Larger fluo­
rescent tube units give brighter illumination
What we perceive as ordinary sunlight is a very thin zone of static electricity between
when it's needed. Their I S-watt, 1 ,500 lumen
actually a vast collection of photons, minute layers-a barrier that prevents the low-energy
rating (per unit) is equal to that of a 90-watt in­
bundles of energy traveling at extremely high electrons from traveling back to their original
candescent lamp. Fluorescents also last at least
speed. Like miniature bullets, these projectiles position. Instead, they are made to flow
ten times longer than incandescents. of light carry energy-the product of mass through wires attached to both sides of the
I installed special 120-amp lead-calcium, and speed. Upon striking a surface, some cell, and the result is eJectrical current. That's
deep-cycle batteries (the same type used to photons may be absorbed within the atomic why each PV cell has two separate contacts,
power golf carts). They provide direct current, structure of the surface material. This added which are connected to the two positive and
but many of the appliances I planned to use in energy can change the makeup of a material negative wires protruding from a photovoltaic
the cabin would need alternating current: the slightly, especially if that material is a panel. We can get these traveling electrons to
oven, the water pump, a trash compactor, semiconductor like silicon. do work by placing an electrical load (in the
When photons strike a photovoltaic cell, form of a battery, light bulb, or any other
power tools and a hair drier, for example. So I
they cause an imbalance between two slightly DC electrical device) between the positive and
hooked up an AC generator to the battery
different layers of crystalline silicon in a negative wires. A photovoltaic panel consists
pack; it kicks the 1 2-volt DC current up to 'h oo-in. thick sandwich. One layer tends to of many PV cells wired together beneath a
1 1 5 volts AC, which I run to ordinary wall re­ accumulate an excess supply of electrons and protective layer of glazing.
ceptacles. The generator is a new model pro­ is called the N-Iayer (negatively charged). The For more information, see Photovoltaics:
duced by Honeywell that works very well with other layer (P·layer) becomes positively Sunlight to Electricity in One Step by Paul
my DC storage system. It turns on only when charged when bombarded by photons and Maycock and Edward N. Stirewalt ( $ 9.95 from
there is an AC power demand, and then shuts needs electrons to complete its atomic Brick House Publishing Co., Inc., 34 Essex St.,
itself off. Still, using AC is a high drain on the structure. This difference in charge creates Andover, Mass 0180 1). - Tim Snyder

system, especially when motors or heating ele­

ments are being operated. Fortunately these
devices don't run for long periods of time, so
the batteries can recharge between demands. generated by the PV panels, or how much cur­ however, the amp meter will always give a net
The refrigerator posed a difficult problem rent was left in the batteries at any given time. usage figure, so you can get an exact and con­
since it has to operate all week. Most refrigera­ Conventional electrical meters wouldn't work tinuous readout of the electricity that is being
tors require 460 to 500 watts AC per hour, and in my cabin because they aren't easy enough to put to work.
the constant on/off cycle of the compressor read. The digital equipment I finally found in­ The meters provide the data necessary for
motor would tax my system during the week, cludes a meter from Texmate, Inc. (348 S. monitoring electricity use and generation, and
especially during hot spells. I ended up building Cedros Ave., Solana Beach, Calif. 92075) and a a control panel lets me put this information to
my own refrigerator, using a small DC motor shunt resistor, made by Empro Manufacturing use, by selectively shutting down the cabin's
that runs at 30 watts per hour. Instead of the Co. ( 1 0920 E. 59th St., Indianapolis, Ind. circuitry. There are six circuits in my cabin de­
usual upright, free-standing model, my refriger­ 46236). I get a continuous readout accurate to sign: one each for the refrigerator, the ventila­
ator is a horizontal box, built into the kitchen the hundredth decimal point. This precision tion fan, the water pump and the AC outlets,
countertop with a hinged, insulated top. The in­ makes for accurate monitoring. and two for lighting. Each circuit has a shut-off
ner and outer shells of the box are molded The voltage meter shows the battery charge. switch, and a monitor light that goes on when­
fiberglass, with 2 in. of polyurethane insulation The amp meter serves two important functions. ever that particular circuit is in use. The moni­
between the shells. The fiberglass work was First, it measures how much electricity is being tor light is an important feature, since I can
done by a local company specializing in marine generated by the PV panels; this will normally relate net power use (as given by the amp
work. Capacity is about 9 cu. ft. read out as a positive figure. The meter also meter) directly to the circuits that are in use.
measures the amount of power that is being For example, if I notice a net power loss while
Meters and controls-Without accurate mea­ consumed by an appliance load. This is usually the fan is on, I know that appliance is placing
suring devices, there would be no way o.f de­ a negative figure. If solar current is being gen­ too high a demand on the system and has to be
termining exactly how much power was being erated while an appliance is being used, shut off until the batteries can recharge. When I

A P R I L / MAY 1 982 47
1 5-gal . Yr\m'�\JC\IT''' C panels
hot-water tank

Shower

Voltage regulator

How the cabin works. On sunny days, direct-current

electricity generated by the PV panels travels down to the batteries
charge drops too low, the owner can selectively cut down appliance use
until PV recharging takes place. Alternating current Is generated by a
through the voltage regulator, which regulates current Dow to prevent DC-powered converter and run to four wall receptacles. The converter
overcharging and keeps current from being drawn back Into the panels operates only on demand, when an AC appliance Is turned on.
at night_ If appliances are being used, they will draw directly on the Fluorescent lights and the refrigerator run on direct current, and only
PV-generated current before drawing battery power. the refrigerator runs full-time. A propane stove and a solar water
All circuits are monitored at the control panel, so that If the battery heater In the 1 2-ft. by 20-ft. cabin help to keep electrical demands low.

leave the cabin, it's easy to shut everything off teries, when fully charged, can power the
(except the refrigerator) because the control house for about five days, so the electrical
panel is located right next to the door. needs of a vacation weekend are easily met.
After completing my cabin, I built a similar
Cost and performance-To outfit my cabin one for a local businessman. In addition to run­
for photovoltaic electricity, I spent $3,440. This ning the refrigerator all the time, he has a
figure includes the PV panels, four batteries, timer-actuated automatic sprinkler system for
meters and a fuse panel, wiring and recepta­ his lawn that works every day. So far, there has
cles, lighting, and the following appliances: a been no down-time. Looking beyond the solar
refrigerator, an AM/FM stereo cassette deck, a cabin, the next step is to develop a system for
water pump, an AC generator and a television . full-time residential use. I have written a special
Considering that some of the test houses in fed­ computer program that helps design photovol­
erally funded PV studies have costs of over taic systems of various types and sizes. Low­
$ 70,000 for the PV panels alone, I was pleased demand appliances will still be needed, but I
with the relatively small sum I spent. know it can work. Photo voltaic technology is
The calculations I had made on power gener­ going the way of hand-held calculators: initially
ation and appliance demand proved to be very very expensive, later competitively cheap. If
accurate once the cabin was finished. As with this trend continues, there's no reason why we
any energy-efficient design, the system won't shouldn't see a lot more solar-based electrical
be effective if you don't work with it. Turning
off unnecessary circuits and watching the
systems in the future. D
Close monitoring makes the system work. The
control panel has a volt meter, an amp meter meters are important tasks, but they are also A l Simpler is president of Simpler Solar Systems
and fuses that light up when the circuit is in use. good habits no matter where you live. The bat- in Tallahassee, Fla.

48 F I N E HO M E B U I LD I NG
 Green -Wood Woes
by Richard Cobos

G reen wood can be trouble, but

the articles I read about it didn't
tell me so. They stressed economy
��6- about \4 in. below the top plate and
\4 in. out from it at each end. If
the string remained \4 in. away
and the "bold and beautiful look"
of native lumber, and were not
� through its entire length, I nailed
up a furring strip. If there was a
especially informative about the larger gap in the middle, I nailed
problems. So I got caught up in the appropriate shims on each stud so
challenge of seeing how cheaply I that the string was � in. away from
could build my house. I did it for the shim surfaces. If, on the other
$ 1 2,000 using all green hardwood hand, the string began to touch
lumber. And I wouldn't do it again. studs toward the middle, I started
Walls, floors and ceilings framed all over with the string % in. out
with green hardwood will twist, from the top plate. If the gap was
bow, crook and warp in every di­ smaller than � in., but the string
rection. I had to cope with all wasn't touching, I brought it in
those hardly mentioned curves, equally on both ends until it just
and it was definitely not worth it. If touched in the middle, then nailed
I could do it over, I'd buy all my shims of decreasing size from the
framing materials kiln-dried. The edge toward the middle to make a
real kick is that there is no sub­ flat surace for the furring strip.
stantial increase in cost. I could Once the top furring strip was
have built the same home and got­ on, I repeated the procedure \4 in.
ten the same end product just as above the bottom plate. I checked
cheaply with a lot less work if I to make sure that everything was
had framed with standard soft­ plumb by stretching strings diag­
wood framing lumber. onally from corner to corner. The
I'm not entirely discounting strings should actually touch
green wood as a building material. where they cross.
Many of its pitfalls can be avoided Next, I took a straight board,
by using it where it works well and held it vertically against the two
is truly cheaper. The major savings furring strips, and checked the
in-using -green wood is in I -in. di­ gaps every 2 ft. up each stud. They
mensioned boards. The major prob­ all had to be the thickness of the
lems lie in using green hardwood furring strips. If they weren't, I
for framing. shimmed or notched as necessary.
You get green wood at a local In some cases, I had to remove a
sawmill (see FHB 1f7 , pp. 40-42). stud completely because it warped
Where I live in West Virginia, it's so badly. After all the studs were
usually oak or poplar, and I pay be­ done, I nailed furring strips every
tween $250 and $350 per thou­ 2 ft. up the wall. Then I finally had
sand board feet, depending on the a flat surface for my paneling.
mill. The price is the same I followed the same tedious pro­
whether I'm buying I -in. boards, cedure on my ceilings. This was
2x framing lumber or beams.
At a builder's supply center, I The author's green-w ood house. He could have used standard softwood
framing lumber and still built it for $ 12,000 , and a lot less trouble.
bad enough, but the worst prob­
lem I encountered was in my
can buy dressed softwood framing floors. The subfloor was already
lumber (2x4s, 2x6s and so forth) nailed down. Where the floor joists
for between $300 and $385 per wood framing lumber at a lumber­ least a year, and then be moved in­ had warped downward, I had to
thousand board feet. I'm saving yard, and your beams and 4/4 side a heated house for another pry the flooring up, install shims,
practically nothing by buying boards at a local sawmill, you can year-or they could have been and then re-nail . Where the floor
green hardwood for framing, and have the best of both worlds. dried in a kiln. After planing and joists bowed the floor up, I had to
I'm getting lots of trouble in the For example, I paneled my walls tongue-and-grooving, they were get under the joist and chalk a line.
bargain. On the other hand, I x with locally available hardwoods­ ready to be nailed up. Then I had to pull all the nails in
softwood lumber a t the yard will walnut, cherry, hickory, locust, On the other hand, my green that joist and cut along the line
cost anywhere from $430 to $ 530 aspen, pine, poplar, maple, beech oak framing, after drying, warped, with my Sawzall. As the sawdust
per thousand board feet for a and oak. I used industrial grades, twisted and crooked and left me stuck to my sweat, ali i could think
sheathing grade full of knots, and for all except the walnut, I hardly a single flat surface on of was how much easier it would
holes, checks and other defects. paid $250 per thousand board feet. which to nail a floor or wall. If you h ave been to frame up with stan­
Better boards go for $800 to
$ 1 ,200 per thousand. This is where
I harvested my own walnut logs
from my land and had them sawn
still can't bear the thought of fir
studs behind your oak walls, you
dard softwood framing lumber. 0
buying green pays off in money, as at the mill. These boards had to may have to do what I did. Richard Cobos is a carpenter and
well as in looks and strength. cure, properly stickered, out of Once a wall was framed and sol­ general contractor who builds log
By purchasing all your 2x soft- direct sunlight and rain for at idly in place, I stretched a string homes in West Virginia.

A P R I L / M AY 1 982 49
 Square and scribing rod
1 YB-in plywood

S cribing rod
at starting position

S cribing rod
a t fin ished position

The Scribed Ellipse

An easy way to lay out elliptical coves

by Jud Peake

A building with graceful curves has its own

special signature. Soft transitions, impossible in
angular structures, can be created with vaulted
always located on the major axis, and are
equidistant from its ends.
A common method for drawing the ellipse is
longer than the combined rise and run of your
quarter-ellipse. The hypotenuse, actually a
brace to ensure an accurate 900 angle, can be
passageways and rooms with coved ceilings. to tie a loop of string around three pins, one at lapped over the legs and nailed in place.
For curved details, architects and builders each focus and the third at one end of the The scribing rod is the key to this operation,
usually choose the easily drawn radiused minor axis (drawing, facing page, center). Once and carries the measurements and scribing tool
curve, or section of a circle. But sometimes the the string is in place, the pin at the minor axis is (usually a carpenter's pencil) to transfer the
radius is aesthetically inappropriate, or just removed and replaced with a pencil. Exerting quarter-ellipse profile onto the work. The rod
won't describe the curve needed at certain junc­ even tension on the string, draw the pencil should be about the same length as one leg of
tions. In cases like these, the ellipse may be a around the foci and back to the starting point. the square, and cut from a straight lx2. A few
better shape. But unlike the radius with its This method, though, is not a very practical inches from one end, drill a small pilot hole on
equal rise and run, the ellipse is challenging to way to lay out work on a job site. Fortunately, the center line for an 8d nail, and drive the nail
draw accurately. there is an expedient carpenter's method for until its point protrudes about 1 in. from the
An ellipse is a curve that has an equal com­ drawing the quarter-ellipse. All you need is a bottom. The nail will act to guide the rod along
bined distance from two centers (foci) at every large square and a scribing rod. the inside edge of the square. Measure the
point. The length and width of the ellipse are Make the square out of two layers of l x4s, distance of the rise from the nail to a point on
determined by perpendicular major and minor lapping them at the right angle to keep the legs the center line and drill a hole for a pencil.
axes that cross at their centers. The foci are flush (drawing, above). Cut the legs about a foot Make sure you get a snug fit so the pencil won't

50 F I NE HOM E B U I LD ING
wobble. Continuing down the rod, measure the Cei l i n g Cei l i ng
distance of the run from the pencil and set
another guide nail on center.
To use the rig, position the triangle over the R ise
work (I like 1 Ys-in. plywood for cove backing)
and register the nails of the scribing rod against
the inside edge of one leg of the square. With
Wal l Wa l l
both nails tight against the leg, move the rod,
all the while holding one nail against one leg, Radiused cove Elliptical cove
the other nail against the adjacent leg. Both In section, the most common caved ceiling is a quarter circle, with equal rise and run.
pins should eventually come to rest tightly When [he rise and run differ, the section is elliptical.
against the adjacent leg. The pencil will de­
scribe the curve of your ellipse. For ellipses C C
with different rises and runs, move the guide
nails to the appropriate spots. _ M inor ax is
Foci
Even if you make radiused (quarter-round)
ceiling coves, the elliptical scriber can help you
A B A B
/
C
lay out the elliptical corner brace where the
Pins
two coves are mitered together. For example,
let's say we have an 1 8-in. radiused cove at a
square corner in the walls. We know that the
Major ax is
o o
rise will remain constant at 1 8 in., but at the
corner, the run will take a diagonal path across
A B
the ceiling, making it longer than the radius. Drawing an ellipse
You can determine the length of the diagonal
by drawing the run of the radiused cove on the
with string and pencil
o
floor below the corner to be mitered and then
taking a direct measurement. Another way to
I nside corner b race _____ L i n e of cei ling
find the diagonal is to multiply the run by the
square root of 2, or 1 .4 1 5. Set the scribing-rod
guide nails for the 1 8-in. rise and the 25 r;-in.
run, mark the plywood bracing material, and
cut out the brace with a jigsaw.
The inside corner brace has to be double bev­
Measure diagonal
on the floor.
LV[£JtTl
7712.7J Two
taperrng t o
45° 0°
ang les
above
eled to meet the intersecting horizontal lines of
the perpendicular coves. This bevel is com­ .--/ -t:tL�
��---
plicated because it ranges from two 45° bevels O utside corner brace
at the bottom of the intersection to flat ( 1 80°) Line of cei l i n g _____ _ -=-
at the ceiling. To shape this bevel, I tack the
brace, curved edge up, to a sawhorse and hol­
low out the working edge with a freehand Line of radi used cove above
circular-saw cut. When I make this cut, I keep t ransferred to floor
both hands on the saw, and I don't stand behind
the line of cut. Don't even try this cut if you
_1_____ ��� --
����-
aren't comfortable with the tool. This is an inex­
act method, but close enough for a corner that '--________ .J -Wa ll
Two 45° 0° .../"
tap ering to
ang les
above
will receive several layers of plaster. The im­
Elliptical corner braces (below) for a radiused cove ceiling can be drawn with a square and scribing rod.
portant thing is to hollow out the edge so the Both inside and outside braces are double-beveled (abo ve) to hold intersecting pieces of lath.
plaster won't be too thin at the corner crease.
An outside corner brace (photo right) is the
same elliptical shape as its inside counterpart,
but the double bevel comes to a point rather
than a hollow. I cut them out with a jigsaw, and
taper the angles on both sides, from 45° at the
bottom to flat at the top.
The elliptical cove section has further appli­
cations. I recently worked on a Victorian build­
ing that featured a large oblong skylight with
radiused ends. The skylight was to perch atop a
room of the same shape and be connected to
the walls by radiused cove sections. Because of
a mistake on the drawing board, the skylight
didn't end up exactly concentric with the ra­
diused wall below. Instead of repositioning the
wall or replacing the skylight, we decided to
use elliptical sections instead of arcs, each one
slightly different in dimension. 0
Jud Peake is a carpenter and a contractor. He
lives in Oakland, Calif.

A P R I L / MAY 1982 51
 Drywall
Hanging and finishing gypboard can be
an aggravating mess. A veteran builder shows
how to do it right the first time.

by Bob Syvanen

G ypsum board, gypboard, Sheetrock (a

brand name), drywall -whatever it's called, it's
probably the most disliked and misunderstood
no greater than 1 6 in. o.c. You can use %-in.
material double, so you end up with a %-in.
thick wall. The most commonly used drywall is
sometimes even to the second floor. You might
have to take out a window sash, but it's a small
price to pay for such a glorious convenience.
stuff in house building. The sheets are heavy, � in. thick; %-in. is for extra good work. There For a small load delivery, you may have to wait
the sanding seems endless and the dust is un­ is also a %-in. fire-rated sheet, usually required until the truck has a full load and is heading
pleasant. But a drywall job well done is very on a garage wall shared with the house. Use your way. It's advisable to put the sheets into
satisfying. There are many ways to do it, but I water-resistant sheets in bathrooms, especially the rooms where they'll be hung and to keep
have settled on this system after years of trial around the tub and lavatory. the sheets to be used first on top of the pile.
and error, watching others and asking questions. Most lumberyards carry drywall sheets, but I
Drywall comes in sheets from 4x6 to 4x 1 6 prefer to buy from a drywall supplier who has a Editor's note: Bob Syvanen, a draftsman and
and i n �-in, %-in., �-in., and %-in. thicknesses. truck with a hydraulic arm. This is the best carpenter in Brewster, Mass., is consulting edi­
Quarter-inch drywall is used over old plaster thing to come down the pike since drywall it­ tor to Fine Homebuilding. This article is an ex­
panded version of a section in his book Interior
walls so it is always fully backed; %-in. is for self. Loaded with sheets of gypboard, the arm
cheap construction, and the framing must be will reach right in the door or window, and Boulevard, Charlotte, N.c.
Finish ($ 7. 95 from East Woods Press, 820 E.
28203).

Preparatory work
Before you begin hanging Sheetrock, it's
best to clear the floors of tools and clutter.
The sheets are just too heavy and
cumbersome to carry through an obstacle
course. A clean sweep-up is nice too, even 1
though you'll shortly be up to your ears in
debris again.
New England is the only place I know of
where l x3 strapping is used as a base for
drywall ceilings. Although it's a lot of
work, it's an excellent way to keep things
flat with today's varying lumber sizes.
Eyeball the ceiling for any bad joists (1)
and trim with a Skilsaw before nailing up
the strapping. You can also work to a
stretched string with spacers at each end.
Make minor adjustments with shims of
wood shingle tips between the strapping
and the joists (2). I like to double-nail for
more holding power, but single-nailing 2
works too. When a ceiling needs joints in
the strapping, be sure to stagger them
from one course to the next. Check the
walls for bowed studs by holding a long,
straight 2x4 against the wall (3). A badly
bowed stud in a finished wall really shows,
so replace or straighten it. To straighten a
bowed stud, saw well into it on the side
opposite the hump (4). The stud can then
be forced into alignment. Wood shingle
tips driven into the kerf will keep the stud
straight while cleats are nailed on each
side, just like splinting a broken bone
together. It might take two such cuts if the
bow is bad. 3 4

52 F I N E HOM EB U I LD I N G
Ceiling joints
The fewer joints, the better. Ceilings are Ta pered edge
: I· . ·
best done with a minimum of joints where
Edge-to-edge joint
the untapered edges of the sheets come
together (5). So where possible, span the Flat back face
width with a single sheet. Un tapered edges
make for bad joints (6), but there are
Bad
several ways to overcome this. Where the
ceiling requires an untapered edge joint, it
should fall between the joists or straps.
Ends not tapered
Ta pered edge \.!!i \ .
The first solution is to nail up blocking 5
End-to-end j o i n t
16 in. o.c. across a joist space and then a
2x4 or l x3 strap parallel to the joists
so that when the sheets are nailed they
(7), 6

will be depressed about Ys in. Another way

is to cut four 1 2-in. by 1 2-in. squares of
Sheetrock. Butter these squares with joint
compound and slip them in on the
backside of the panel already in place
Nail the next sheet up, place a piece of
(8).
strapping along the seam and hold it in
place with crosspieces of strapping (9).
' '.
These crosspieces will depress the joint, 7
and the buttered squares will dry, holding
everything in place like glue. Then
" " :., ',-;. . ,. . . -: ,-; ,-;
remove the strapping braces, and tape and
spackle the joint like any other. Although
� . ',
these methods are not commonly used by
professionals, either one will result in a
smoother surface, and require less work
when these joints are taped and spackled. (-(-
I like to make a sketch of all the walls
and ceilings to decide on sheet size and
placement (10). Sometimes I make my
sketch on a stud or on a header or each c.(-
wall, so I don't lose it. If you do the ceiling
and butt the ends together, figure on using
full sheets, plus the pieces cut to fit
When working around the doors and
1111.
8
windows, put the sheets in place first, and
then cut out the openings. This is extra
work, but if pieces are patched in over the 10
doors and windows, they will crack at the
seams as the framing shrinks and the
house settles. The bumps at these joints
won't let the casing lie flat at the corners
without a lot of extra work (12).
economy is your goal, figure the wall
If

sheets any way you want, but if quality is

what you want, run the sheets over the
openings and then cut out.

\ 12 .,...,.,.,.,..,. .4-r.. mnl

11
...... I I NCe;!; mrrrt"TTIT"""""'.,.n
\ ThiS, you mUS1
If

��4I J _\
\
""� /
tr1 � \ .//
t- t-- -------

A P R I L / M AY 1 982 53
 Tools
For cutting drywall, a utility knife is
useful. A 48-in. aluminum T-square is a
must for laying out and guiding the cuts. A
1 2-in. keyhole saw (13)Works best for
cutting holes in the sheets. A Stanley
Surform (14) is good for shaving a 13
wallboard edge. A claw hammer works
fine, but a drywall hammer (15) is lighter,
and has a rounded head with a waffle
pattern that leaves a dimple without
tearing the paper. Use the blade to trim
framing or as a jacking wedge. An
aluminum hawk can be bought for about
$ 7 . A homemade plywood hawk works
almost as well (16). A galvanized metal or 16

Fitting and nailing

The ceiling is the place to start, and you
need two people to do it. I have done it
_-EGOOd --- 21

alone, but don't recommend it at all. A

�-in. 4 x 1 2 sheet weighs almost 1 00 lb.
A couple of T-braces will make the job
easier. Be sure you can reach both of
them and still control the sheet overhead.
It also helps to stick a few nails in the
panel where you'll be nailing. Holding the
sheet and fishing for nails can be tough.
The T-brace should be a little longer than
the floor-to-ceiling height(20), so that
there is a slight wedging action. If it is too
long, the brace won't stay in place, and if
it's too short, the whole business comes
down on top of you. The easiest way to
hold a sheet against the ceiling is with
your head. A sponge inside an old cap 22
can make this a little less painful.
When nailing, be sure the sheet is
1 1 1 1 ' 1 ' [ 1 1 1 [1 1 \1
I
pushed hard against the joist or strapping
1
��� ' I
before driving the nail home. If it isn't, the
nail will pull through the surface of the
· 7 in. '

A �.I\ H
drywall sheet (21). Once the paper surface
is broken, the nail will not hold the sheet
in place. If a nail misses a joist or stud,
pull it out. Hit the hole with a hammer
h ard enough to depress the surface
without breaking the paper. These dents,
or dimples, can easily be filled with joint
compound (22). Just spot-nail the sheets
enough to hold them in place at first.
26

Secure them later. Cement-coated and

annular-ring nails are okay for walls, but
screws do a better fastening job on
ceilings. Tool-rental shops have both the
screws you'll need, and the driver. It's the
size of a %-in. electric drill with a
magnetized Phillips bit and an automatic
depth stop. If you must use nails, a good
way to get ceiling sheets to pull up is by 28
double nailing (23). First, single-nail
12 in. o.c., starting from the middle to
prevent bulges from forming. Then come
back with a second set of nails about 2 in.
from the first set. You might have to drive Hold foot against T-square while scoring. ,r'
54 F I N E HO M E B U I LD I NG
 6 in. 1 0 in. 1 2 in.
plastic mud pan has the advantage of high
sides, and runs about $4. At least four
trowels are required-a 6-in., a 1 0-in., a
1 2-in. and a corner trowel (171.
The 1 2-in.
trowel is much stiffer than the others, and
it has a curved bottom (181,
so it takes a
good bit of pressure to smooth and feather
out the final coat. I use fiberglass tape for
the ceiling joints, and paper tape for the
19
corners and walls. Paper tape costs about
$2 a roll, and a fiberglass roll (191
about
$6. Fiberglass tape eliminates the first step
of putting on a layer of compound. It has
a sticky surface, and you just stick it on,
and then apply a coat of compound-a big
help when you're working overhead.

the first set of nails again as the sheet

snugs up. Every nail should be driven just Cei ling
below the surface of the sheet, without
tearing the paper, creating a dimple for
the joint compound. Screwing is 12 in. o.c.
(241. Single nailing is 7 in. o.c. (251.
Cutting
wallboard is probably the easiest part of
the job. Just line up the T-square on the
sheet and score (261.
One stroke with a
sharp knife is usually enough. Snap it by
folding the sheet back quickly
cut along the backside (281. (271.
needs cleaning, use the Surform.
Then
If the edge

Drywall walls are really simple. The 30

29
panel that touches the ceiling should go in
first to ensure a good joint there A
few nails stuck into the sheet, on line with
(291.
31
a stud, will make it easy to hold the 'sheet
up snug and nail at the same time
Leave about a �-in. gap at the floor on the
(301.
bottom sheet, so that a lever can be
slipped under to push it up tight
bottom of the bottom sheet will be the cut
The(311.
edge, a good surface for the baseboard to
butt against (321. If you use corner clips or
blocks at inside corners, install the sheet
that runs parallel to the first so you don't
have to nail into the blocks. The adjacent
sheet is nailed to the stud in the corner
and holds the first sheet in place
and spackle the whole business in place.
Tape(331. Good
The thing to remember about outside
corners is that the drywall must extend far
Inside corner plan 33 Outside corner plan 34
enough so that the corner bead has
adequate backing (341.
Some professional
drywallers cover the wall and then cut the 3x6xV, blocks, 1 6 i n . o . c .
outlet and switch holes. A safer way is to
rub the outlet box with block chalk, hold
the sheet in place, smack it with an open
palm, and cut along the resulting lines left
on the back of the sheet. Another way is
to measure the location of the box and
mark it on the sheet. This way isn't bad,
but expect a few mistakes. Don't forget to
mark all the openings, like medicine
cabinets, recessed shelving and fans, as
the sheets go up. They are easily lost. Metal corner bead

A P R I L / MAY 1 982 55
 Spackling
Now we come to the spackling, and it's
not as hard as most people think. With
the proper technique and a little care,
anyone can do a professional job.
Cleanliness is a must. Any hard lumps or
pieces of dirt in the spackling compound
will mess up a joint (351.
Load the hawk by
scooping compound with a wood shingle
or a 3-in. by 1 6-in. stick. Keep the scoop
in the bucket, and the cover on so the
compound stays moist and clean. Scrape
the trowel clean as you work
scrapings are soft and clean, mix them
(361.
If the

with the stuff on the hawk. Try to keep

the compound in a single gob so it won't
dry out so fast. If it gets dirty or lumpy,
dump it out. To do a joint, start with a
6-in. or 8-in. trowel and run a layer of 38
37
compound as wide as the tape, the whole
length of the joint (371.
Holding the trowel
at a low angle will leave a nice bed of
compound (381. Lay the tape on the
buttered joint and push it flat with the
6-in. trowel(391. Get all the bubbles out
from under the tape. Spread a thin layer
�
., �. - ' . . , " . . '
of compound over the tape. Keep it
smooth; there's less sanding that way.
Raise the trowel towards the perpendicular
for smoothing (401. Try different angles
until you get the best results. Each coat
must be sanded when it's dry with 80-grit
sandpaper. Silicon carbide works the best.
The next coat is done the same way, but
with the 1 0-in. trowel (411:
Lay on a coat,
wipe the trowel clean, then run it the full
•
42
length of the joint to smooth it out. Press
hard. If the trowel loads up, scrape the
excess compound on the hawk and
continue the run down the joint
Every time the trowel is picked up from
(421.
the joint, it pulls some compound with it,
leaving a ridge (431. Further, every bump
41
. .: .
Finishing
Use the drying compound still on the
hawk to fill the nail holes and dents. Run
the trowel at a low angle to leave a layer
of compound in the dimple (481.
Then hold
the trowel almost perpendicular to scrape 48 49
the surface clean (491.
Go to the next
dimple; deposit, scrape, and so on. It will
take a few coats, sanding between each
coat. Always wear a mask when sanding.
There is no asbestos in the compound, but
breathing all that dust is not too healthy.
Eye goggles are helpful, but you have to
keep wiping them off.
I make a pad of sandpaper by cutting a
sheet in half(501. Drag the sandpaper
across a corner to break the glue This (511.
will make the sandpaper more supple, and
will prevent its forming a sharp ridge that
will dig into the sanded area. Fold one 50

56 FINE HOMEBUILDING
the trowel hits telegraphs onto the surface
of the joint. Smoothing out may take a few
strokes to get the excess off. Make that
last stroke a nice long one, since it forms 43
the base for the next coat. The last coat is
done the same way, but with the 1 2-in.
trowel (44). Try to make a long smooth
. ...:. . ..
run with this coat. If there's a long ceiling
joint, it's best to have a long unobstructed
run on a plank raised high enough to
allow some good arm pressure against the 44 45
joint. The 1 2-in. trowel is much stiffer than
the others, so it takes some real force to
smooth and feather out the final coat
This is the last coat, so make it a good
(45).
one, and sand it with 1 20-grit paper. The
better the joints are feathered, the less
sanding you'll have to do. Sanding is dusty
work, and I try to do as little as possible.
Inside corners are done in a similar
fashion, but here the paper tape must be
46
prefolded to fit the corner. Drywall tape
has a crease down the middle, so folding
is easy. The procedure is the same, but use
the corner trowel to lay in the first coat
of compound (46). Lay in the tape and
smooth out the bubbles. A coat of
compound is next; when it dries, sand
it and then smooth on a final coat of
compound. Experiment with the trowel
angle for the best results. A few tries and
you'll have it. Use a flat 6-in. trowel to
scrape off the compound that squeezes
past the edge of the corner trowel. Don't
47
disturb the corner you just troweled.
Exterior corners are the easiest of all.
Nail on the corner bead and spackle it
with a 6-in. trowel (47).
Do the last coat
with the 1 0-in. trowel. There will be
excess compound running around the
corner as you trowel, but it's easy to
scrape off because the corner bead gives
you an edge surface to trowel against.

sheet into thirds (52), and then fold the

other sheet in with it. This makes a nice
soft pad. Sand using your fingertips (53),
and stroke perpendicular to your fingers.
The control is better, and the sanding
surface is broader. Especially on ceilings
and in corners, a pole sander (54) can save
a lot of stretching and bending. It's worth
the $ 1 2 purchase price. Sandpaper is easy
to change, and the swivel head allows flat
sanding from any angle of approach. 53
Check for spots you missed in sanding or
spackling, and after you have admired the
job, paint it. It's easy to paint without the
trim in the way. Use a sealer first, or tiny
filaments of paper from the sanding will
show through successive coats. Pros spray­
paint, and if the polyethylene vapor
barrier is uncut and left over the windows,
spraying is a breeze. 0

A P R I L / MAY 1982 57
 A Mobile Workshop
How to get your standing power tools
to the job and back again

by Cy Westlake

I f you do custom woodwork in homes, com­

mercial buildings or on board boats, you are
better off with a complete mobile workshop
equipment wouldn't interfere with wood being
worked on another, and that the shop would re­
main in balance on the road. Undoubtedly your
working position. The bandsaw is important to
me in marine work. It is bolted in place, but is
cocked at an angle to allow work to clear the
than with a built-in tool setup in your garage or shop will be equipped differently from mine to drill-press column.
shed. The mobile shop carries your essential fit your tools and your style of work, and so I decided to include my drill press because it's
equipment right to the job site where you need you'll need to experiment. equipped with a hollow-chisel mortiser and be­
it. It can also instantly transform a barn or large My jointer and radial arm saw are both se­ cause I often need to cut plugs for screws.
garage into a functioning woodshop. cured to the deck with dovetail slides, the saw Sometimes I use it to drill holes. Supplies such
Taking the time to make your mobile shop because it must be pulled out to adjust depth-of­ as sanding belts, glue, screws, and even exten­
handsome as well as functional has a side cut with the elevating handle under the table. sion cords and portable electric tools can be
benefit that may not be immediately apparent. Traveling, the saw is pushed back, and a butt stored easily in the locking side compartments.
The mobile shop is a testimonial to its owner's hinge on each stationary dovetail flips over on­ My air compressor was a lUXury at first, but I
ability as a craftsman. I'm surprised how often a to a locking pin on the sliding dovetail. The soon found it essential for cleaning up the shop,
passerby will stop, make several slow circles jointer has to be on slides because it's impos­ filling tires and cleaning my pipe. With a good
around my trailer, watch me work for a while sible to clear shavings from under the machine compressor you may also find yourself doing
and then ask, "Could you bring that rig over in travel position. In use, it pulls out, and chips more pneumatic stapling, nailing, spray paint­
and build me a teak bar in my rec room?" fall directly into a cardboard box below. ing and varnishing on site.
I gave a lot of thought to including a lathe. If I didn't include a generator in my shop. In my
Equipping the shop-The first task in design­ you stick close to home, you're probably better experience the craftsman arrives on the job
ing your mobile shop is deciding what tools you off with it on your garage workbench so that after the power is in; so I always carry two
want to carry and where to locate them on the you can use that extra workspace in the mobile 50-ft. #1 0 wire extension cords.
trailer. To help in making this decision, lay out shop. But I bum around the country and have
the deck of the mobile shop full scale on the to carry everything I might need to use, so I The chassis-A good alternative to making
floor. I used a rectangle 88 in. by 120 in. Make made space for my lathe. your own chassis is buying a trailer or convert­
accurate cardboard plans of your equipment My sanding machine ( 1 2-in. disc, 6-in. wide ing one to your own purpose. Make sure that it
and position them on the deck. It took me quite belt) is indispensable. It sits on a %-in. plywood is rated to carry your load. I like fabricating my
some time to make sure that one piece of plate that swivels to bring the belt or disc into own chassis so that I can equip it exactly as I
want. If you're going to do it yourself, the first
consideration in choosing wheels, springs,
Plan of tool layout Overall di mensions 88 i n . by 1 20 i n . axles and brakes is weight. My gross vehicle

- Ii
weight-trailer and average load-is about
Radial arm saw 1 ,850 lb., but I can also stow nearly 1 ,000 lb. of
plywood in the rear compartment if necessary.
II Typically I carry 300 lb. to 400 lb. of materials

-..I1 I1-_
Drill press in addition to my tools.
Balancing this load is important at highway
II speeds. I placed the axle center on my shop 9 in.
behind the center of the body, so that roughly
1 2% of the weight is being carried by the hitch
of the towing vehicle (I usually use my full-size
S torage pickup). Distributing the weight of materials
cabi net and hand tools can make a big difference. You'll
quickly develop the habit of stowing your gear
Lift-out
where it makes the trailer track best.
Joi nter Rear pedestal
r
cover
o Springs that are too stiff cause the trailer to
vibrate badly because the wheels don't have
Front pedestal constant contact with the ground. When
springs are too soft, the trailer will sway and
wander which can affect the tow vehicle also.
For my mobile-shop trailer I chose springs
rated at 3 ,000 lb. This also eliminated the need
for shock absorbers with the amount of weight
I carry. To stop the load I use surge brakes,
which makes braking effort even, and always
proportional to the load. These brakes don't

58 FINE HOM EBU I LDING

require adjustment like electric brakes. And Building the body-I used five 1 0-ft. sheets of of the whole rig. This bar hooks the lip of each
since this load-activated hydraulic system is on %-in. exterior AC fir plywood for the body of side door in the open position.
the trailer tongue, it doesn't matter what ve­ the trailer. The compartment bottoms are made This system offers a shaded working space
hicle you happen to use for towing. of �-in. ply, and the front and rear pedestal, the free from corner posts, with head clearance of
Don't skimp on axles. They should be seam­ plywood sandwiches that support the roof and 6Y.z ft. Closed for travel, the entire unit is just
less tubing and rated to carry more than your gull-wing doors, are %-in. ply, as are the cabinet over 5 ft. high, and offers very little wind resis­
load requirements. Few experiences in life are sides. Everything gets glued. You want to end tance on the highway. It is secure, weather­
as maddening as having a broken axle on a up with a competely unitized structure in which proof and pleasing to the eye.
loaded trailer far from home. every component contributes to the strength of I made the gull-wing door frames from spruce
Putting the chassis together requires some the whole. for lightness, and used %2-in. lauan interior
precision if your mobile shop is going to travel I made the wheel cutouts after the body was paneling as the skin, which I installed with alu­
the highways without wandering or whipping. complete, making sure there would be clear­ minum screws-400 in all. I used aluminum
Lay out the correct lengths of structural steel ance to remove the wheel without jacking up screws because they could be sanded down if
(channel and angle iron) on the floor. As if you the body as well as the axle. any of them stuck up beyond the surface of the
were reconstructing a fossil skeleton, make skin. A few of them did.
sure of each piece in relation to the others. The top and doors-So I could work with long The top and doors were undercoated with
Take the wheels off and lay the hubs and boards, my trailer design called for four sides, three coats of penetrating epoxy resin, and fin­
springs in place; the two axle spindles should or doors, that would hang from a fixed top with ished with white gloss marine enamel. The
form the points of an isosceles triangle with the continuous hinges, and give me free, unob­ overhanging lips of the doors were formed in
ball hitch. This, along with a toe-in of between structed access to all of the machines. The con­ place with fiberglass tape and epoxy resin over
Ys in. and � in., will give you good straight figuration of the top and sides had to allow one soft foam weatherstripping. This form fit leaves
tracking without excessive tire wear. door to pass another in opening and closing, no room for water penetration, even under
Once you have thoroughly checked the lay­
out of the running gear and steel frame, you
yet still give a completely weathertight cover­
age of the trailer sides when they were in the
I
highway conditions. By the time finished, the
doors were no longer plywood, but wood-core
can weld the chassis together. Don't be dis­ down position. epoxy panels. After nearly five years, the finish
mayed to see how light and flimsy the rig looks.
The iron has very little to do with the rigidity of
The end doors are fastened by heavy-duty
toggle-type catches. A prop set into a lip on the
remains smooth and unbroken. D
the structure; it merely ties everything to­ inside of the door and at the top of each Cy Westlake, a retired pattern maker and engi­
gether. The strength lies in the body structure, pedestal holds them up. The sides are held neer, is a cabinetmaker and architectural wood­
which forms a very strong box girder. open together by means of a bar across the top worker based in Goodrich, Mich.

This mobile workshop lets you use stationary power tools with a minimal free from corner posts, with 6� ft. of headroom and plenty of clearance for
setup time. It includes a jointer, disc/belt sander, air compressor, radial each tool. The gull·wing doors close for a low wind-resistance profile, with
arm saw, drill press, lathe and bandsaw. The working space is shaded and a positive weather seal that doesn't leak even at highway speeds.

A P R I L ! MAY 1 982 59
 Sidewall Shingling
Simple techniques and a steady nailing rhythm
can give you a natural, no-maintenance
siding that will last years or more 40

by Tim Snyder

I n spite of the vast selection of residential sid­

ing materials available today, cedar shingles
are still an attractive choice for builders and
Jes quality. Check with a local builder for a
good brand, or purchase a few bundles and see
how they nail up. Contractors usually order
renovators. Left unfinished, they will outlast about 15% more than their square-footage re­
boards and battens, textured plywood and clap­ quirements. You should do the same, although
boards. Shingling a house with cedar doesn't with a little care you can waste as little as 5% to
demand anything more elaborate than a few 8%. Save the split-off sections when you trim
hand tools and some basic carpentry skills. It is wide shingles. You can use these for under­
a labor-intensive job, and can be done without coursing at the base of the wall, or to fit in nar­
a helper, two reasons why you can save a lot of row spaces later on in the job. Don't discard
money if you do the work yourself. shingles whose butt ends aren't square; throw
them in a separate pile and when you get
x
Quality, size and e posure Shingles are
- enough, you can true up the stack on a table
smooth on both sides because they've been saw or radial-arm saw and use them for under­
sawn from the log, unlike shakes, which are coursing. Most lumberyards will let you return
split. Shingles come in random widths and are unused bundles.
usually % in. thick at the butt end, tapering
down to a sharp edge at the tip. Red cedar Surface preparation-On a roof, shingles are
shingles will weather to a brown color; white usually installed over purlins for good air cir­
cedar will turn silver-grey. culation behind the cedar. Circulation behind
To order your shingles, you'll need to decide vertical shingles isn't as important, so sidewall
on shingle length and exposure. Exposure is shingling is generally done over solid sheath­
the distance between the bottoms of successive ing. On some old houses, like the one shown
courses. Figured with the total square footage here, the underlayment is a mix of clapboards,
of your walls, it determines the number of roughsawn boards and plywood.
bundles you'll need for the job, as explained at No matter what you're shingling over, it's
right. Shingles come in 1 6-in. , 1 8-in. and 24-in. good practice to protect all corners and win­
lengths, packed in bundles that may vary in dows or door openings from water infiltration.
size, depending on shingle type. Exposure must To do this staple 6-in. to 8-in. wide strips of
be less than half the shingle length (7 Yz in.,
8Yz in. and 1 1 Yz in., respectively, are acceptable
How many shingles to buy?
First calculate the total square footage of the
builder's felt around corners and openings. If
possible, force strips of felt under door and win­
walls you plan to shingle, say 1,300 sq. ft.
maximum exposures). Roof exposures are usu­ dow casings. In re-siding, don't cover the entire
Shinglers speak in terms of squares, with one
ally less. The exposure for the re-siding job square equalling 1 00 sq. ft. However, shingles wall surface with felt before shingling; this can
shown in the photos is 6 in. with 1 8-in. No. 1 are packed in bundles of various sizes. Find create an exterior vapor barrier and trap mois­
grade Perfections, a designation of the Red out from your building supplier what size you ture inside the wall.
Cedar Shingle and Handsplit Shake Bureau can get. A size designation of IS/ IS means Still, you have to consider wind penetration
(5 1 5 1 1 6th Ave. N.E., Suite 275, Bellevue, two I S·shingle stacks sandwiched together, as since even the tightest shingling job is subject
Wash. 98004). Using a narrow exposure re­ shown above. Now refer to the chart below. to infiltration. To cope with this problem you
quires more shingles, but it means the siding Read down the appropriate bundle· size can cover most sections of the wall with red
column to the row corresponding to the resin paper, which is similar to builder's felt but
will last longer and provide better insulation.
exposure you plan to use, for example, 6 in.
Use only No. 1 or No. 2 shingles to side or re­ not asphalt impregnated. It lets moisture
The number on the chart (27.S) tells you how
side a house. With a lower grade, you'll have to escape from the wood but stops the wind.
many square feet of wall each bundle will
contend with wavy grain, sapwood and knots. cover. Dividing the square footage of your There should be a groove along the under­
You can't easily split or trim these shingles to walls by this figure gives you the number of side of each window sill for the shingles to tuck
size and using them involves more waste, so bundles you need ( 1,300 + = 27.S 46.76); add into; otherwise they'll pop away from the wall.
you really don't save anything in the long run. 1 5 % for waste, and your order is 54 bundles. Make the groove % in. wide and Yz in. deep.
No. 3 and No. 4 shingles do have their uses: The next step is painting the trim. Window
barns, outbuildings, interior walls and under­ and door casings and cornerboards, if you're
coursing. I wouldn't use them on the outside o f using them, should be sealed with a primer
a house. Premium-grade shingles are easy to coat. If you've got the time, paint the finish coat
work, uniform in appearance and they're cut too; this job is tedious and time-consuming
only from cedar heartwood-far more weather once the shingles are on.
resistant than sapwood. Drip edges over all windows and doors need
Before you buy, shop around for a good deal to be flashed. To protect your casings, leave
on No. 1 or No. 2 shingles. Prices fluctuate, as enough flashing to be bent over their edges

60 F I N E H O M E B U I L D I NG
 Above, flashing drip edges above windows. The
flashing should be bent over the edge and extend
5 in. to 6 in. up the wall. Here it is also tucked
under the cornerboard in the foreground.

At left, preparing sidewalls. Strips of builder's

felt protect all corners and casings from water
infiltration. Red resin paper stapled over the
sheathing will stop wind infiltration without
trapping moisture in the wood.

Right, custom-fitting. Whenever the course

doesn't line up with the casing, shingles have to
be trimmed and notched to fit over the window.

The fastest way to mark course guidelines be­

tween short stretches of wall is by snapping a
chalkline, as shown below.

A P R I L / M AY 1982 61
 line is eight courses up, compensate l1! in. on
each course. It's almost impossible for the eye
to detect such small adjustments.

,'�
II Nailing up-This is the easiest part of the job.
Use only zinc-{:oated (hot-dipped galvanized) or
aluminum nails, since common nails will rust
long before the shingles wear out. For I 6-in. or
I 8-in. shingles, 3d nails are fine; use 5d or 6d on
2 4-in. shingles and for all re-siding jobs.
There are several nailing rules to remember
as you put up your shingles. Use only two nails,
no matter how wide the shingle. Place each
nail % in. to 1 in. in from the shingle edge, and
about 1 in. up from the successive course line.
Don't drive the nail head below the surface of
the wood; this causes splitting and creates a de­
pression where moisture will collect. You don't
need to leave a gap between adjacent shingles,
Woven I nside corner although some folks do. The shingles you buy
today are green and will shrink. Gaps or no,
M i tered don't allow these spaces or joints to line up ver­
outside
corner tically for more than two courses. There should
be at least a 1 �-in. vertical overlap to prevent
water infiltration.
The bottom course of shingles has to be
doubled. This is also true for the first course
above a door or window as well as to the
course at the base of a wall. Then you can snap
a line or tack up a guideboard and start on the
next course. Some shinglers find it easiest to
build up their corners for several courses
before working horizontally across the same
section of wall. If you're not confident enough
to rely on a shingler's hatchet alone for splitting
shingles to width, have a sharp block plane

Corners.
,,�::·1; . .;:(:':"'-:': :::.;:i.Jt� !-."-: ,.:,--'�
Of the three corner treatments for
� handy for trimming and truing up your hatchet
work. A sharp utility knife also makes a good
trimming tool for white cedar shingles.
shingle siding, corner boards stand up best to
the weather. They also make shingling work
go faster, as at left, since no woven or mitered
Corners-You can deal with corners in one of
joints are required. three ways: they can be woven, mitered or
butted to corner boards as shown in the draw­
ing, above left. Mitering is by far the most time­
consuming corner to make, and is probably
slightly. Install the flashing with as few nails as held vertically with the course lines marked on more susceptible to weather damage than the
possible and try to keep them up ap.. d away it. Using this guide to transfer course lines from woven corner. Whether mitered or woven, shin­
from the drip edge. corner to corner, you can then tack horizontal gled corners won't stand up to hard wind and
guideboards across wall sections to align each driving rain as stoutly as a solid corner board.
Chalklines and sto ryp
oles -One more point
before you start nailing up shingles: try to cal­
course as you nail it up.
The storypole and guideboard arrangement
Cutting the corner shingles to the alternate
overlap for the woven corner can be done ac­
culate your exposure so the butt edge of the works best when you have broad expanses of curately enough with a handsaw. I like to use a
nearest course of shingles lines up with the bot­ wall unbroken by corners or casings. When sharp keyhole saw for notching and crossgrain
tom edge of your window sills. This not only you shingle small sections (between windows, trimming. It's easy to carry around-especially
makes the job look nice, but also saves you the for example), it's troublesome to cut and nail up when you're up on scaffolding-a quick-draw
trouble of cutting shingles to fit around a cas­ guideboards. Work will go faster if you just snap item. Mitered corners have to be cut on a
ing. If the window sills on all four sides of the chalklines to line up your courses. powersaw. All that measuring and trimming or
house aren't on the same level, some cutting to If you're re-siding an old house, there's a good running back and forth to your table saw might
fit is inevitable; you'll have to choose which cas­ chance that some settling has occurred and that be worth it while you're on the ground, but you
ings to align. Let's take an example or two. Say the house isn't level. Rather than shingle on won't feel that way about climbing up and
the bottom of the window sill is 30 in. up on the these skewed lines, snap a level chalkline down for second-story work.
wall . With 6 in. of exposure, your fifth course around the house, several courses up but below I prefer to use corner boards. Once you've
will line up right on the casing edge. If you window sills so your line is uninterrupted. Nail nailed up the vertical boards and prime-coated
want a 7-in. exposure, four courses will bring down the first course following the existing them, shingling work can go really fast. If you
you up 2 in. short of the casing height. Your contour of the house. For second and all succes­ decide to use cornerboards, buy either No. 2
best bet in this situation is to make up the dif­ sive courses up to your reference line, compen­ pine in 5/4 thickness ( 1 in. actual) by whatever
ference by adding �-in. extra exposure to each sate in small increments so that by the time you width you want, or 2x lumber. Outside corners
of these lower courses. reach the line, you'll have a level course all the are usually no less than 3 in. on a side, and in­
To map the course layout, professional way around the house. For example, if one cor­ side corner boards should be at least % in.
shinglers often use a storypole, a straightedge ner is 1 in. lower than its neighbor and your square in section. o
62 F I NE H O M E B U I L D I NG
 A Modern Mississippi House
Traditional forms find new expression in
this design for a hot, humid climate

by Robert M . Ford

N ortheastern Mississippi has mild winters,

hot summers and high humidity throughout
most of the year. The well-ventilated houses
ways with detached stables or carriage houses.
My building site could also accommodate such
a plan. The lot is wedge-shaped, with a dead­
built by early settlers in this region responded end street at its narrow south side. Growing
well to these conditions, and established an wider, it slopes down to the edge of a pond.
architectural tradition that I wanted to incorpo­ In order to shelter two cars and to provide
rate in my design for a modern house. Passive much-needed storage space, I located the car­
cooling was a major goal, since many home ports near the road, flanking a 66-ft. long
owners in this part of the country pay monthly bridge leading to the house (photo above). This
electric bills in excess of $ 1 30 when air­ long entryway, with its detached carriage­
conditioning demand is high. My house has an house appearance, helped to create the formal
average electric bill of $30 per month because I feeling I had in mind. It would also work well
used the same design principles that were de­ with my plan to put the house as close to the
veloped by early Mississippi builders. Beyond pond as local zoning regulations would allow.
energy-efficient design, I was also looking for The carports needed to be at grade, but the
traditional forms that would link a contem­ slope of the lot suggested a raised house . Lifting
porary house to the rich heritage of the region. Resting on concrete piers, above, the house the structure off the ground would provide a
So I named it Deja-vu. perches on its sloping site, overlooking a pond. beautiful view of the pond.
The formality of antebellum homes is closely Windows, porches and a belvedere maximize
views and ventilation. The symmetrical plan of
linked with the graciousness of Southern hospi­ Passive cooling-The traditional strategy for
the house is most noticeable from the street (top
tality, and I wanted my house to restate this photo), where twin carports are linked to the cooling in large houses was simple: Ventilate
tradition. Many old mansions have long drive- house by a 66-ft. long walkway. from at least three sides of every room and al-

A P R I L / M AY 1 9 8 2 63
 An open,
based on tradi tional symmetri
designs forcalpassi
plan ve cooling
Belvedere
Skylig ht can be opened [Q exhaust warm air.

Operable windows on all four sides for

exhaust action. Open grills let warm air move up
through belvedere.

Skylights allow sunlight

mass wall for winter heat.
[Q
warm

Octagonal interior space

is crea ted by
corner porches.

Open stairwells
let air circulate.

Mai n level -___

Operable lower windows

for cross- ven tila tion
and cool air intake.

Central fireplace and structural

columns form core of house.

Poured con crete c o l u m n

S i te plan
Carport
Basement Main level Second floor Belvedere

64 FINE HOM E B U I L D I NG
low warm air to rise and escape through a bel­ I decided to act, along with my son, as my own
vedere (see FHB #J, p. S8). In my house, draw­
ing cool air from the lake and surrounding foli­
general contractor. We hired subcontractors for
most of the work but reserved cabinets, floor­
age into the house could keep temperatures ing, finish carpentry and painting for ourselves.
down, so this exhaust action through the belve­ The house is four stories high, with the sec­
dere was important. I planned to install ceiling ond and third floors enclosed under a pyramid
fans on the main level to boost the natural cir­ roof. The four floors are actually squares of dif­
culation pattern. Since stairwells would be a ferent dimensions centered about the square
major pathway for rising warm air inside the fireplace and its chimney. Using structural col­
house, I decided to eliminate the risers in my umns around the hearth made more sense than
stair design. In addition to preventing warm air creating walls, doors and hallways in the small
from being trapped inside the house, it also floor space. It also is a definite Southern touch.
helped to keep the construction details simple Even modest "dog-trot" cabins are often en­
and inexpensive. hanced with roughsawn columns in this part of
Diagonal corner walls and columns support the
The belvedere at the top of the roof in the the country.
house. The lowest floor is a poured slab.
center of the house offers a pleasant view of the Local concrete men regularly pour rein­
countryside. A steel ladder, set into the chim­ forced concrete slab floors, but not concrete
ney that the belvedere surrounds, provides ac­ walls. So we decided on block walls, concrete maintenance-free over their 30 to 40-year life­
cess to this high space. Windows on all four block up to grade level, topped off with locally span, weathering to a rich reddish brown . They
sides can be opened selectively to control the produced 8x8x4 bricks. We had trouble getting also do a good job of reflecting the sun, pre­
airflow, and in the winter the floor gratings can an estimate for pouring the six concrete col­ venting heat build-up under the roof. And I like
be replaced by solid panels, which reduce heat umns that would help support the main floor. the sound of the rain on the metal. The sheath­
loss through the belvedere. Their 1 2-ft. height, combined with the slope of ing beneath the metal was a concession to mod­
Early Mississippians learned that raising liv­ the site, would make it difficult to position the ern materials, though. Traditionally, metal
ing areas off the ground reduces in-house hu­ round forms and place the concrete. roofs were nailed to oak purlins set across the
midity and allows heat to dissipate through the My solution was to build temporary supports rafters. The plywood serves as backing and
floor. It also discourages fungi and termites­ alongside standard cardboard Sonotube col­ protection for the fiberglass insulation batts I
two major enemies of wood structures in the umn forms. We then framed up the main floor installed between the rafters.
South. Deja-vu's main living areas, framed in on these supports, making it possible to wheel­
wood, are supported on brick walls and 1 4-in. barrow concrete from the road, over the I nteriors- I was able to complete the detailing
dia. concrete columns (photo, above right). bridge, onto the platform and into the card­ and cabinetwork using only basic tools. Since
Floor to ceiling Thermopane windows in the board column forms. By forming and pouring doors are the most costly and difficult part of
north, east and west walls of the main level the concrete columns ourselves, my son and I kitchen cabinet construction, I eliminated the
look out on the pond. They include 12 large saved the $ 600 in labor cost the subcontractor problem by purchasing pine interior shutter
awning sash sections so that the windows can would have charged us. We finished pouring panels from Sears. Their wide range of panel
remain open even during summer rains. the six columns in 1 � hours. The completed sizes enabled me to design my cabinets to stan­
and fully supported main floor then became the dard dimensions. These louvered doors are
A symmetrical plan-Antebellum houses in stage from which we built the progressively moderately priced and ensure good ventilation
Mississippi are often square, though a number smaller balcony and belvedere floors. in humid climates. To make the cabinets, I built
of octagonal homes were also built in the The roof was framed with 2x 1 0 rafters and simple boxes of %-in. particleboard (drawing,
South. Combining the two approaches, my sheathed with �-in. plywood. Then we rolled p. 67), covering all exposed edges with Ix2 fir
house is an octagon inscribed in a 36-ft. square. on a layer of asphalt felt and installed a corru­ edging (glued and nailed in place).
On the main level, I formed the octagon by gated galvanized steel roof. Similar roofs have Shelving inside the cabinets is also particle­
placing triangular spaces-the bathroom, kitch­
en, and two decks-at each corner (drawing,
covered Mississippi houses and barns for gener­
ations. Galvanized roofs are inexpensive and
board, edged with 3kin. screen molding.
prime-coated the particleboard, then painted
I
facing page). A porch is accessible from each
major room, and there is ventilation through­
The central hearth and its surrounding columns, seen from the living room, form the structural core
out from three sides. The open plan recalls
of the house. The front door is at right, the dining room and kitchen to the left.
rooms connected with sliding pocket doors in
early plantation houses.
The house has one central fireplace, open on
three sides to heat the dining room, the living
room and the master bedroom. This fireplace,
with its raised hearth and surrounding col­
umns, has become the social center of the
house, as well as a source of heat in the winter.
The masonry mass radiates warmth to the en­
tire main floor. The brick Trombe wall facing
the entryway absorbs some solar gain through
the skylights in the south-facing roof; it helps to
heat the house on sunny winter days. An elec­
tric, forced-air heating and air-conditioning unit
in the basement acts as a back-up.

Keeping it simple -The symmetry of the plan

had yet another purpose: ease of construction.
The square shape with its pyramid roof allowed
for simple, repetitive framing, and posed no
thorny problems for carpenters and masons.
Because the construction was uncomplicated,
 it with semi-gloss white enamel. The white
shelving contrasts nicely with the grain of the
wood doors and edging, and gives a surprising­
ly elegant appearance to these low-cost cabi­
nets. All shelves are adjustable using simple
drilled holes and pin-type shelf brackets .
The stairways were kept simple, too. I nailed
2 x 1 2 treads to 2 x l 0 standard cutout stringers,
notching the back corners of each tread as
shown in the drawing on the facing page. Then
the exposed edges of the stringer and the top
end of each tread were trimmed with l x2 fir,
mitering the joints for a more finished appear­
ance. Since I had already decided to eliminate
the risers in order to promote air circulation
between floors, I encircled each tread with car­
pet, stapling it in place from underneath . Not
having tried this type of stair design before, I
was pleased with the clean lines that resulted.
Interior walls are liz-in. gypsum board. With
so many edges and corners in a relatively small
space, I dispensed with wood casing. The dry­
wall crew used plenty of metal corner beads,
and the look is crisp and more in keeping with
the open plan of the house. When the interior
work was done, I stained all the wood in the
house with semi-transparent stain. A coat of
satin varnish finished the job.
The house is too young for a true evaluation
of energy efficiency, but during the summer of
1 98 1 the air-conditioning back-up system was
used only seven days.
Mixing traditional architectural forms with
new designs has its risks, but Deja-vu seems to
do more than just work well. Native Mississip­
pians who come to visit can still sense the tradi­
tional hospitality, formality and simplicity of
design that their ancestors must have known in
houses built generations ago. 0
A rchitect Robert Ford teaches at Mississippi
State University in Starkville.

CrUp, clean lind 6imple

Ford's decision to leave corners, doors and win­
dows uncased created clean lines where dry­
wall panels intersect_ Above, the dining room as
seen from the third-level study. One of the
house's two small, triangular decks can be seen
through the door at the top of the photo. At
right, the dining room and kitchen. Apart from
reducing construction cost, the white-painted,
uncased drywall contrasts nicely with the car­
peting, cabinetwork, and oak and tile floors.

66 F I NE HOM EB U I LD I NG
 Easy, elegant detailing
using standard materials

%-io pee"",?
Upper-cabinet design

-�.--.�-
·, 1
I' ,
. :I , -_ .• t

The custom-built look of the kitchen cabinets

belies their simple design and inexpensive ma­
terials. The cabinets and shelves are made of
particleboard painted white and edged with Ix3
fir. The louvered doors are stock items .

...o.Jft--II--- S tock-size louvered shu tters

'I.- i n . screen molding

l x2 f i r trim

and Stanley #332

Use magnetic door catch
pivot hinges.

Drillholes for
adjustable shelf brackets.
--lH"-�
Stairways of standard stringers and treads have
no risers, so
air can circulate freely. Edge joints
are covered with mitered Ix2s, and carpet is
stapled around the treads.

Stair-construction
details

N otched 2 x 1 2 tread

l x2 f i r t r i m ,
a t m i tered corners

l x2 fir t r i m

All measurements given in inches.

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68 F I N E HOM EBU I L D I NG
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A P R I L / M AY 1 982 69
 REVIEWS
The Owner-Built Pole Frame House by included. The basic information on the than his neighbor, tho' he build his house in
Barbara and Ken Kern. Charles Scribner's structural design of pole buildings makes up the woods, the world will beat a path to his
Sons, 597 5th Ave., New York, N. Y.
1981. $16. 95, hardcover; 1 79 pp.
1 001 7, for the shortcomings of this book, but a good
editor, a graphic designer and some better
door." B. Allan Mackie's Building With Logs is
one such better book. First published in 1 970,
Low-Cost Pole Building Construction examples of pole buildings could have made both text and illustrations have since been
by Ralph Wolfe, with Doug Merrilees and it a gem. revised, updated and enhanced by the
Evelyn Loveday. Garden Way Publishing Co., If you are building a pole house on a addition of color photographs. Building With
Charlotte, Vt. 05445, 1980. $9. 95, budget, get Wolfe's book. It is a much better Logs has gone through nine editions in eight
paperback; 182 pp. buy. By all means get the Kerns' book from years, an impressive record for a book that
Pole buildings are inexpensive and relatively your library, and read it too. Together, they'll has its humble origins at The Hairy
easy to construct. They enable a builder to help you get the job done. But I'm still looking Woodpecker Press.
for a really good reference. -Alex Wade, an Mackie's text is a primer on log-building,
use steeply sloping, remote sites that are
usually passed over. They are also resistant
to fire, wind, earthquakes and flooding.
architect and author in Mt. Marion, N. Y. but also serves as a platform from which the
author can expound on such disparate
Since many people are looking for more Building W ith Logs and Log House Plans subjects as mortgages, government agencies,
by B. Allan Mackie. Charles Scribner's Sons, the conserving lifestyle and the "log-cabin
information on this unusual style of building,
I welcome these two new books on the
subject. Pole-building is foreign to most
597 5th Ave., New York, N. Y. 1001 7, 1981.
$ 1 1 . 95 and $12. 95, respectively; paperbacks.
concept." At times Mackie is overly dogmatic,
but his philosophy will appeal to all who
carpenters, so these books are badly needed. Few buildings have the magnetism, the sheer believe in their inalienable right to build
Neither quite fills the bill as a pole-building drawing power of the log building, whether mortgage-free homes.
reference, but both are worth reading. it be old, new or in process. A log home Mackie's avoidance of the term "log cabin"
Ken and Barbara Kern have gained a attracts for many reasons. In an age of mass in the earlier editions has moderated in later
worldwide reputation as advocates of owner­ production and uniformity, it is a good­ editions. (His abhorrence of the term because
built housing and innovative, low-cost looking alternative to .2x4 studding and it connotes inferior workmanship does leave
construction. Their book deals more with chipboard. It exudes warmth, welcome and the reader wondering what to call a
techniques for conserving our rapidly timeliness. But even more, it is symbolic of a wilderness log building.) Mackie just hates
dwindling supplies of timber than it does with pioneer lifestyle sought by many but attained shoddy methodology. Building With Logs
pole-building methods. For instance, they by few. Ironically, the further removed we deals only with the best materials and the
point out that we would now have 90 million get from the pioneer spirit, the more most fastidious workmanship. There can be
additional units in our housing supply if nostalgic we become for all it represents. no compromise.
their efficient building techniques had been Twenty years ago, one would have been While Mackie's preferred technique is the
implemented in 1948. They advocate hard-pressed to locate a professional log­ round notch and the lateral groove (see
harvesting local timber with portable sawmills builder. Today, accomplished builders are FHB #2, p. 38), Building With Logs does
and substituting I -in. thick framing lumber hard-pressed to fill the demand for their briefly discuss other methods: hewn log,
for the 2-in. material now universally used. services. Log-building courses offered by piece-en-piece, and dovetail construction. In
The Kerns' techniques are backed up individuals and colleges are very popular. its treatment of the round notch, this is
by impressive research from the Virginia Ralph Waldo Emerson is purported to have without doubt the most complete, logically
Polytechnic Institute. Anyone planning to said: "If a man write a better book, preach a planned, clearly presented text on the
build a house, whatever the construction better sermo n or make a better mousetrap market. Step by step, the author covers
type, should read this book. preliminaries like tool selection, construction
The Kerns' book shows only one sample time, choice of site, planning and log
pole building. The house itself has a great acquisition (selection and species); he
deal of merit, but the illustrations are so discusses working with the logs-scribing,
meager that the construction is difficult to notching, sealing, settling allowances, framing
understand. The tiny page size also limits the openings for doors and windows, and roofing;
usefulness of the graphic material. The book and he writes on interior work-partitions,
should have more examples of houses and wiring, plumbing, finishing and preserving.
many more illustrations to be comprehensive. Much of the book's success is due to
For its size, it is outlandishly overpriced. Mackie's many years as a log builder. He built
Ralph Wolfe's book is very different. It is a his first log home in 1 959 in the wilds of
large-format paperback devoted exclusively British Columbia; since then, the world has
to pole buildings, and is profusely illustrated indeed beaten a path to his door. He has also
with examples of pole-building design. It also had extensive experience as a teacher at the
contains an excellent bibliography. This book B. Allan Mackie School of Log Building, in
incorporates a lot of material from a book on Prince George, B.C., which he founded in
pole building by Doug Merrilees and Evelyn 1 976. Mackie has lectured and presented
Loveday. Unfortunately, the examples of pole workshops in Canada and the United States.
building from the earlier book are terrible, The demands on his time have become so
and they add little to the new book except pressing that audiovisual material is now
bulk. The new examples, though numerous, available from the school at a nominal cost.
aren't much better. Some are expensive Log House Plans, a companion volume to
houses with large expanses of single Building With Logs, is a practical addition to
glazing-hardly the low-cost dwellings one any log-builder's library. It presents scale
expects from the title. Frequently, there are plans to 37 carefully chosen, existing log
neither floor plans nor cross sections. The houses. Full sets of plans (on a scale of � in.
graphic materials are a mishmash of different to the foot) are available from the publisher;
type styles and formats. Many of the prices range from $ 1 5 to $65 per set. Each
illustrations are semi-legible sketches that plan is prefaced by a brief comment on the
look as if they're from the bottom of an building's salient features. In many instances a
architect's reject pile. At the end of the book black-and-white photo of the building
is one worthwhile example of a 1 ,ODD-sq. ft. Section through the door of a log home. Dlustra­ accompanies the pen and ink elevations.
solar cabin. It is an excellent design, and tion from Building With Logs, courtesy Charles -Alasdair G.B. Wallace, a teacher, writer and
framing plans and a materials list are Scribner's Sons. log-builder from Lakeville, Onto

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BOSCH - PROGRESS - KRAEMER

A P R I L / MAY 1982 71
 GREAT MOMENTS IN BUILDING HISTORY
A Shakedown Experience the saw from behind. The work went down the ceiling, I was amazed by the
smoothly that day, and I was proud to show quantity and weight of the debris. Plastering
Old farmhouses are notorious for their lack of our accomplishments to Pam that night when in the old days must have been hard work.
storage space. My wife Pam, who grew up in she returned from teaching school. Pam, Not wanting to take any chances with the
the city, had been impressed with this fact for incidentally, was five months pregnant, an rest of the old plaster, we decided to install
several months when she began hinting how added incentive for me to finish the project drywall on all the downstairs ceilings except
nice additional clothes closets would be. soon. That night I went to bed tired from my the kitchen. I called on a fellow worker from
Already involved with several projects, I woodworking efforts and looking forward to my cabinet-shop days-he was already on a
tabled the idea. When she presented me with the next day's work. drywall job and wouldn't be able to come for
detailed plans for his-and-hers closets with a Early in the morning, Pam and I were at least a week. Chad and I decided to speed
built-in vanity and shelves, I knew I had to awakened by what sounded and felt like a things up and do the living room ourselves.
start. Her plans called for a closet reaching sonic boom. If my ears were the first to sense Not wishing to tackle taping and bedding the
from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall, the disturbance, my nose was second-I ceiling joints, we put up the rest of the rock
with the vanity in the middle. Four large smelled something that was a cross between downstairs. Things seemed to be working out
doors seemed adequate for hang-up items, a cement plant and the open pages of a very right: As we finished nailing up the rock, our
and smaller doors near the ceiling would old book. When I finally got the living-room finisher came and put on the first coat of
cover a storage area. Hardwood-veneered light turned on, it was no longer in its usual joint compound.
plywood seemed a logical building material. place, but was hanging from its electrical We were in a hurry to finish, clean up and
As I planned more specifically for the wiring at the end of a wood lath fastened to get the house back in order. We grew tired of
project, I recalled some of the techniques I the ceiling by a single nail. The living room getting plaster dust on us and passing through
had learned in a local cabinet shop, where was obscured by a dirty white mushroom the maze of covered and bunched objects
I'd worked during my college summers. cloud. About 200 lb. of sand plaster lay in a downstairs. Pregnancy had made my wife
Although I no longer had access to the heap in the middle of the room. Realizing more emotional and uninterested in food.
woodworking machinery that could easily that not a whole lot could be done that Add a skim coat of plaster dust on everything
reduce 4x8 sheets to manageable proportions, night, we went back to bed, wondering about in the house and it's easy to understand why
I thought this was a good time for my the stability of the rest of the ceilings. It Pam didn't even want to go near the kitchen.
Shopsmith Mark V to make its debut. dawned on me that the Shopsmith must have We took our immediate necessities and
After a good deal of grunting and straining, vibrated the floor upstairs so much that the retreated to an upstairs bedroom to live. It's
my helper, Chad, and I managed to get the plaster collapsed below. quite revealing to see how this type of living
machine upstairs into the master bedroom. The next morning, Chad and I began on arrangement can bring out claustrophobic
Although we were working in cramped what we hoped would be a relatively short tendencies in expecting couples. Thank God
quarters, we ripped the 4x8 plywood sheets task. We decided to tear out the rest of the we had no children yet!
in a 1 5-ft. by 1 2-ft. space by cutting partway ceiling plaster and lath in the living room and I became disgruntled when my finish man
into the sheet, turning off the saw and replace it with drywall. We moved everything did not show up for two weeks. Feeling
repositioning the whole works at the other from the room except the drapes and sorry for my wife and angry with the
end of the room, where we could then carpeting, and hung plastic sheets from the circumstances, I strapped on the finisher's
complete the cut by pulling the piece through doorways to contain the dust. After tearing stilts and began taping joints. With Pam
steadying my weak knees and checking my
off-balance moves, we managed to finish
taping the ceilings. Toward the end I began to
develop a feel for being 8 ft. tall and enjoyed
applying the joint compound "professionally."
For skill with the trowel, I substituted sanding
and elbow grease. I was pleased to show the
delinquent finisher my proud results when he
finally returned for his tools.
The rest is history. Reinforcements-my
in-laws-arrived to help with the house
cleaning. Walls were wiped down, curtains
laundered and dishes washed. The shag
carpet with its embedded sand proved more
than a match for a professional rug-cleaner,
so we ripped it out and put new carpet down.
I never cared that much for shag anyway­
especially the kind that circles your feet with
clouds of dust at every step. We finally got
the house back together in plenty of time for
the baby's arrival.
I suppose it takes a couple of years before
trying experiences like this one can be
laughed about, and that's how long ago it
happened. It brings to mind something I
learned in college even longer ago:
Experience is a difficult teacher-the test
comes first, and the lesson afterward.
-Robert L. Koch, Tarkio, Mo.

We buy readers ' accounts of their building

experiences-humorous, inspirational,
embarrassing or otherwise noteworthy. Send
Fine
your story to Great Moments,
Homebuilding, Box 355, Newtown, Conn.
064 70. We'd like to hear from you.

72 FINE HOMEBUILDING
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A P R I L / M AY 1 982 73
 D ETA I L S

Indian shutters in grooved wooden tracks. They were

probably installed after the house was
Indian shutters are wooden panels that
built. They are of the same panel con­
can be closed from inside the house,
struction as the Harlows', but larger.
often sliding in and out of pockets built '
There are also more of them-on wi n­
into the walls. Their name comes from
dows in five rooms.
the legend that they were installed to
It's doubtful that Indian shutters
frustrate Indian attacks on the early
were ever intended for defense. They
New England settlements.
certainly would have kept out stray ar­
Just north of Putney, Vt., the 1 794
rows, but they couldn't have withstood
Harlow house has one room with func­
a determined attack. Besides, it's hard
tioning Indian shutters. The shutters
to believe that the builder of the Har­
slide in shallow grooves top and bot­
low house expected attack only from
tom, and when slid back are complete­
the northeast. I'm quite sure that these
ly concealed in the walls. They are
shutters' only real point-like that of
simply but carefully made of four
their modern, insulated counter­
raised panels held in a mortise-and­
parts-was to keep out the cold.
tenon frame. Through tenons are
-Simon Watts
wedged and the rest are pegged. The
flat sides of the panels face toward the
room and were painted; the raised
sides facing outward were left bare. -'-
1---- 42 -----'�
No cracks developed over the years,
and no light shows through when the
4
T h---
.' -,,--,�-----.!
shutters are closed in the daytime.
Mrs. Harlow says her shutters re­
duce heat loss substantially, and points
out that only the northeast room-the
coldest one in the house- had been 1-
fitted with them. The Harlows used
their shutters for years, closing them
T
4 63

on windy winter nights. Now, alumi­

num storm windows have been added,
and the shutters are drawn only to
show the curious visitor.
1
Another house of about the same
age in Putney has operating Indian
shutters. Here, instead of being housed
T
4

m��=
-.j � % ===:::lirnrm-/::===:::==
in slots, the shutters slide on the walls Shutters from the Harlows' house

Pocket screens
The sizzling California summers in
Walnut Creek are relieved by cher­
ished westerly breezes that soothe the
inhabitants but also bring bugs. Win­
dow screens are the logical answer to
the invasion of insects, and the builder
G.c. Hoxie used this solution in the
1 930s to stash the screens when they
were not in use. Rather than using re­
movable frames or cranking windows,
Hoxie took his cue from pocket doors,
and provided a slot in the walls for the
screens to slide into when they were
not in use. For a measure of security,
the screen frames can be pinned with
a dowel through the interior window
trim into a Yz-in. diameter hole in its
leading stile. - Chuck Miller

74 FINE HOM EBU ILDING

temporary. We pay $50
This column features attractive and well-designed details, both traditional and con­
for items that are published. Readers are invited to send 355, 06470.
black and white photos (with negatives ifpossible), sketches (we 'll redraw them) and
brief descriptions to Details, Fine Homebuilding, Box Newtown, Conn.

Shoji sash
I got tired of looking at the dingy cur­
tains in my bedroom and of having to
outfox the roller ratchets to pull the
shades. One night while admiring the
many shoji in George Nakashima's
new book, it occurred to me that I
could get the same effect by construct­
ing a framework around the inside of
each window and hanging a pair of
sash frames within. Each sash would
contain a grid or sticking unit onto
which cloth or the traditional rice
paper could be stapled or pasted.
Apart from their general appearance
and the way they diffuse the light, my
frames have little in common with real
shoji. Yet they open and close smooth­
ly and give the room a measure of se­
renity it didn't have before.
The outer frame, of cherry, has four
parts-two side members grooved to
accept the sash frames, a top or cor­
nice tusk-tenoned into both side mem­
bers, and a bottom or sill tenoned into
the sides. Joining the frame with tusk
tenons means that the whole assembly
can be knocked apart and reduced to a
neat bundle when I want to paint the
walls or move the frames to another
room. The outer frame plants directly
over the existing window casing, and
its sill rests right on the window sill,
which takes the shear load off the two
wood screws that hold the casement
frame to the wall.
The poplar sash frames are the only
parts whose joints are glued. These are
slip joints, cut on the bandsaw. The
vertical outer edges of the sash frames
are rabbeted to form tongues, which
ride in the grooves in the outer
frames. A horizontal bar, :y"
in section and through-tenoned into
in. square

both sides of the outer frame, holds

the upper sash (it remains fixed in its
grooves) snugly against the top.
The grid frames or sticks are made
from lengths of %-in. square poplar.
The four corner joints in each frame
are slot mortises. Where members
cross, there's a lap joint, and where the
end of one piece joins the edge of
another, there's a bridle joint. With a
stop gauge on the radial arm saw,
whose dado blade was set to take a cut
% in. wide, and a rip fence on the Wedge "

U
bandsaw, I cut all three kinds of joints
for six grid frames in two hours.
I stretched and stapled unbleached
muslin to the back of each grid frame, Casement frame
and then popped each grid into its re­
spective sash frame. The fits are
friction-tight. Finally, I assembled the

I�
u nits and mounted them on the bed­
room windows. The sash screens G roove for sash
make an air space between the cold
glass and the living area, and help con­
serve heat.
-Albert Pound, Botsford, Conn.
Joinery details

A P R I L / MAY 1 982 75
 Elfin Abode

John Farrows cylindrical work·

shop rises from the misty redwood
forest east of Santa Cruz, Calif.
Behind the cabinet doors, a
propane· fueled generator provides
the power.

The gambrel· roofed living quar·

ters are detailed with fish·scale
shingles and handcarved trim.
Inside, a chain·driven oak eleva·
tor built by Farrow ascends to the
tiny bedroom.