NEWS

September | October 2006 Number 60

Agreement Number 40707514
Weld-Down Knife Plates
By John Boys
The first time I encountered a knife plate connection
it was pre-cast in concrete and the required +/- toler-
ance of
1
8" was in reality an inch out of position,
1
2"
out of plumb and rotated off axis by 20 degrees or
more. Three frustrating hours later we had our log
post in place and I swore I would never work with a
cast in-place knife plate again.
Presently we pre-install the knife plate with an inte-
gral riser pipe into a log or timber post which installs
on a cast-in-place simple, flat, horizontal steel base
plate. We can slide the log post-and-knife plate
around on the steel base plate and then, once it is in
position, it is welded down. The welding happens
after our assembly is complete.
As always, consult your structural engineer for par-
ticulars on design and installation. To use this type of
knife plate we proceed as follows:
1. An accurate square cut on the end of the post is
essential (Jig Book Cutting and Drilling section
3.1)
2. For an accurate chainsaw plunge cut I recom-
mend a slotted plunge guide such as the one
developed by Ed Shure (Jig Book 3.6) Freehand
can do the job 8 out of 10 tries in the hands of a
skilled saw man, but plunge guide works every
time.
3. A V bit in a router chamfers the plunge cuts to
allow for the weld fillet on the knife plate weld-
ment. (photo A, next page)
continued over
Inside This Issue
Advertisers in This Issue
page 3
Business Standards:
Construction Agreements
and Procedures, Part 3
page 4
2007 Conference & AGM
page 8
Moss, a natural form of
insulationpage 7
TechTalkpage 9
SendThisFilepage 12
Letter to the Editor
page 12
Log Grading Update
page 13
Classied Adspage 14
Log rafter held in position, its knife plate about to be welded.
2007
ILBA C
onference
April 26 to 29
Abbottsford,BC
2 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
LogBuildingNews
September | October 2006
Issue #60
Published four times a year
2006 International Log Builders
Association
P.O. Box 775
Lumby, British Columbia
Canada V0E 2G0
Toll-free: 800-532-2900
Phone: 250-547-8776
Fax: 250-547-8775
www.logassociation.org
Cathy Hansen, Executive Director
cathy@logassociation.org
Ann Miks, Administrative Assistant
ann@logassociation.org
Log Building News Editor
Robert Chambers
robert@logbuilding.org
Contributors to this issue:
Egils Artmanis
egipapa@msn.com
Nick Berwian
nickberwian@gmx.de
John Boys
john@logworks.ca
Rick Hall
rickhall@conveyists.com
Patti LeFrancois
plefran@shaw.ca
4. After the steel plate has been test fit into the
plunge cuts, I remove the knife plate and
drill a series of
3
4" holes through the post,
perpendicular to the plate for the steel pins,
that will hold it in place.
5. Blow out all sawdust with compressed air to
make the fit easier.
6. Reinstall the knife plate into the post, mak-
ing sure it is tight to the post base, and mark
the steel for drilling. I use an old
3
4" auger
bit. Make sure to mark the base of the log
post and the knife plate for correct orienta-
tion and location. (photo B)
7. Drill the
3
4" diameter holes through the knife
plate draw-bored about
3
32" for a tight fit.
From the centers you marked in Step 6
above, center punch the holes to drill, each
one about
3
32" away from the top of the post
(photo C).
8. A good drill press is essential for drilling
heavy steel. Even better yet, a Hougen
Rotabroach Magnetic drill. (Jig Book 3-9).
(photo D) http://www.hougen.com These
are fast and accurate, and they mill a circle
out of the steel, rather than drill a hole.
9. For pins I use
3
4" x 6" threaded rod cham-
fered on one end. I like the threaded rod
rather than smooth shank pins because it
has enough give to still drive if I have too
much drawbore offset.
10. If you are not confident of the contractors
ability to place the horizontal steel base
plates at the correct elevation, then have
him place them
1
2" low and use steel shims.
Or if possible, and the base plates are
installed in the foundation before you have
built your knife plates, then shoot each base
plate elevation, and tailor each riser length
to the elevation.
A
B
E F
C
D
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 3
G
11. Install knife plate in the
post, and install pins to
hold it. Erect the post
into place and position
it, then weld the knife
plates riser to the steel
base plate that has
been cast into the
foundation (photos E &
F). The riser is the
steel box section that is
part of the knife plate,
and separates the post
from the foundation.
12. Knife plates can also be
used for other structur-
al connections, like
here, where log rafters
have knife plates, and
the chimney has verti-
cal base plates to weld
to. (Photo G and cover
photo).
Advertisers in This Issue
Accutech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
BC Log & Timber Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CBR Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Cowls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Dietrichs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Emseal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Good Shepherd Wool Insulation . . . . . . . . . . 18
GRK Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Insulspan Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
J. Rouleau & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Joe Scaffold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Log Home Design Ideas/Log Home Living . . 20
Log Home Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Nicola Log Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
P.A. Drafting & Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Pat Wolfe Log Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Perma-Chink Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
RCM Cad Design & Drafting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Schroeder Log Home Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Streamline Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Summer Beam Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Continental Products Company . . . . . . 5/9
The Sansin Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Timber Framers Guild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Timmerhus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Wayside Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
This article is the final
article in a three part
series on standard busi-
ness procedures leading
up to a construction
agreement. We dis-
cussed in our last article
what constitutes a fair allocation of risks in
a project. But before we begin, I want to
address a basic question that is important
to understanding this series of articles:
Why talk to clients in terms of risks?
As we discussed in the last article, risks are
anything inherent in a project that could
deprive, diminish or frustrate the expecta-
tions of either the Owner getting the
completed log structure they want at the
time they want it, or the Builder receiving
the expected compensation on time.
Some of you might be asking Why are
you advising that we talk to our clients
using the term risk or talking from a gen-
eral perspective of risk in the project?
Isnt this a negative perspective that
unnecessarily complicates the discussion
about the contract? Wouldnt it be simpler
to just talk in terms of who will be respon-
sible for problems if they come up?
The point of these articles is to arm the
builder with a communication framework,
perspective, and vocabulary to use with
your clients that makes it much easier to
answer and obtain agreement from the
client when they ask, Why are you mak-
ing it my responsibility to .? In most
cases when you have begun the discus-
sion talking about risks, then the
responsibility for any particular problem
will be self-evident to the client, if the
responsibility allocation is fair.
If you avoid talking about the issues
from a risk point of view, the client will
not as easily see why they (and not you)
should take responsibility for a risk, or be
responsible for some potential problem if
it occurs. Speaking from a risks point of
view makes it easier to introduce the con-
cept of fairness because, when speaking
from a risk point of view, you are dis-
cussing why each party, builder and
owner, are involved in this project at all.
The builder is involved to make a profit.
Speaking from a risk point of view,
therefore, helps keep that fact in front of
the client without constantly having to say
to the client, Im not going to be respon-
sible for that because I havent factored
into my budget a potential cost for that
problem, if it occurs. In other words, Im
not going to accept responsibility for that
risk because I am protecting my profit. If
you have to keep saying that over and
over as your answer for why you want an
owner to be responsible for some poten-
tial problem, you will come off as greedy
and, by the way, as I am sure you know
from experience, owners seem to easily
lose sight of the fact that you are building
their home in order to make a profit.
BUS I NES S S TANDARDS
Construction Agreements and Procedures, PART 3
By Rick A. Hall, Attorney at Law (Licensed in Washington and Nebraska)
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 5
When I discussed risk allocation in
Part 2, I was talking about the first step in
analyzing who the responsible party
should be for taking a particular risk in a
project. Why, for example, the owner
rather than the builder should be allocat-
ed the risk of ensuring there is an ade-
quate access road to the foundation.
When discussing the risks with your
clients, if you can communicate why one
party should be allocated the risk by using
rational principles of fairness (rather than
just your unwillingness to take certain
risks), it makes it easier to negotiate the
result you want with your client.
Who could argue against what is fair?
The side benefits of negotiating based on
fairness principles is that the negotiation
process will not be perceived as adversari-
al by the client. And the Builder will be
perceived as an honorable person with
integrity, and your company will be
viewed as fair, rather than greedy.
The second step after assigning risk for
each potential problem is designing an
acceptable resolution of that problem, if
it, in fact, occurs during the project. It is
not enough to just allocate risk in a con-
tract, there must also be a mutually-
agreed resolution so that you can avoid a
potential fight about the way to solve the
problem. The next Business Standard
involves the communication process
between the Builder and Owner that leads
to signing the construction agreement.
STANDARD 2: Discuss the risk
issues/resolutions before presenting
the contract
The builder should schedule a meeting for
the purpose of discussing the potential
problems (risks) with the owner. The
builder should prepare and bring a one-
page checklist (not the agreement) that
both have in front of them, and the list
should include the builder's proposed res-
olutions.
After there is agreement on the resolu-
tions, the builder should hand, or send by
overnight delivery, the written construc-
tion agreement to the owner requesting
his signature and his deposit. If you are
working mainly with the owners architect,
then this meeting should include both
architect and owner, not just the architect.
If the owner has said his lawyer will be
reviewing the construction agreement,
then you want this meeting to include the
lawyer, too. This is an important point in
controlling the transaction. If all of the
owners advisors are not at this meeting,
which, by the way, can be done by tele-
conference rather than in person if neces-
sary, then the advisor left out of this meet-
ing could become a problem in getting
the agreement signed. If the builder gets
the Owners entire team at this meet-
ing, then none of the provisions in the
agreement will be a surprise to the owner
or any of his advisors.
The parties to this meeting are told
ahead of time that the purpose of this
meeting is to discuss potential problems
that may arise in the project that the
builder feels should be addressed in the
construction agreement, and how they
should be resolved, if they occur. The first
point the builder makes when the meet-
ing begins is discussing the principles the
builder has used to allocate certain risks in
the project and defines what he means by
risk. Use the definition stated in the first
sentence of the second paragraph of this
article. The builder should also state the
principles he believes define a fair allo-
cation of risk which were described in
article 2. This puts all of the parties to
the meeting into a common framework
of discussing the project from a point of
view of fairness.
If you get disagreement from the
lawyer, for example, on a particular pro-
posed allocation of risk, you have a ready-
made response that makes it difficult for
the lawyer to argue against when you
remind the lawyer that you just want
what is fair. You then repeat the appropri-
ate fairness principle that guided the par-
ticular allocation you made that the
lawyer is disputing. Since you have
defined what is fair, the other parties will
Nominations for
Directors
The annual election of three directors
to the ILBA Board will be in December
2006. The Board will be nominating
some candidates, and as usual, ILBA
members-in-good-standing may inde-
pendently nominate themselves.
You must send your interest in writ-
ing, to Ann Miks at the Association
office by mail, fax, or email, and your
notice must include endorsement by
at least ten (10) ILBA members-in-
good-standing (Bylaw 5.3 D).
LBN 61 will include candidate's
statements and photos.
continued on page 17
6 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 7
Moss, a natural form of insulation
By Egils Artmanis
When we started to work on the log
home for a customer who is chemically
sensitive we discovered a few new things.
Chemically sensitive people detect toxic
stuff in the environment well before oth-
ers are able to sense it. Judgment on
which products to use doesnt rely only
on reading the product label. A big part
of the decision of which products to use is
made by the chemically sensitive persons
sensesthat is, having them test the
material for themselves. Chemical sensitiv-
ity is very personal, and what works for
one person, may not work at all for anoth-
er. Of course, after recognizing offending
materials you would avoid them.
Log building is often chosen because
the material is natural. When it came to
insulation for the lateral grooves, the
P-gasket from www.loghomegasket.com
was an excellent choice for this customer.
As for insulation in the notches from the
available choices sphagnum moss fared
best. We used it back in Latvia as the main
insulation material in old
historic buildings, and
moss is still used today as
one of the natural insula-
tion materials in log build-
ings.
Today, sphagnum moss
is used mostly in the
orchid industry, but was also used during
World War I as a substitute bandage on
wounded solders for its natural sterile
environment. It is still used as an
absorbent in some surgical compresses.
It has a natural tendency to suppress
bacterial diseases. Moss is available from
bigger gardening suppliers locally or
through the Internet.
The best Sphagnum moss seems to
come from New Zealand (http://www.
ultragro.pl.net/mediasepc.htm). It is very
clean without small sticks and branches.
The price is about $20 per kg, but search
around before you buy because the same
product is sometimes sold for double the
price from different retailers. Larger, 3kg
(6.6 pound) packaging is available with
more discount.
We soaked the moss in a 6% boric acid
solution before installation to enhance the
mosss natural insect resistance (righthand
photo). Sometimes deep checks open in
the notch saddles (scarfs), and these can
provide a way for cold air to easily get
past the gaskets and moss. In the lefthand
photo you can see that I cut a vertical kerf
in the center of each saddle, and then
stuffed foam gasket into the kerf to help
avoid this problem.
Moss in grooves and notches.
Old Faithful Inn, the site of our 1993 International Conference in
Yellowstone National Park, has been undergoing structural
repairs the past several years. From foundation to rooftop it has
been strengthened for seismic and snow loads, common in this
part of Wyoming. (The Inn withstood the 1959 Richter 7.5
earthquake, though the dining room chimney collapsed.) The
seven-storey roof system has also had logs removed that were
not original to Robert Reamers 1902 design (Reamer was 29
years old at the time). Original cost of the Old House as it is
known: $140,000. Structural engineering for the recent work
was by ILBA member Tom Beaudette of Missoula, Montana.
PHOTO: ROBERT W. CHAMBERS 2006
8 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
2007 Conference & AGM
British Columbia
By Patti LeFrancois
Mark down April 26,27,28 and 29,2007 on your calendar and
get ready to enjoy another amazing conference with your col-
leagues at the 34th Annual ILBA AGM and Conference at the
Ramada Inn and Conference Centre in Abbotsford, British
Columbia.
The conference centre was built two years ago and was very
well thought out to ensure that conference delegates and spon-
sors will be together for all activities and events.
Getting to Abbotsford is easy for delegates from all over the
world. There is a shuttle that runs from the Vancouver
International Airport, the Abbotsford Airport and for those that
wish to fly to Bellingham, WA it is only about a one-hour drive
to Abbotsford.
The main conference room is extremely large and will allow
us to hold all our meals, auction, and all events that include all
delegates in one room. This means that auction items can be
put on display as soon as they are delivered to the conference,
allowing enhanced exposure for our sponsors and plenty of time
for you to view the auction items well in advance of the auction.
The lower level of conference centre has an Industrial Trade
Show area (12,800 sq ft) that we will use for the log builder
sports, tech talk, the hands-on workshops, and it looks perfect
for bringing in portable sawmills for the bandsaw workshops
that we are planning. The hotel says make as much sawdust and
noise, as we want. All hands-on workshops and events will be
held in a covered and secure area, out of the west coast spring
weather.
The standard hotel rooms are large and spacious and are a
flat rate of $99 per night meaning double occupancy is $50 per
night per person. If two couples want to share a room it is still
only $99 per night. If you prefer, you can upgrade your room to
a suite for only an additional $30 (all prices in Canadian dollars).
These suites are limited so if you want to upgrade, be sure and
book early.
Bringing your children to conference for 2007 has never been
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 9
easier. Children under 5 will eat
for free and children 6 to 12
will be able to attend at a cost
of 50% of the meal package
price. And again, there is no
additional cost for children stay-
ing in their parents room. The
hotel has an indoor pool and
hot tub as well as a small arcade. The Ramada has offered to put
together a spouses program that could include a trip to an
amazing spa for spousal pampering, and a trip to a casino. Also
available are winery tours and agriculture/farm tours. For chil-
dren, the Castle Park Fun Centre is right next door.
Planning for the 34th Annual International Log Builders
Association AGM and Conference is now underway and with
your input will be better than ever. We are now seeking input
from our members for workshop and seminar presenters, topics
and ideas. Let us know your ideas and we will work to have it
presented at the conference. Do you have particular expertise
that you want to share with members? Let us know what you
would like to present and we will work with you to develop your
presentation. Want to help out before and/or during confer-
ence? we love volunteers and will be sure to put you to work
in the area that interests you.
This years conference will build on the success of previous
conferences, bringing you the educational sessions and social
activities that you have come to expect at conference.
Your conference team this year is led by ILBA Director and
one of the Associations founding fathers, Vic Janzen. Vic began
his lifelong love affair with log buildings in the Yukon while
hunting and trapping as a youth, and built his first primitive log
building at the age of 12. He began his career in the mid-70s
when the revival of hand-built log homes had not yet gained
momentum and builders were a rarity in Canada. The local
interest in log building inspired him to enter the craft full-time,
and he eventually moved into teaching the skills derived from
traditional European techniques. Janzen later moved to Prince
George, BC to serve as chief instructor at the B. Allan Mackie
School of Log Building. In subsequent years, Janzen taught log
building courses throughout Canada. He has also taught forestry
in the rain-drenched forest and interior plateau of British
Columbia. Today he lives on his farm in the Columbia Valley and
spends most of his time on building renovation and restoration.
Ann Miks, the mainstay of the ILBA, will be continuing to pro-
vide you with the much-appreciated administrative support and
planning assistance to ensure our member needs are met and
that all the Is or dotted and the Ts crossed. She is your Auction
coordinator and your central source for conference information.
Patti LeFrancois is your conference coordinator. Armed with
the experience of Montebello, and the mentorship of Ingrid
Boys, Patti will be working with you to bring the activities, spon-
sors and speakers to conference ensuring that Conference 2007
will be a resounding success.
Paddi Wicks, administrative assistant for LeFrancois
Consulting, will be working with the confer-
ence team providing additional support in
planning and implementation both before the
conference and at Abbotsford.
We are committed to ensuring your confer-
ence is a successful and enriching experience
and look forward to receiving your input for
the International Log Builders Association 34th
Annual AGM and Conference. Please send your
input to Patti LeFrancois at plefran@shaw.ca or
call toll free 1-866-374-3557.
Passports Required
A passport is needed for all US citizens arriving
by air into Canada, as required by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security. U.S.
citizens, please allow for 6 weeks to get a first-
time passport. If you do not have your original
birth certificate, then allow a lot more time.
(No visa required for U.S. passport-holders to
visit Canada.) U.S. citizens traveling by ground
are not required to have a passport to visit
Canada until 2008. The rules are changing
often; you can find updates on the U.S. State
Department website which also has information
on how to apply for your passport: http://tra
vel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_ 2225.html
10 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
For more info: 1-866-202-2345 or www.accutechinnovations.com
Cut upto 70 angles. + or - 1/4 accuracy
Convert any size chainsaw into a
portable saw mill
Achieve a level of accuracy never
seen with a chainsaw
Transport or store all your chainsaw mills
PRECISION PORTABLE CHAINSAW MILLS
TechTalk
MORE TI PS AND TOOLS
Poor Mans Crane
By John Boys
BELOW AND RIGHT
Two small I-beams are attached to roof
rafters; a third I-beam acts as gantry and has
chain-hoist on trolley. All parts are off-the-
shelf.
BELOW
A new ILBA member, George Gabara of
Horsefly, BC, demonstrates a new use for
a Speed Square. Teamed with a long
chisel, it is a fast and accurate way to
chop out the back of a brace mortise.
Grip the chisel and square in one hand,
line on the cut line, and chopperfect 45
degree every time.
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 11
RIGHT
Rising 23
feet, this
spiral was
assembled
and dropped
into a space
with " to
spare on
three walls.
Modelling
the 3-foot
tapered
cedar
column in Dietrichs allowed Jochen to map each unique tread
to the wall. The outside edges are supported on a wall. A
5
8"
bolt through the cedar column engages a cross dowel (barrel
bolt to some) in the tread, which is pulled tight with big
impact wrench. Layout and mortising in column was done on
a large centre-reference indexing fixture. John Boys
12 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
While some email accounts come with
large mailboxes, some dont. But no
matter what your email account, receiv-
ing or sending large files on emails is
slower than doing it with other web-
based options. Some architects and
designers have an FTP site that makes
emailing large files unnecessary, and FTP
transfers are very fast. But not everyone
has an FTP site.
For the past 8 months I have also been
using a web-based service called Send
This File for receiving large files easily,
and with no email woes. It has worked
very well for me, and has been totally
free. I do not know of any SPAM this has
generated, either, so it seems to be
clean.
I wont give you all the details and fea-
tures. If you're interested then go to
www.SendThisFile.com and read about it
yourself. In short: you sign up; they give
you instructions for having people send
you files and you forward those instruc-
tions to your friends/customers as need-
ed, when needed. Then when someone
sends you a file, you get a short and
sweet email from SendThisFile telling you
to sign into your account and retrieve
your file. You get the download fast
because it is web-based, not email-
based.
If you want to send large files (not get
the large files), then you ask the person
you want to receive your files to sign up
for SendThisFile. It is only the receiver
who needs a SendThisFile account, the
sender does not need an account.
If you want more security, longer time
for files to reside on their server, allow
multiple downloads, etc etc, then you
pay for those services. There is no limit
to file size, and Ive even used it for digi-
tal video files up to 1 gigabyte. That's
like one thousand photos each of them
one megabyte trying sending that
email! The basic, free service has been
easy, and has worked well for me.
A copy of A Boy's Big Book of Jigs was
given to me about six months ago by a
log builder friend of mine, Mark Parkinson
at Winterwood Custom Builders, and it has
never made it to my reference book shelf.
Its still on my bedside table!
Our current work is on log stairs and
railings which are not our usual bill of fare
so we will be experimenting with Jean
Rodrigues jig for steps and stringers. There
is also a Milwaukee self-feed bit in the
cool tool section with a threaded insert
that we imagine may have been used to
drill angled holes. We have some of these
bits on hand and we need to make round
mortises into a couple of round log
stringers, so we will see if a local machine
shop can make us an insert.
Just thought I would pass on a big thank
you and congratulations to all those who
put this book together.
Regards,
Dave Mackenzie, Huntsville, Ontario
L ETTER TO THE EDI TOR
SendThisFile
By Robert W. Chambers
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 13
Grading of logs used in homes is already required in the 2006
IRC and IBC codes, and will also be required in the new ICC
code for log home construction, if it is adopted.
There are several ways to get logs graded, but the biggest
player in lumber grading in North America, the American
Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC), has, until now, stayed out
of log grading. But, after Chris Clay (President of the Great
Lakes LogCrafters Association) contacted ALSC staff, a prelimi-
nary meeting was held on August 10th to see if the log home
craft associations and industries and the grading agencies that
currently grade logs would have an interest in working together.
The ALSC National Grading Rule Subcommittee met with
members of the ILBA, GLLCA, BCLTBI, Log Homes Council
(LHC), Timber Products Inspection (TPI), and others to discuss
whether there should be a national grading rule for logs.
Nearly all construction lumber and timbers are graded using
national grading rules established and maintained by the ALSC.
The people present agreed that there was a value in having a
National Grading Rule for logs (including handcrafted, milled,
pole buildings, and logs used in timber frames), and those who
were at this meeting also said they would together on a Task
Force to help write those new rules.
Any qualified grading agency can use a National Grading Rule
(NGR)the rules are always published and are in the public
domain (in contrast to the proprietary log grading rules owned
and used by TPI and LHC, which are privately owned and
belong to them). If they decided they wanted to, then TPI could
use a future NGR for Logs, as could the LHC, or the West Coast
Lumber Inspection Bureau, or the GLLCA, etc.
Yes, it is possible for a log association to form a grading
agency to set up and enforce (monitor and audit) a log grad-
ing program, and the Great Lakes board has been discussing
doing that. All grading agencies that use an ALSC National
Grading Rule must follow ALSC guidelines for their grading pro-
gram to ensure quality, reliability, and independence. The ALSC
charges a fee for certifying and overseeing grading agencies, but
those fees are priced so the ALSC breaks even (since the ALSC is
non-profit).
No grading agency is required to use an ALSC National
Grading Rule, but most do use them because the ALSC is large,
well known, well respected, has many decades of experience,
and often is specified by architects and designers who write
specifications for projects. Watch for log-grading updates in
LBN, and on the ILBA members-only website.
Log Grading Update
FOR S ALE HELP WANTED HELP WANTED
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
LOG BUILDING TOOLS STARRETT &
MACKIE scribers; heavy duty drawknives up to
30"; peeling spuds; chopping & nishing axes;
broadaxes; adzes; GRANSFORS axes; ENGLISH
slicks; ROBERT SORBY, HENRY TAYLOR, FOOT -
PRINT & PHEIL chisels and gouges; JAPANESE
slicks, chisels, saws, ink lines & ex squares;
hand-forged Flarens, shovel gouges, at & scarf
slicks, drawknives & draw-gouges; BARR
Specialty Tools; peavies; cant hooks; lifting tongs;
log dogs & cleats; log horses; water stones;
Diamond whetstones; NORTHWEST calipers,
tenon cutters & long auger bits; ship augers;
chainsaw mills & attachments; MAKITA &
MAFELL planers, saws & chain mortisers; MACKIE
log building books & videos. FREE 32-page
catalogue.
MAGARD VENTURES LTD, 8365 Domagala Road,
Prince George, BC, Canada V2K 5R1
Tel: 250-962-9057 Fax: 250-962-9157
Attn: Maurice Gardy
magardlogtools@telus.net
1975 Bantam S588 18 ton Rough Terrain
Crane Very good working condition. Builders
that know Bantam Cranes will tell you about
their ease and simplicity to operate, maintain and
repair compared with Grove, Linkbelt, P&H etc.
as well as availability and lower cost to parts. Very
strong, quick and fuel efcient. Rated for lifting
1610 lbs. at 85 feet or 5600 lbs. at 50 feet. 72
feet of hydraulic boom or 92 feet with jib. Very
sound value at $32,500.00 Canadian plus GST.
Located west of Calgary Alberta Canada. Phone
toll free: 1-877-932-3992 or email to:
info@moosemountain.com
1979 Bantam S688 20 ton Rough Terrain
Crane Very good working condition. Builders
that know Bantam Cranes will tell you about
their ease and simplicity to operate, maintain and
repair compared with Grove, Linkbelt, P&H etc.
as well as availability and lower cost to parts. Very
strong, quick and fuel efcient. 60 feet of
hydraulic boom or 80 feet with jib. Priced very
low at $22,500.00 US. Located in western Illinois
USA. Phone toll free: 1-877-932-3992 or email
to: info@moosemountain.com
Great yard crane: 78 Koehring Conventional
Truck Crane, 35 ton, 110 ft boom. Asking 45,000
Contact: Brian Campbell 250-955-2485
Dry House Logs Available. 30+ loads per
month of 10-12" top sort, 30' to 50'+ lengths.
Smaller diameter or larger top sizes than our
normal sort can be requested. Logs sorted for
taper(1"/10'), spiral, rott, bow, crook, etc. Spec
sheet can be provided if requested. Please feel
free to contact us with any any questions.
Mark Workman, Montana Dry Log,
93 5th Lane, Fort Shaw, MT 5944
Tel: (406) 467-3199 www.houselogsales.com
Log Crafters Wanted Mid-level (3-5 years
experience) to entry level (students from a
course) needed. While dual US & Canadian
citizenship or Class 1 truck drivers license would
be a benet, it is not necessary. Another option,
we will offer to subsidize training costs of
non-experienced dual citizens in our next log
building course. Applicants must have
Canadian citizenship or Landed Immigrant
status. With Moose Mountain you will be
involved in patented and warranted air and
weather tight fully scribed joinery, exciting
projects and the possibility of travel with a
company that is almost 30 years in business.
Earnings dependent on skill and experience
please call to discuss.
Call us toll free at 1-877-932-3992 or email
info@moosemountain.com.
Did you know Environment Canada has
determined Alberta enjoys Canadas overall nicest
climate and we are situated in the most
moderate area of Alberta all with the Rocky
Mountains at our doorstep. Alberta has one of
the lowest costs of living plus the very lowest tax,
where do you want to have your future?
To see the caliber of projects Moose Mountain
builds, visit our photo gallery at:
www.moosemountain.com
Lead Timber Framer Two Dog Timberworks
is looking for an experienced TFer with at least 3
years full-time, professional experience. Must be
able to demonstrate experience with Western
softwoods, layout on dimensional & organic
material, cutting prociency, machinery
maintenance, job leadership, and strong raising
know-how. We are a smaller innovative company
that strives to attract challenging projects all over
the country. See our work at
www.twodogtimberworks.com. Join us in the
beautiful NW corner of Washington State and be
a part of a great team that loves what we do! Pay
D.O.E., full benet package, rewarding work.
Contact Laurel or Pete Slisz at
(360)-366-5350 or e-mail us at
info@twodogtimberworks.com.
Need Two Log Builders for Permanent Full
Time Work. Required Now.Located in Quebec.
$18 to $28/hr + benets; depend on experience.
Join Us and Enjoy Quality Building and Complex
Roof Structure. Call Jean or Nancy Rodrigue at
819-832-2167 between 6 to 8 pm EST.
Motivated individual with construction
experience, graduating top of the class from the
University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Degree in
Construction looking for a position within the log
building industry that will allow me to grow into
a management position. Very determined, self-
motivated, and willing to relocate. Can be
contacted at the following:
Josh Peck, 29003 Long Lake, Danbury, Wisconsin
54830, Phone 715 (259-3220) or email
peckjosh@hotmail.com
Experienced full-scribe log builder wanted
for year round, full-time work. Big White Pine
logs. Good working conditions, minimal travel,
good pay and benets. Rural and beautiful
Northern Vermont near Connecticut River and
White Mountains of New Hampshire. 3 hours
from Boston, Montreal and coast of Maine.
Outdoors oriented person with good
woodworking and math skills. To apply send or
email resume and references. The Wooden House
Co., Ltd., 3714 North Rd., S. Ryegate, Vermont
05069 Phone: 802-429-2490 email:
john@woodenhousecompany.com
Apprentice Timber Framer Two Dog
Timberworks is looking for an Apprentice TFer.
Must have general woodworking experience
and a solid working knowledge of hand and
power tools. We are a smaller innovative
company that strives to attract challenging
projects all over the country. See our work at
www.twodogtimberworks.com. Join us in the
beautiful NW corner of Washington State and be
a part of a great team that loves what we do!
Pay D.O.E., full benet package, rewarding work.
Contact Laurel or Pete Slisz at
(360)-366-5350 or e-mail us at
info@twodogtimberworks.com.
The Log Connection is currently seeking
three - four highly motivated, enthusiastic
individuals to become part of our design team.
Two positions are available for drafters with a
minimum of two years architectural CADD
drafting. Two positions are available for
accomplished drafters/designers with ability to
complete highly detailed log home construction
drawings within a specied time period is a
denite asset. Duties will include the creation of
working drawings for custom log homes based
on preliminary designs, production design and
detailing, shop drawings as well as modications
to existing designs. Scope of work may range
from medium sized residential to large
commercial projects. Preferred experience would
include log home design/drafting. Provide
resume and samples of past CADD work,
attention to: Mr. Dave Sutton, The Log
Connection, 129 Nanaimo Ave. West, Penticton,
BC Canada V2A 1N2
Space Available
Advertise
TODAY!
14 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 15
C L A S S I F I E D A D S
Experienced Log Builder Wanted for
permanent full time position. Send resumes with
references to danielalbert@coyoteloghomes.ca
or fax 613-756-6186. See our work at
www.coyoteloghomes.ca
Log Builders and Timber Framers
Wanted We need 4 to 5 log home builders
and/or timber framers at our plant in Chilliwack,
BC. We will be busy for the whole next year.
Please contact us via email at cancedar@shaw.ca
or phone 604-836-8315 and ask for Gerhard.
Legendary Logcrafters Limited is a hand -
crafted log home producer in Collingwood
Ontario. Due to a consistent annual growth, our
company is adding multiple positions from
apprenticeships to experienced log home
builders. Legendary offers highly competitive
wages and a very structured work environment.
Please email resume to
Legendary@legendarylog.com or fax
705-444-6675 or call 705-444-0400
Handcrafted Log & Timber Frame
Builders Edgewood Log Structures, a successful
Handcraft and Timber Frame company in Coeur
d'Alene, is looking for both experienced and
apprentice log and timber crafters. Wages are
DOE. Full time positions available immediately.
Please send resum to Edgewood Log
Structures, P.O. Box 1030, Coeur d'Alene, ID
83816 or call (208) 683-3332
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Assistant Instructor Position available at
Island School of Building Arts
Log building, Timberframe, Post & Beam
Prerequisite Skills: Previous graduate of ISBA,
uent in multiple languages (Japanese/ Korean),
woodworking experience of 5 years. Job Duties:
Instruction, Tool Maintenance, Website
Translation, Foreign Student translator/
communications. Working Conditions:
working/teaching multicultural students in a
creative environment. Beginning wage $20/hr +
accommodation. Contact ISBA 250-247-8922 or
email info@logandtimberschool.com
FREE Log Selection Calculator Go to
www.LogBuilding.org and then click on Free
Information. From that page choose the log
selection calculator and download it to your
computer. Requires Excel software to open and
use this le. It gives you T-1, T-2, B-1 and B-2 for
any set of logs.
Timber Framers Guild
Eastern Conference 2006:
Nov 9-12, Hotel Roanoke, Va.
www.tfguild.org 413-623-9926
Free Trees! The Assistant Chief of the city of
Detroit (State of Michigan) Steven K. Leggat is
looking for an individual or company who
would be interested in taking (for free) about
80,000 trees (and about another 150,000 trees
in the next few years) within the city of Detroit.
The city has maps of the location of the trees.
Interested parties can contact him and he will
connect the parties to the appropriate city
ofce. The contact information is: Steven K.
Leggat, Assistant Chief, City of Detroit, Building
& Safety Engineering Housing Inspection
Division, Coleman A. Young Municipal Center,
2 Woodward Avenue, Suite 412, Detroit,
Michigan 48226. Phone: 313-224-3155. Fax:
313-224-2745, leggats@bsed.ci.detroit.mi.us,
www.ci.detroit.mi.us
New Timber Truss Book available from
The Guild The Timber Framers Guild has just
published one of its nest books and another
invaluable reference for timber framers,
designers, preservationists, architects and
engineers. Historic American Roof Trusses (2006)
is a compilation of six articles which originally
appeared in the TFGs quarterly journal, Timber
Framing, plus new material. Primary author Jan
Lewandoski covers the principles of building
various trusses, including scissor trusses,
kingpost and queenpost trusses, and compound
and raised bottom chord trusses, using historic
examples. Ed Levin provides structural analyses
for each type, and Jack Sobon provides detailed
drawings. New material includes an introduction
to trusses by noted timber engineer Dave
Fischetti, a treatise on the evolution of trusses by
Jan Lewandoski, and a comprehensive glossary
and bibliography. The original research for this
book was partially funded by a grant from the
National Park Service and the National Center
for Preservation Technology and Training.
Price: $30 US, plus postage and handling.
92 pages, 9"x12", color, Smythe sewn binding,
ISBN # 0-9706643-4-6
Available from the Timber Framers Guild at
www.tfguild.org, or TFG, PO Box 60, Becket,
MA (USA) 413-623-9926
Ole Gertz Log Building, horse logging and
select logging. Carpentry, log furniture and log
structures offered. Contract work available. All
types of notches, 30 years experience. Phone
780-523-3363. Ole Gertz, Box 636, High Prairie
AB T0G 1E0
Timberline Builders, Inc is a Colorado
residential General Contractor with ten years of
building experience. We specialize in quality
turn key construction. To ensure your clients
project a complete success, do not hesitate to
call 303-258-1887. For additional information
see our web page at www.tbiloghomes.com
HELP WANTED ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Allan Mackie and Nicola Logworks
will be hosting a 4-week comprehensive log
building course March 5 March 30th 2007.
Cost is $2000.00 Canadian. For more
information please contact Dai at
log@daizen.com
Brian Lloyd Construction Consulting
Industry Consulting
Building Inspection
Expert Witness
Conflict Resolution
Vernon, B.C.
Tel/Fax 250-549-3545
email bg_Lloyd@hotmail.com
For Sale
The ILBA has a 2004 Wardhaul at deck trailer,
approximately 24 feet in length with either a
6000lb or 7000 lb axle. The cost of the trailer in
2004 was between $6500.00 - $7000.00.
The replacement cost of this trailer is about
$8000.00. It is in excellent condition, with about
1500 miles on it. The asking price for this trailer
is $5000.00 Canadian. Please contact Ann at the
ofce at 1-800-532-2900 if you would like more
information.
EVENTS & TRAI NI NG
2007
ILBA 2007 Conference and AGM
Abbottsford, British Columbia, Canada
April 26th to 29th, 2007
Space Available
Advertise
TODAY!
16 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
PA DRAFTING & DESIGN
e-mail: PADnD@alltel.net
WAYNE BRUNNER
RIDGWAY, PA. 15853
Tel : 814-772-9184
Custom Log Home Designs
Will travel to your job site
22 years of experience
ABOVE This log is cathedral currently being built outside
St. Petersburg, Russia. Log walls are 32 meters (105 feet) tall.
Onion domes are pre-built and pre-shingled on the ground,
and then erected. Nick Berwian reports that it has taken a
neighbouring business of 10 men about 18 months to get this
far. There were once many of these old log cathedrals in
northwestern Russia, but most were destroyed by fire, except
for several at Kizhi, which is now a United Nations World
Heritage site.
BELOW The Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Karelia, Russia
was built nearly 300 years ago, and is one of the last
remaining log cathedrals from the era of Peter the Great.
Nestor, the master log builder, built its 120-foot-tall log walls
and 23 domes without the use of drawings or plans. Legend
has it that he threw his axe into Lake Onega after completing
this masterpiece, vowing to never build again. There has been
major restoration at Kizhi the past three years, funded in part
by the United Nations. PHOTO BY ROBERT W. CHAMBERS 1993
New and Old Churches in Russia
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 17
know exactly what you are saying and the lawyer will have to
justify himself in front of everyone as to why he thinks what he
wants is fair.
That wont be easy since he had his opportunity to disagree
with your principles of fairness at the beginning of the meeting.
This approach, by the way, will catch most lawyers completely
off guard because they are used to negotiating from a
power/intimidation framework where they hold over the
builders head the implicit threat that the owner can just take his
money elsewhere and find another builder, if risks are not allocat-
ed the way they want. Believe me, the builder will have the
moral high ground here and it will be very hard for the lawyer to
attempt to use his power/intimidation approach against you in
front of all the other persons in the meeting. You, therefore, stay
in control.
Some of the builders I have worked with in the past, especially
the small builders, tend to focus their attention on helping the
owner get the design of the house decided and into a set of
rough drawings with little or no attention to the contents of a
construction agreement because they just want to get a commit-
ment from the client and a deposit into their bank account as
soon as possible. These same builders are often not comfortable
with the documentation and communications part of the proj-
ect. Some builders are afraid they may scare the client away if
they discuss these potential conflict areas. Every time I have
talked with an owner after the builder has held such a meeting, I
did not see fear. I saw relief that the builder had thought things
out so well. It's also a much friendlier process. If the builder will
take the time to prepare for and hold this meeting, the whole
project will go smoother and conflicts will usually be minimal.
Also, if the builder doesnt have the meeting recommended in
this Business Standard prior to presenting the agreement, and
the agreement is comprehensive, the result almost always will
cause the owner to take the agreement to their own lawyer for
review because they were surprised by many of the provisions.
That could cause an adversarial relationship to form between the
owner and builder with the two lawyers battling it out as to how
the agreement should be drafted, and the proper allocation of risks.
My experience has been that even if I started out with a fair
agreement as to allocation of risks, the owners lawyer almost
always feel compelled to get something more for their clients
using the power/intimidation approach. If the builder tries to
wing this on their own and save attorney's fees by having the
owners lawyer draft the contract, I guarantee that the result will
be a grossly unfair agreement where the builder is carrying most
of the risk. If there is a fair allocation of risks and the owner feels
some thought has been put into the agreement to protect his
interests, too, then the odds are that the owner will sign it rather
than run to a lawyer to review it for him. Owners on residential
projects usually reserve judgment on whether they need a lawyer
until after they see the construction agreement.
Construction Agreements and Procedures
from page 5
18 LogBuildingNews September | October 2006
Learn about timber framing
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education inspiration
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www.TFGUILD.ORG
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
tel: 250.372.3373
fax: 250.828.6848
toll free in BC: 1-800-663-6432
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PROUD TO SERVE
THE INTERNATIONAL
LOG BUILDERS
ASSOCIATION
Celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2005
R.C.M. CAD Design & Drafting Ltd.
Exclusively designing log homes
& Post and Beam since 1994
Bus: (604) 850-6723 Fax: (604) 850-6734
E-mail: rcmcaddesign@shawbiz.ca
Web Page: www.loghomedesign.ca
Check out our Web page to learn about us & our product
Number 60 LogBuildingNews 19
Ann Miks, Administrative Assistant
ann@logassociation.org
International Log Builders Association
P.O. Box 775
Lumby, British Columbia
Canada V0E 2G0
800-532-2900 toll-free
250-547-8776 phone
250-547-8775 fax
www.logassociation.org
FOR MORE I NFORMATI ON
How to get Log Building News
Log Building News is mailed to all ILBA
members. Articles, photos and letters are
welcomed. The deadline for LBN 61 is
November 15, 2006.
If you submit articles in Microsoft Word

on CD or by email, send them directly to

the ILBA ofce.
Back issues of Log Building News are
available from the Association ofce.
Call 800-532-2900 to order.
Copyright notice
Log Building News is copyrighted in
Canada and the United States. Express
written permission is required from the
ILBA and, in some cases, from the author,
before any article or photo can be
photocopied, distributed or republished.
Contact the ILBA ofce for details.
Disclaimer
The views and information expressed in
articles and ads appearing in Log Building
News are those of the authors of those
articles and ads. The International Log
Builders Association assumes no responsi-
bility for the accuracy of the information
contained herein and does not edit or
investigate any article or ad for that pur-
pose.
Log Building Standards
The ILBA Log Building Standards, the
building code for handcrafted, scribe-t &
chinked log homes are available online at
the ILBA Web site, www.logassociation.org
and can be downloaded to your computer
at no charge as an Adobe Acrobat PDF
le.
Advertising
Log Building News welcomes advertisers.
Please contact the ILBA ofce for deadlines.
Advertisers can send completed ads as:
Press optimized PDF format with fonts
embedded
QuarkXpress format (Mac preferred, but
PC is acceptable) with screen and printer
fonts, images, and graphics included.
PhotoShop (7.0 or below) or Illustrator
(10.0 and below) EPS les.
300 dpi greyscale TIFs or high resolution
JPGs
Microsoft Publisher les must be convert-
ed to PDF format with fonts embedded.
All greyscale images should be scanned at
266 or higher and be in JPG or TIF format.
Black and white line art should be sent in
TIF format scanned at 600 dpi or as
original art for scanning.
Submissions can be made on Zip disk,
CD-ROM, oppy disk or via email. Com -
pressed .sit, .zip or .sea les are acceptable.
Editorial copy can be sent as Microsoft
Word, PDF or QuarkXpress documents, or
saved in text only format (.txt) from any
word processing program.
Contact the ILBA for other digital le infor-
mation by email: info@logassociation.org
Log Building News is a great way to con-
tact the best log home builders. The ILBA
is the largest group of builders of hand-
crafted log homes in the world our
members made well over $250 million of
logwork last year. Please contact the ofce
at 800-532-2900 for an advertising speci-
cation sheet and ad rates.
Joining the ILBA
Membership in the International Log Builders
Association is open to any interested person.
Members get a copy of the ILBA Log Building
Standards, one year of Log Building News, member-
ship certicate, voting privileges, discounted confer-
ence registration, a listing in the Annual Directory, a
copy of the Association Constitution and Bylaws, use
of computerized help wanted and work wanted ads,
and all ILBA mailings and notices. Company mem-
berships have additional benets. The ILBA accepts
Visa or MasterCard. For more information on dues
and member benets, please call the ILBA ofce at
800-532-2900.
President
Ed Shure UNTIL 2006
ed@timmerhusinc.com
Vice-President
Pat Clark UNTIL 2007
pclark@aboutmontana.net
Clerk/Secretary
Vic Janzen (LBN, Ethics) UNTIL 2006
vicjanzen@uniserve.com
Treasurer
John Boys (Finance*, Ethics) UNTIL 2008
logworks@uniserve.com
Directors
Egils Artmanis UNTIL 2007
egipapa@msn.com
Robert W. Chambers (Log Building News*)
UNTIL 2007
robert@logbuilding.org
Todagin Hodson UNTIL 2008
info@redwillowrustic.ca
Rick Hall (Ethics*) UNTIL 2006
rickhall@conveyists.com
Jean Rodrigue UNTIL 2008
rodrigue500@sympatico.ca
ILBA Board of Directors
(Committees in parentheses; * indicates chair)
I N OUR NEXT I S S UE
Coming up in Log Building News 61
2007 Conference
More Construction Law
Log Grading
Spiral Grain
Review of Makita Groove Cutter
More Tech Talk
(contribute your ideas and photos today)
SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLES TODAY WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!