Thread: making log furniture

Hi Kris,

My husband and I built the log-framed bed (see my thread, "Seriously rustic" in woodworking pics) - the ends are Mortice & T'd together, side rails (half-round flitches) are cut into the round of the log posts & attached to ends with a steel angle bracket and cup-head bolts (heads painted black). This allows us to move the thing, as it weighs quite a lot (understatement - it takes two men to carry one end!), esp. being built out of mixed Qld. hardwood. Yours will be lighter, no doubt, being cedar. BTW - ours with that joining method is really solid - no movement.

Cheers,

Jill

Ok, I like the look of your bed, but I'm using all round logs (for the upright webbing), I know exactly how you fastened the logs but what I'm going for is a completly fastenerless looking frame. I thought I'd bore a hole in the center of the log, then a cross hole. Then I'll use a pinthat has a threaded hole on the side and run a bolt through the corner post into the end of the log and thread it into the pin nut. To close that big hole in the cross log I'll plug and sand it. But the issue I'm having is the big hex/allen bolt head poken out the corner post. I thought of capping it with a piece of wood to make it look like the tennon pokes out of the corner post, but if I thought it might be cool if I havd like some old tub handles or something that I could weld a piece of ready-rod in and use that as a bolt! Well let me know what you think, and thanks for replying Jill

Spudddud,

www.slabhut.com.au

Not a huge site but some good pictures - Enjoy - I know I did.
Cheers
RufflyRustic

Hi Spudddud,

I am sure there are others on here who would have WAY more idea than me on this. It's hard to picture clearly exactly how big your through joint pieces are to be, but wonder if it is possible for you to put your hex/allen bolt through from the inside of the log - where it won't be seen? Without pictures, that is all I could think of, but I'm sure if it was that simple, you'd have thought of it yourself! I can't wait to see the finished product!

And Wendy - thanks for sharing that website - I LOVED the really organic looking bar & drooled over the racked out slabs!! Definitely a must have for our workshop when we fit it out...!

Cheers,

Jill

Well the tennon almost goes through the log (about 1/8-3/16" of material left), so I'll probobly need a spacer or somthing to get more hold. I think I know how I'll fasten them together, I'll just have to either paint the fastners after I install them or be very carfull when I tighten them down. Thanks for all the advice.

Wendy, I loved that site! That would be amazing to get a hold of a board like the one they used on the bar, (where it had like 5-6 different trunks grown together)! If you spot any sites that use tennons and holes let me know. Thank you!

Hi Spudddud,

I'll keep an eye out while browsing. You never know what you'll find when looking for something else.

Eventually I'll be making myself a bed head and intend on using through M&Ts with iron spike wedges, or something along those lines. Sometime in the next year after I get through about 10 other projects/orders for other people.

cheers
Wendy

The slab hut is just down the road from me & is certainly worth a visit.
Nice folks too.