Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

CABIN BUILDING 241These should go down in the ground below frostline,and project just enough to keep the sills oftthe ground all the way round. Lay the two sillsand level them by hewing out underneath or blockingup, and testing with the level on your square.Tc make a good job of this, rip out two boardsabout six inches wide, nail them together for astraight-edge reaching from one corner to anotherdiagonally opposite, and use your level on the centerof the straight-edge, where it is most likelyto sag. When the sills are level and squared, blockthem up near the center of each with rocks, tokeep them from springing and sagging. The topsot the sills and floor joists are to be scored and hewnflat.After laying the sills, dig down at the chimneyend to a solid base and lay a rock foundation forchimney and hearth (Fig. jSd), the latter to projectabout two feet Inward from front of fireplace.Make corbels or some other arrangement for innerends of floor joists to rest on where they meet thisfoundation.Locking Corners.—^Wall logs usually arelocked together at the corners by notching. Thereare several ways of doing this. The quickest is thesaddle notch (Fig. 70) which has a wedge-shapedcut on top of lower log and a V-notch in bottomof the one that rides on it. This work is doneby eye alone, and calls for expert axemen.Another is the rounded notch (Fig. 71) cutnearly half-way through on under side of log. Ittakes some trouble to round out the notch, but aneat fit results. There might be a shallower roundednotch cut on both top and bottom of each log, tomake the logs lie close together; but the upperone would collect moisture and then decay wouldset in.A third way is to saw and split out one-fourththe diameter on each side of the end (Fig. 72),