Log Replacement for Circa 1930 Cabin

This week I’ve been repairing a log cabin for the Antelope County Museum in Neligh, Nebraska. I was told that the cabin was built as a playhouse for a prominent man’s daughter in the 1930’s.

The cabin was made out of cedar logs. This might seem a bit strange, but trees were sparse in these parts with the exception of cedar and cottonwood. I’ve also been told that the trees might have come on a train from the Black Hills, while that would have been possible, I’ve not researched it so it's hard to say.

I sourced a suitable cedar log from the local area and had it sawed down the center. I knew I would have to do a lot of shaping to get it to fit so I went with an oversized log and whittled it down with a chainsaw and a power planner to get it to 6 inches wide at the bottom. It took about 5 hours of cutting and finessing to get it to fit.

Thanks to the cabin being constructed out of a light wood raising it up with wedges to get the log in was easy. Once the weather warms up I will start replacing the missing chinking.      

If you’re in the area this museum is a great place to visit and has a lot of interesting artifacts on display. A few years ago I discovered a Caesar Chelor molding plane there that was relegated to a pile of mass-produced planes from the late ninetieth century. After explaining the significance and value of the plane to the members of the museum it has since been displayed in a more appropriate manner.