When building a house, the question of the diameter of the necessary and suitable log is very relevant. This issue must be resolved immediately before the construction of the house.

Until 1999, in our country, construction was carried out in accordance with SNiP 2.01.01-82, now the standards have changed, and houses are being built in accordance with SNiP 23-01-99. Innovations in building climatology differ from previous standards with new requirements for the thermal conductivity of surrounding structures in a big way. For example, if earlier, according to the requirements of climatology, a brick wall of 30 cm was enough, now its thickness should be 60 cm.

Interestingly, new requirements for insulation have appeared along with the development of companies in the construction market that specialize in the production of insulation materials. It is likely that the changes are related to lobbying interests from new companies. Otherwise, it will remain inexplicable that people in Siberia with both the old and the new SNiP continue to spend the winter in houses where the wall thickness is 20-30 cm.

It is possible to answer the question about the required thickness of the rounded log only by deciding on the purpose of construction. The house can be intended for seasonal (summer) use and for permanent all-weather use. It is on how the house will be used in the future that the choice of the diameter of the rounded log for the house depends.

If the construction of the house is carried out for living in it in the summer, then a thickness of 20 to 22 centimeters is suitable. And if the house will be used in winter period, then it is advisable to choose a thickness of 24-26 centimeters. It is quite possible to buy rounded logs with a thickness of 28 centimeters or more for all-weather operation, they will not be warmer, but will help save on heating.

For the implementation of the correct construction of a house from a log, you need to follow the formula. This is a special formula, it is indicated in SNiP. Its essence says that the width of the log is equal to half the diameter. The thermal properties of the house will directly depend on the thickness of the groove. So, for a 22-centimeter log, the groove is 11 centimeters, and for a 26-centimeter log, this value will be 13 centimeters.

Of course, it is possible to save on the thickness of the logs, but in this way you will only postpone the costs for the near future. If you build a house for all-weather use from a log with a diameter of 20 centimeters, then you will save on construction, only in winter even more savings will be spent on heating, since the house is guaranteed to be cool. If you build a house with logs with a diameter of 28 centimeters, then the cost of money and time will increase slightly, but you will not have to spend extra money every winter on adequate heating. The volume of material with such a diameter will be greater, which means that the cost of the house will increase by an average of 50-150 thousand, depending on the size of the house.

Heat loss

All bearing structures have their own heat loss. In percentage terms, it looks like this:

If there is no chimney or ventilation, then these 20% heat losses are distributed between the roof and windows. This is due to the fact that in such a situation they are the main sources of heat output and inflow. fresh air. The presence of skylights adds several tens of kilowatts to the heat loss to the roof per month.

Considering all of the above, it becomes clear that the greatest heat loss occurs through the walls, in a log house this figure can reach 40%. But you should not forget that all these data are relevant with a normally insulated roof and a well-executed roofing pie, because. with a non-insulated roof and a cold foundation, the choice of the thickness of the rounded log does not play any role at all.

It is quite possible to make a house warm enough with walls made of rounded logs with a diameter of 22 centimeters with good foundation, insulated roof and windows. Take care of this first. After that, you can do the warming of the log, meaning the warming of the interventional space, which is a kind of "bridge" for the cold. In this case, it is ideal to use an acrylic sealant for rounded logs. It is used only together with a cord made of polyethylene foam. Without such a cord, the sealant will have the usual properties: it will resist wind and moisture, but will not be able to keep the heat in the house. A cord made of foamed polyethylene, the thickness of which is 1 cm, can be confidently equated to 2-3 centimeters of wood. It turns out that if you lay it on both sides, it will replace up to 6 centimeters of wood. In this case, the thickness of the groove of a rounded log with a thickness of 22 centimeters will be as much as 17 centimeters.

All photos from the article

Building houses from wood, continuing the centuries-old traditions of our ancestors, is no longer just fashionable, but also quite justified on the basis of the ecological principle that worries everyone every day. more people. In addition, in terms of comfort of living with a log cabin or a building made of timber, not a single building made of known materials can be compared. If you want to know what log diameter is needed for year-round use, then check out this article.

Optimal log dimensions

A wooden house bypasses its concrete and stone counterparts in all the most important parameters for housing:

• The ability to easily pass steam and air, which guarantees automatic adjustment of the optimal mode of humidity in the premises.
• The lowest thermal conductivity, which means that the house will be warm when minimal cost for energy carriers. In summer, it will be pleasantly cool.

Note!
Wood fills the atmosphere of the house with a subtle characteristic aroma that has a beneficial effect on human health.
And sawn timber from have persistent antibacterial properties, purify the air and surfaces of structures from pathogenic flora.

Protection from winds and frost for the house ensures the correct selection of lumber for construction wooden frame. Today we will discuss the choice of the optimal log diameter for a log house.

To the uninitiated, this question may seem far-fetched, what could be simpler, take a rounded log with a diameter of 400 or more, build, it will be sound and warm. However, the issues of energy conservation and saving their own finances remain relevant for the vast majority of the population of our country.

In this regard, the instruction for optimizing the purchase of wood for the construction of buildings for various purposes will be useful to many.

Advice!
Those who intend to build from wood with their own hands should know the recommendations of professionals in this matter.
Yes, and it is better to control the construction site, knowing the basics wooden construction.

Compliance with the climate of the region

First, you need to understand that in preserving heat in a log house important role play two quantities:

• rounded log diameter.
• The width of the groove selected for the assembly of the structure.

The popularity of rounded logs in domestic housing construction is due to the fact that it allows you to assemble a classic Russian log house, which our ancestors built using chopped logs. New technologies have made their own adjustments to the preparation and characteristics of the log, making the construction process more technologically advanced and faster, and the erected house more elegant, with even crowns and no gaps.

Let us consider in detail the properties and specifications rounded logs, what it is, what types and types there are, dimensions, parameters, pros and cons, how they are made and used in private construction.

What is round log

rounded log- this is milled lumber, which is a fragment of the trunk, cleared of the upper, loosest layer of wood. Mechanical processing (milling) ensures the same diameter of the log along the entire length, which in turn increases the strength and stability of the geometry of the finished structure.

Production of rounded logs

The unique properties of rounded logs are acquired in the process of its production, which consists of the following steps:

• sorting of feedstock (saw logs) by diameter;

• processing in a rounding machine. After the milling stage, the log will be removed upper layer, and only the core part will remain, which is the most durable and shrinks the least. Also, during processing, the difference in the diameters of the log at the bottom and at the top will be minimized. According to the standard, it cannot exceed 4 mm.;

• log sorting. Allows you to sort the workpieces according to the given sizes;

• drying: natural or forced;

• formation of a compensation cut. Note that not all logs have a cut, and it is done more often by order of the buyer;

• open. The log gets on sale, having a standard length. But, many homeowners prefer not to mess with the length adjustment of logs, but order a house kit for the house.

  Domokomplekt from the rounded log is a ready set for assembly of the house. It resembles a constructor that contains a set of parts (logs) prepared in length in accordance with the provided project of the house, with the corresponding marking of each element. A significant advantage of using a house kit is the presence of seats (bowls), which make the joining of logs fast and tight;

• cupping - provides for cutting seats (bowls) necessary for laying log crowns. Like a profiled beam, two types of seats are cut out in a rounded log:

Cross bowls; The material was prepared for the site www.site

Diagonal bowls;

Longitudinal slots. The curvature of the grooves is somewhat different from the curvature of the log. This is necessary in order to lay at the junction of the logs thermal insulation material. If the dimensions of the grooves coincide, then there is a high probability that after shrinkage the log will touch the bottom only by the central point, and not by the entire surface of the groove. This will lead to the fact that the junction of the logs will have to be caulked;

• facing. End processing;

• antiseptic treatment. It is carried out over the entire area of ​​​​the log, including longitudinal grooves and bowls. Allows to provide biological inertness to a log and to keep its properties during storage, transportation and installation. Only water-based antiseptics are used. Such a solution does not clog the micropores of the wood, and it continues to dry out;

• transportation to the construction site. Often this function is taken over by manufacturers, since they can ensure the unloading and proper storage of logs at the facility. After all, a log house is built from 4 to 6 months, depending on its size and the complexity of the project. During this period, it is necessary to organize the proper storage of the material;

• storage;
• package.

Rounded log - GOST, norms and standards

Please note that one normative document, regulating the production and characteristics of rounded logs, does not exist. Not in Russia, not anywhere else.

Self-respecting manufacturers develop their own standards - STP (STO) - the standard of the enterprise (organization), which contains all the information about the dimensions and deviations, quality and storage conditions of the material.

However, there are a number of state standards (GOST) that regulate certain aspects of the production and storage of logs:

And a number of international standards (ISO) and European standards (EN):

Characteristics of round logs according to GOST 9463-88

Types of round logs

All types of logs can be classified as follows:

Thermal log characteristics

thermal log- This is lumber made from thermally modified logs. The new technology involves heat treatment of wood - high-temperature drying of logs in an airless environment.

Features, properties, pros and cons of thermal logs:

• drying at a temperature of 125-190 °C. The choice of temperature depends on the density of the wood;

• complete absence of resin. At the same time, coniferous wood retains its aroma;

• change at the level of cellular structure. Drying allows you to get a log with a given moisture content, which eliminates the appearance of blue on the surface of the log. In this case, no chemicals are used;

• color correction. Thanks to the effect of heat, by varying the exposure time and temperature, the manufacturer has the opportunity to give the wood noble dark shades. In this case, the color change is not end-to-end, i.e. does not affect the entire log, but deep enough (1-2 cm), which eliminates the appearance of light scratches on the surface of the wall;

• decrease in thermal conductivity. After heat treatment, wood loses its ability to transmit heat by 0-30%;

• increase in surface strength, which increases the resistance of the log to cracking;

• reduction of hygroscopicity due to the modification of its capillary structure;
• absence of torsion defects;
• resistance to biological activity;
• ecological cleanliness;
• increase in durability.

Of the shortcomings - the high cost.

Profile view (groove) of round logs

The profile or longitudinal groove is selected along the entire length of the rounded log and is designed to provide a tighter fit of the logs along the length during installation.

moon groove

The lunar profile is a semicircular longitudinal cut. It became more widespread due to the simplicity of the device.

Characteristics of a round log with a lunar profile

Finnish groove

It has a more complex tongue-and-groove mounting system. He has the so-called shoulder straps - cuts that increase thermal insulation properties connection points. The Finnish groove allows you to minimize the damage from the appearance of cracks. At the same time, the use of the Finnish groove allows you to abandon the procedure for caulking walls from a log.

Characteristics of a rounded log with a Finnish profile

Marking, diameter, working height, groove width, volume m.cub.

Note. According to the thermal calculation, a log with a Finnish profile with a diameter of 220 mm. in terms of thermal insulation, it is equivalent to a log with a lunar profile with a diameter of 280 mm.

wood species

Pine has become the most widespread in construction due to the optimal ratio of price and quality. Distinctive features pine wood rounding in a beautiful structure, strength, relatively low thermal conductivity, resistance to external influences and affordable price. Arkhangelsk pine is distinguished by the fact that it practically does not crack.

As for the cedar, its distribution is hindered by a high price.

The same judgment is true for larch. Which is the most suitable raw material for the production of logs. Larch is resistant to temperature extremes, moisture, has a high density and strength. However, the cost of a rounded larch log is twice the price of a similar pine log. Such characteristics of larch logs have led to the fact that it is used as the main one in the formation lower crown log house.

rounded log dimensions

During the harvesting process, the log is sorted before being processed. A trunk with the correct parameters allows you to get lumber with the specified dimensions at the output.

Standard log dimensions:

• diameter (section) of rounded log. This setting has highest value, since it directly determines the thermal conductivity and reliability of the walls.

The diameter of the log varies between 160-320 mm. The most popular in private construction is a rounded log with a diameter of 240 mm.

A house or a bathhouse made of rounded logs (to readers interested in a beam for a bathhouse) is a widespread practice, to the point that you can not know anything about the subject at all, order a construction company on a turnkey basis and get the finished result. But it is unlikely that you would read our articles if everything suited you in this version.

Yes, and we ourselves believe that a good owner will definitely consider it necessary to delve into the subject, learn more about the material- which log is better for a bath, what size, diameter, how they differ, what properties they have. This knowledge is also useful in order to understand what construction is being done from, and to control some parameters or processes. Yes, and after, too - the log house is not to say that it is capricious, but still requires care.

So let's deal with everything, and along the way, you see, and dispel some myths.

Which one is better

I would like to start with the consideration of wood. And not immediately by breed, but for now only with conventional wisdom, what the best wood will be the one that was harvested in the winter.

IMPORTANT! Antiseptics must be distinguished for internal and external work, and not to be confused with each other. It is worth processing the log after laying it, and with the part that will be inaccessible in the future, they do this - they do not impregnate the tree with an antiseptic, but a jute gasket (for example).

What breeds are suitable for felling

As already mentioned, for the most part, these will be coniferous breeds. It is them that you will most often meet on the market and in the offers of construction companies.

Of course, there are many taiga in Russia, but the main reason will still be strength and resistance to decay due to resins. And, of course, trunk straightness- it is higher in conifers than in deciduous ones. All this applies not only to the cheap pine and spruce mentioned above, but also to the more expensive species - larch and cedar. You can also offer fir.

From deciduous we would call oak, birch, aspen, alder and linden. But only it has sufficient strength and resistance to external influences. And he is very expensive.

Since we are talking about a bath, where the heat softens the pine resin and causes it to flow to the surface, there are two options: either partially use hardwood to build a steam room, or sheathe a hardwood steam room from softwood.

Spruce has less resin and is lighter than pine. Larch and - noble species. Larch is not afraid of water, it only makes it stronger.

BY THE WAY! As for the cedar, you should not flatter yourself - this is not at all the tree from which King Solomon built. Here you will find not Lebanese cedar, but Russian ... cedar pine. That's what we call "cedar".

Whom to choose? Focus on budget. If it allows, take a larch, if not, then it will go. Although ... I would like to advise not to trust myths too much - under adverse conditions, larch may well rot, and under favorable conditions, it can stand for decades.

And be warned that round log, into which cone-shaped trunks turn, over time can present many unpleasant surprises. Especially from the same larch. If a log is taken atmospheric drying, then it very often begins to lead over time. It can twist, bend, or just go into deep cracks.

This can be avoided only if you take trunks that have been subjected to heat treatment. It is of two types - ordinary and chamber. In the first case, uniform shrinkage is achieved, but with the preservation of the resin.

The second lasts much longer, and the output is wood with evaporated resin, which does not no shrinkage, no torsional deformation, buckling, no cracking. All this is extremely valuable, but only the price of such wood is too big.

Dimensions, diameter

Before naming the dimensions of a log for a bath, let's briefly go over what we know about the trunks. First, they tend thin out closer to the crown. Therefore, the top diameter will be smaller than the bottom diameter of the cut.

And for even laying preferably cylindrical rather than cone-shaped. Therefore, of the three types of trunk processing - rounding, planing and scraping, we get the most equal only in the first case, the minimum - in the third, and the second - something in between.

In this case, the cylindering is given cheaper everything, as it is produced on machines, and the rest is connected with manual labor. Manual labor is more expensive than machine labor. But is a rounded log ideal during operation?

There is nothing wrong with the operation itself, and it gives a form that is ideal for construction.

IMPORTANT only that the wood itself does not have defects and is properly dried. In this case, everything will be fine.

planed option has one nuance: after all, when laying logs in a wall, one should adhere to the Gostov rule, according to which for each running meter a taper of 1 cm is allowed. (Let us explain: taper is a change in diameter.)

At scraped there is no need to wait for the option of complying with GOST in terms of fluency. Yes, and all the flaws remain there - changes in thickness are possible in places where branches grow, and the curvature of the trunk is also not eliminated.

It is clear that the first and second options should be preferred, but not the third.

Now about homogeneity logs. There is also a rule for this:

ATTENTION! The permissible difference in the diameters of crowns used in construction should not exceed 30 mm.

That is, it does not matter if your diameters are large or small, the main thing is that they do not differ much from each other. Otherwise strength structures will be questionable.

As for the dimensions, the linear dimensions depend on project and from climatic conditions of the area where the bath will be. It should also be taken into account seasonality its use - thinner logs will fit for a summer bath than for an all-weather one.

If the task is to do very light summer building- you need to take the material with a diameter up to 18 cm. And it is also useful in all-season baths to create partitions.

More solid summer(!) bath can be made of logs with a diameter 18-22 cm.

For all-season bath suitable diameters from 22 to 28 cm. Large numbers are applicable where we are talking about objects of a large area or climatic zones with very low temperatures, where logs can be up to 36 cm in diameter (at -45 degrees, that's it).

How many pieces do you need

There is nothing difficult in the task of calculating how many logs you need for a bath. Let's describe the solution step by step:

1. We look at the plan () and write out the lengths of all the walls. If you take a smaller diameter for the partition, then count the partitions separately.
2. Add up the lengths of the walls. The resulting figure is the total length of one conditional crown.
3. Decide what diameter the logs will be.
4. The height of the bath is included in the project. Divide the height by the diameter of one crown. The resulting figure is the number of crowns.
5. We multiply the length of the conditional crown by the number of crowns. We get the total length of all logs.
6. The length of one standard rounded log is 6 meters. Divide the resulting length of all logs by the length of one log. The final figure is the amount of material to be purchased.
7. Gables are considered in a similar way.

Bath from large and huge logs

Baths from large and huge logs, we would refer to design projects. Because there is clearly not so much a construction need as aesthetic preference. The owner of such a bath obviously likes fabulous, epic times when heroes walked the earth 🙂 And indeed the building will inspire just such feelings, even if we are talking about a bath.

Note, our opinion is that this idea has little functional meaning and often causes critical reviews, due to the inappropriate destruction of valuable ancient trees.

It would be nice if the project was done by a professional, because it is he who will have to find the ideal ratio between the dimensions of the bath itself and the diameter of the logs. Because not grotesque proportions are sweet to the eye.

A tree from which crowns with a diameter of more than 30 cm are made must grow for three hundred years, no less. Such logs for a bath need to be selected piece, sometimes designers deliberately use barrels without rounding - this enhances the feeling of antiquity and fabulousness. However, laying them in a log house will require great skill from the builders. In most cases, the choice is between cedar and larch.

In general, this is a wonderful and expensive undertaking, which is worth implementing on a large plot with a good landscape design. Or better yet, maybe not at all.

lower crown

Of course, in one article, the specifics of wooden construction are unlikely to be somehow revealed, but the fact that the lower log in the bath differs from subsequent logs is worth mentioning.

• First, it is made by several more all other crowns in the log house.
• Secondly, it does not have a completely round shape in cross section. In order to have a complete fit to the foundation, it is cut off from below edging, whose width must not be less than 15-20 cm. The second edging is cut from the inside of the room and has similar dimensions.

Outside, the crown is desirable to protect low tide, which will not allow moisture precipitation to fall on it.

Treatment inside the bath

The log house needs protection from all sides, but from the outside it is simpler, more precisely, there are simply no restrictions that operate inside, since we are talking about a bath. The fact is that the compounds that should be used for processing are often poisonous, especially for antiseptic impregnations. And the bath is hot and humid, so the substances with which the logs are impregnated will enter the air that you breathe, which surrounds your skin.

Therefore, now we will only talk about the permissible processing of logs inside the bath. However, it will vary depending on the location. So for a dressing room or hallway there are no restrictions on the use of poisonous antiseptics. The rest room can also be processed by them.

ADVICE! Choosing an antiseptic for internal works, check with the seller or Google that we are talking about a bath.

AT washing you should use formulations that are not afraid of water, and most antiseptics are water-soluble.

AT steam room you can use bleach based on bleach - it will lighten the surface of the wood and serve. You can use the steam room only after the smell of bleach has disappeared.

In the future, you can do a simple moisture protection, because mold settles on wet wood. For moisture protection, use compositions based on oil and / or wax, or Finnish acrylic varnishes for the sauna, to which they add antiseptics acceptable for the steam room.

Seams can be filled sealant for wood, and the very surface of the logs is simply grind, to reveal a beautiful "moiré" texture. Painting is acceptable almost everywhere, but in the steam room you should use only those paints that are intended for it. In the sink, paints suitable for bathrooms will do. About the paints for the bath with us.

What to caulk

The idea of ​​caulking a bath from logs suggests that not all bath owners are familiar with modern means of sealing joints (or do not consider them the best). Traditional the methods, of course, are time-tested, but they are very laborious and require periodic labor-intensive renewal, since the log house is constantly slowly changing its dimensions during the first 20 years of life.

Concerning materials, then it is usually used for caulking moss, tow, jute and linen. However, below we will provide a link to the video of the master, who categorically does not advise caulking with jute, because it picks up moisture well. He considers lnovatin to be the optimal material. Moss is traditional, but not common everywhere.

Tow is of different quality. The one that is worse has inclusions of all sorts of straw. Masters also do not recommend using it, because part of it will crumble over time. Good quality linen tow is an excellent material for caulking.

Lnovatin- a quilted cloth, somewhat reminiscent of jute, but differing from it in quality. It is convenient for work and is not inferior to tow in terms of heat-insulating properties.