Lean-to How-to

Build a Traditional Shelter From the Pages of Woodcraft

Editors’ note: The following appeared in Woodcraft by Bernard S. Mason, with illustrations by Frederic H. Kock, published by A. S. Barnes & Company in 1939 and reissued by Dover Publications in 1974. Mason wrote books about pioneer sports and games, camping, drums and tom-toms, Native American lore and the theory of play. Here he shares his advice on building a classic shelter.

THE ADIRONDACK LOG LEAN-TO

Somewhere there is a secluded spot deep in the wilds beside a little lake or stream where you should have a permanent shelter that will forever beckon and urge you to come and camp and enjoy true sanctuary. There you should build an Adirondack open camp—a sturdy, woodsy log lean-to of quick construction as log building goes, yet of generous proportions and full of coziness. The memories of nights spent there in the open, precious as they may be, will scarcely equal those of the building of the camp—the busy, happy days of hauling and notching and chinking will be a joy forever.

Traditional styles of shelters vary in different parts of the country. The one we are considering has been labeled as the Adirondack lean-to because of its long-continued and ever-increasing popularity in the northeastern states, particularly in the Adirondacks, where it is to be found along all the trails and portages, ready and waiting for any weary traveler who seeks its shelter. Today it is far from a provincial, northeastern structure for it has been accepted across the land as the best of open camps, combining the fascination and charm of living in the open with ideal protection from the weather. It is a most satisfactory protection from the cold, an excellent shelter from the wet, provides plenty of fresh air and enable s you to see the cheery blaze of the campfire—could one ask more?

MAKING THE OPEN LOG CAMP

Any kind of softwood logs that can be obtained near the site of the shelter may be used, the best of the woods for log construction being spruce, cedar, pine, balsam, hemlock and chestnut. Hardwood is much too heavy to handle and difficult to work. Good straight poles about six to eight inches in diameter will be needed, together with four heavier ones for the bottom course and some slender stuff for rafters.

A rugged open camp such as this is unquestionably more attractive if made of logs with the bark left on, but bark holds moisture that leads to rapid decay and gives boring insects a home while doing their destructive work. The choice mu st be made between a rough-and-ready, woods-like camp of relatively short life, and a trim, peeled-log one of long duration. If the logs are to be peeled, they should be cut during the spring months or at least before midsummer, at which time of year they will peel easily. They should be hauled to location before peeling else they will be too slippery to handle. A barking-spud will rip off the bark in short order if it is “running good,” and if it binds in spots a draw-knife will relieve it.

In selecting the site, the camp should be faced so that the open side is protected at least in part from the prevailing winds, even if the best view of the scenery is sacrificed thereby—this is an important matter, for one will have no zest for beautiful landscapes with the full blast of a gale driving broadside into the opening.

The best size for an open camp is eight-by-12 feet. These shelters may vary from seven-by-10 feet up to 13-by-16 feet but sizes larger than eight-by-12 are not recommended owing to in­creased difficulties in heating. Stake out the cabin and stretch chalk lines between the stakes.

The only really essential tools are an ax, a hand-ax, a hammer, a cedar saw or one-man crosscut saw, a two-inch chisel and a gouge of similar width. In addition, however, a square, a level and a drawknife will come in handy.

Put large stones at each corner to serve as a foundation. Select the largest logs for the bottom course—four of them, because in this bottom course there is to be a log across the open side of the lean-to to serve as the deacon’s seat. And the deacon is entitled to recline on the best log in the outfit, a straight smooth one at least 12 inches in diameter. Lay it and its mate to the rear first, fit two six-inch end logs in between them as in Figure 42, (right), {mosimage} and then lay the two main end logs, notching them with a curved or U-shaped notch to fit over the lower front and back logs. If these two large end logs are allowed to extend a good 18 inches out in front as in the drawing, they will make excellent seats. With the bottom co urse of logs in place, snap a chalk line down the middle of each and measure again to see if the foundation is square.

Now a decision must be reached as to the type of front corner desired (see Below). There are four possible selections. The most picturesque and appropriate is the log-cabin corner, made with short cross-logs notched in the usual log-cabin manner, but this is extravagant both in time and materials as compared to the other types. If it is used the ends of the logs may be sawed square in uniform lengths, or left roughly chopped at irregular lengths with artistic effect.

The second and all succeeding courses of logs are laid just as the first, with unusual care given to the notching. After each log is in place it should be spiked to the one below it with 12-inch spikes.

The back elevation is three-and-one-half feet. Above this the side logs should have one end chopped to a slant to fit the slope of the roof. The side logs continue up to the peak of the gable, each one fitted and spiked to the log below. The height of the ridgepole is seven feet from the floor.

As the walls go up constant care must be exercised to see that they are vertical—this is accomplished by vertical pencil lines drawn on the ends of the logs before the notching is done. One must be on the alert also to see that the walls are level: The ends of the logs should be reversed, the small end of each log placed over the butt end of the log beneath it. Check occasionally by laying a board on the top log and placing a level on it.

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A six-inch diameter log is used for the ridgepole, firmly spiked to the top of the upright slab at each front corner. The rafters run from the ridgepole to the back wall and extend a foot beyond it. These poles should be about four inche s thick at the big end and should be spaced 18 inches, nine in all being needed for a shack 12 feet long. The large end of the rafters should be toward the ridgepole. The roof boards are nailed across these rafters, running lengthwise of the shelter and extending a foot beyond the ends.

The apron extends out in front two-and-one-half to three feet and has the same slope as the roof itself. If the arrangement shown in B, below, is used, nine apron rafters will be needed to be attached to the ridgepole. The bottom ends of these are nailed to a four- or five-inch pole which is supported at each end by a brace nailed to the upright at the front corner.

If lumber is not available for the roof, small poles may be fitted close together and the tops leveled off to a reasonably smooth surface.

Roofing may be homemade shingles or commercial shingles, composition roofing or even tarpaper. One of the most popular commercial roofings for open camps is the patented asphalt type with a top of crushed slate.

The warmest place to sleep in one of these open shelters is as near the floor as possible, and if the camp is so situated that the floor is reasonably free from dampness a bunk may be built of poles and lumber just off the ground. The b unk should extend entirely across the back and since one sleeps warmer if his feet are toward the fire, it should extend out from the back wall six-and-one-half feet. A bunk of this size built just off the ground really constitutes a floor, and so it is well to extend the boards all the way up to the deacon’s seat, placing a pole across six-and-one-half feet for the back to terminate the bunk in case boughs are used for bedding. Should the camp give promise of dampness the bunk should be elevated 18 inches and built lengthwise of the cabin along the back wall, extending out the width of the bunk—two bunks will be possible, each six feet long, separated in the middle by a board. This arrangement has the advantage of leaving the main floor of the camp open for general use.

Shelves can be built around the side and back walls and spikes driven in the logs to serve as hooks.

NOTCHING

By all odds the best type of notching, and the one we shall describe in detail, is the round or U-shaped notch shown in A, B and C, (right). {mosimage} It will be noted that the logs are notched on the lower side only, this notch fitting over the l og below it. Let us assume that the lower course of four logs is in place on the foundation of the lean-to. Place the first log of the second course in its position and when it has been trued up and lies directly over the log beneath it, draw a perpendicular line with a pencil down the middle of its end. And also mark on its underside the width of the crosswise log below it over which the notch is to fit. Then roll the log over on its back, using a cant-hook if necessary, and chop the notch out ro ughly with a hand-ax. Roll the log back into position and test the notch for size, then turn it back again and continue chopping it out and smoothing it up with a two-inch gouge. It will be necessary to roll it into position several times to check th e progress of the notch. When finished it should fit very snugly and should allow the log to drop flush with the lengthwise log beneath it. Furthermore, when the notch is completed the perpendicular line on the end of the log should still be perpendicu lar to the ground. When both ends of the log are notched and the log is finally in position, a 12-inch spike should be driven through each notch into the log beneath with additional spikes at intervals of six feet along its length.

The purpose of the vertical line at the end of the log is to assist in keeping the walls perpendicular as the logs go up. As each succeeding log is notched and put in position, the vertical line on its end should be a continuation of th e lines on the logs beneath.

There are two ways to trim the logs at the corners: One is to saw them off to uniform length a foot to 15 inches out from the corner. Or, they may be left at irregular lengths, some much longer than others, with the ends either sawed or roughly chopped. Which of these two methods should be used is a matter of personal taste—one produces a neat, ship-shape job while the other gives a rough-and-ready backwoods atmosphere.

CHINKING AND CAULKING

If the logs fit very close together the narrow cracks may be caulked with damp moss, preferably sphagnum moss, or with oakum. These materials are forced into the cracks from both sides of the logs with a caulking iron or wooden wedge, dr iven with a mallet. If the cracks are wide it may be necessary to close them with lengths of quartered logs shaped to fit the cracks, bedded in clay or mortar and nailed.

Clay makes a very good caulking and one that will stand up 10 to 15 years if well done. The clay should be mixed with water to the consistency of putty and forced into the cracks.

Mortar makes the most enduring and watertight chinking. Where the cracks are wide, metal laths or meshed wire made for the purpose should be nailed in them before the mortar is applied in order to give it a foundation. A mixture of ceme nt mortar and wood-pulp plaster makes the best caulking, the latter substance giving the mortar more consistency for filling the larger openings between the logs—cement mortar alone is inclined to be too runny and has a tendency to settle away from th e log above as it dries. It is well to apply the mortar thicker where it rests on the lower log allowing it to taper to the log above, thus giving the caulking a wider base at the bottom and preventing its settling. If the logs are allowed to season before they are caulked, they will not shrink away from the mortar.

Log construction in true pioneer fashion is the best of rugged experience for anyone. Better by far than the making of trinkets of metal and leather in a summer camp is the building with logs.