If you haven’t been to the northern Adirondack mountain region of far upstate NY, you may not be familiar with the preferred style of houses here, so here is a pic for your viewing enjoyment. This clip is from the webpage of Dartbrook Lodge, a small resort in Keene.
This building exhibits the kind of bark-on post-rail-twigwork that we see everywhere here, plus if you look close you can see two different kinds of siding, bark-on halflogs done vertically, and panels of heavy birchbark laid on shingle-lapped.
Adirondack style is claimed to be in play in the western-states intermountain regions, and also in parts of the ME, NY, and VT woods, but what I have seen from those other areas looks more massive than what is done here.
Comment if you will about those balustrades and how your inspectors would not pass them, but ours do, and gladly. Just about all the housing that gets built here is for second homes, and those buyers want the look of an 1882 north woods hunting camp.
Open-riser stairs made using half-log slabs as treads, whatever, anything to keep the folks with bucks buying and providing local jobs. What sized ball you can squeeze through is not our concern.
Edited 12/7/2008 3:31 pm ET by Gene_Davis
Replies
I've done a lot of that type of work both in furniture and rails/stairs when I was in NC. Pretty popular down in the vacation areas.
I had a nea table saw attachment called a "Tennonizer" you would bore a 1/2" dia. hole in the end of a soon to be part, and then a carriage type attachment would bolt/clamp to the table saw. On that was a 1/2" steel dowel that pivoted above the saw blade..you out the part on the dowel and as you lower the part onto the spinning ( dado, or chainsaw toothed blade, yes 10" blade with chain type teeth) blade,you either rotate it by hand, or could use a flexible shaft in a drill with a screw center type lag. MAde quick and accurate tennons.
BTW you stood Behind the saw, with the blade rotating AWAY from you. That also made the shoulder cut of the tennon the radius of the blade, but it was cut going with the grain, so it stayed smooth.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Sphere, we would love to build one of these for the costtage on one of the decks. Can you steer me in the right direction on how to build these and what type of wood can we use. Our property is full of birch,pine,cedar and maple. If we can't use this type of wood, we have a mill down the road that might have something different.
I sent the building inspector a railing similar to the ones shown in the picture and they will not pass but we have a lower deck being built that we can use one on.
I know we will be clearing some trees this spring so if we can use what we have that would be great.
If there are any books on how to build these, please let me know
thank you
You might wanna look here:
http://www.loghomestore.com/tools-log-furniture.shtml?gclid=CJ7P7cjStpgCFQFvGgodGjfsag
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
What I had used was dogwood, rhododendron, Mountain laurel. for this.
View Image
I used a gizmo called a tenonizer to tennon the parts and drilled the rail..altho some are nailed/screwd as well.
If those are your choices, I'd opt for the cedar. More easily worked and more stable. The tennon tools are also available from Lee Valley IIRC they are chucked in a drill and used that way.
I gotta run right now , more later.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Very Nice stairs, I look forward to hearing back from you.
thank you
Ok, I found the tool I had. http://www.tenonizer.com/ I had the table saw attachment. I also used a big sweep log gouge, a grinder attachment called (various names now I find) A Lancelot or Excalibur..but it is a chainsaw type cutter held between two large washers and it is a very cool, yet scary tool.
Some parts need coping to the next for joinery, and that is where the finesse w/ the grinder comes to play, that and a good eyeball. Keep your good eyeballs behind saftey glasses , by the way. Keeps em good.
I didn't book read anything, I worked at a small furniture company http://www.summerhousehighlands.com/tmw/index.html
And we did a LOT of rustic furniture..so I used the same techniques but on a larger scale. I had left the Co. and was on my own at that time.
I have more pics I need to scan and upload later and I will try to post them here.
Not much elese I can say, but go for it and have fun. Those stairs were for Alice Walton of Wal-Mart..( yeah, ick, but hey..a job is a job, and it ain't her fault wallyworld sucks) and I also had done some other railings , those pics got stolen along with my portfolio..but I have some of some furniture that is alog the same technique lines.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Thanks for the info Sphere, look forward to seeing your pics.
Slight delay in getting the pics scanned, I can't sit in the computer chair to get them scanned..have a disc in my back not playing nice, so I'm locked to the other computer that is downstairs...and no scanner near it.
Sorry 'bout that.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
No hurry, were not doing any work in this type of weather anyway. I have 2 discs that have issues so I hear yah on what chair you can sit in.
poorgirl,
Dan Mack has written some good books about rustic furniture. They are
often available in book stores with crafts sections. I have two of them: Simple Rustic Furniture and Making Rustic Furniture. Both are good and either would be a good place for you to start., but I would lean toward Making Rustic Furniture for first buy.
http://danielmack.com/writing/index.html or
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Daniel+Mack&x=12&y=19
I bought the tenon making router kit (see below) this past Summer and tried it, but haven't taken time to become skilled . Just made a couple tenons to see how it works. With some practice it could be an inexpensive way to make a lot of tenons in a short time.. Got mine on sale with all three guides and a Porta Cable router for a about what the kit and extra guides normally cost.
I'd buy it again.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11055
These bits below in the Rockler catalog would be maybe the best if one could justify the cost. I have one similar antique set, 3/4", made for a hand bit brace. Got lucky and bought them for $20.
http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=log+tenon+bits&submit.x=15&submit.y=12
Edited to say I think these are the same drill mounted bits Mike Hennessey's site shows and Sphere recommended at Lee Valley. Just checked and Sears also now lists them.
oldfred
Edited 2/2/2009 11:57 am ET by oldfred
Does Twiggy have a place up there?
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "What does this mean?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home"
I like it.
And I agree,
Leave your code at home if you wanna see it.
Code don't cover what most payin' people want.
I absoultly love it up there unforntunalty I only get to go as far as old forge - to the water park, but I really enjoy the drive. I love the unique cabin feel of the high end places up there.
Theres a certain feeling you cant describe when you start the drive into the park, hopefully someday I can afford to do a little vacation to see a lot more like tupper, sanarac and lake placid, I would be most interested in seeing the homes, or at least public structures constructed like that. I just want to "be" there and take it in for a bit. Would like more pic if your so inclined
I worked on a few of those Old Forge lake front camps.
Take a drive down south shore road sometime, some interesting
camps down that way. Mind the deer, way to many of them cause people keep feeding them.
Wow, that is beautiful, I love the railings. Unfortunately we have tried to get them passed here in Ontario and no go. But we would love to do one on a deck that doesn't require a railing. Anything under 2' does not require a handrailing.
Thanks for posting, it's great to see whats out there in other parts of the country.
Nice!
I'd get the CO than rip out the code compliant rails and have yours installed.
Screw the man!
Nice.
The rural country here has little code enforcement by building dept. officials, but I am seeing more inspections by insurance companies. I've been hired to "fix" railings for people just so they can keep their insurance policy.
I am seeing more rustic rails with glass, for code and for the view. The glass can be overlayed with twigwork for that look too (where the enforcers hold sway).
Here are some Minnesota rustic rails: