May/June 2003 • Number 43 NEWS Inside This Issue Log Grading Program …Page 2 ILBA Demos Log Builder Competition Events …Page 3 TechTalk Vice horse, pipe line cones, and tenon maker…Page 4 Letters to the Editor …Page 6 Protection of Wood Using Borates…Page 8 ICC Update Standards Committee Report …Page 10 Mold is a Pest–Pesticide Concerns…Page 11 Great Lakes Log Crafters Association Annual Conference June 20 to 21, 2003…Page 14 News from the Log Builders’ Association of New Zealand…Page 15 2nd Annual Rendez-vous Group Insurance Needs For the ILBA…Page 16 Plans Underway Standards and Finishing Techniques…Page 18 Mark your calendars and pack up the family, as we are For those of you who weren’t able to attend last News from the Office getting ready to host the 2nd Annual Rendez-vous year, you’ll find the Gold Panner Campground located …Page 19 weekend at the Gold Panner Campground in 37 miles East of Vernon, BC on Hwy#6. The site is an Log Home Insurance Cherryville, BC. The dates for this year’s event will be hour’s drive from the Kelowna, BC, airport. The camp- By Robèrt Savignac September 19–21, 2003. This year we have decided ground offers creek fishing, camping, hiking, historical Comparing to insurance to host the event earlier, as we wanted to ensure sightseeing, Cherry Creek gold mine tours, on-site fire risk of ‘conventional’ construction…Page 20 warmer. Fees for the event will include your campsite restaurant, showers and toilets; power hook-ups and for 3 nights (September 18, 19, 20), along with meals laundry facilities are available. New and Renewing Members…Page 22 from Friday breakfast up to and including Sunday We are currently organizing the workshops and breakfast. There will be campfires in the evening, and Classified Ads…Page 25 lots of time to visit with old and new friends, and ABOVE ILBA Members gather round at last year’s share ideas on the log building industry. We are also Rendez-vous to learn new notching techniques. looking at hosting a few events for the children this They’ll be plenty more to learn at this year’s event, Agreement Number 40707514 year! so mark you calendars today!!! LogBuildingNews May/June 2003 Issue #43 Published six times a year © 2003 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 [email protected] Terry McCluskey of Whitevalley Log Homes sits proudly on a barn he and his son constructed on his new acreage. See TechTalk, page 4. Robèrt Savignac, Executive Director [email protected] Ann Miks, Administrative Assistant [email protected] Log Grading Program Contributors to this issue: The NAHB and its Builders Systems Council has prepared its application requirements James Harcourt for subscription to the LHC Log Grading Program. Based on your production volume 250-547-2400 of logs used per year, a graduated fee has been established to make this program Hugo Lemieux affordable to the handcrafted log home industry where wood volumes used in your 613-747-5544 ext 239 yards do not compare to log consumption used in the machined-log industry. Log Terry McCluskey grading now only required by limited state legislation will soon become a national 250-547-6666 requirement as part of the overall definitions within the parameters of the upcoming Del Radomske International Building Code Standards and References. For those companies seeking to 250-765-5166 comply with current grading requirements, and/or those who anticipate the need to Robèrt Savignac grade your building logs—a dedicated page on the ILBA website (www.logassociation. 250-547-8776 org) is soon to be developed with a copy of the Log Homes Council application avail- able online. GLLCA, Duane & Kay Sellman 612-464-3843 Jean Steinbrecher 360-221-0494 Rendez-vous from page 1 Log Building News Editor seminars, with details to be finalized by month end. Just a glimpse of what we are Cathy Hansen working are: a Bridge Building session focused on massive wood joinery techniques, a PO Box 775 roof structure workshop, Chainsaw Maintenance seminar, Beginner Log Building work- Lumby, BC Canada V0E 2G0 shop in which participants will create a few log picnic tables, along with our 2nd 1-800-532-2900 Annual Fall Rendez-vous Log Builders’ Competition, CANLOG Logger Sports Demo, [email protected] hands-on Tech Talk session and more. Watch for details forthcoming on our website and in your mailbox. This is a great opportunity to bring your whole crew, the costs are minimal and the networking provides a boost to those involved in the industry. One comment we often hear is, “it’s great to get together with others and share, I can’t afford to miss these training/networking sessions.” 2 LogBuildingNews June/July 2003 ILBA Demos Log Builder Competition Events Robèrt Savignac, Executive Director of the ILBA, will be attending two of the upcoming CAN-Log events to be held in BC in July. Proud log builder gets ready for the CANLOG’s (Canadian Logger Sports next competition. Be there at the Association) Roaming Rep, Clayton Scott, of upcoming ILBA Fall Rendez-vous Kamloops, BC, is looking forward to having to compete and take home great Savignac on board on July 6th in Revelstoke, prizes! BC. Savignac, who will be assisted by other ILBA members, will be demonstrating the events pertaining to the handcrafted log building industry. In turn, Scott will also be attending the ILBA September Rendez-vous to demonstrate events held at CAN-Log Competitions. CAN-Log representative Gary Burns will also be hosting another logger’s competition on July 5th in Slocan, BC, at their Logger Sports grounds across from the school. Having Savignac and ILBA members at this event is especially important to Burns, as he has been working on raising funds for the builder Richard Smedbol has been assisting Burns with this Slocan community by building a few handcrafted homes with construction process, and we look forward to having his salvaged logs (which have been spiked). Local ILBA member and involvement at our competition demo in Slocan on July 5th. Number 43 LogBuildingNews 3 TechTalk ILBA members share ideas A VICE HORSE, PIPE LINE CONE, A TENON MAKER ILBA member, James Harcourt, took the other half so you can screw the jaws Mackie Log Building course in 1979 and together or apart, the top is a maximum has been building ever since. His passion of 32”. The handle is slotted with a key so for the art took a turn in 1981 when he it is removable for transport, if it is in the obtained his first contract, a 3000 square way or you need better access you might foot home, “it was big for a first house,” want to purchase a clamp. Harcourt has says Harcourt. That first contract led to had these horses loaded with several thou- many more, and his company Touchwood sand pounds and they did not break a Log and Timber Homes was born. With a sweat. They need to be heavy, so that you desire to learn more Harcourt headed to can slide heavy timbers or logs around and Ontario in 1990 and took at 10 day timber they can carry the load. framing course in Ontario, from there he Pipeline Cones was able to put both the skills of log build- Another useful tool/jig idea Harcourt dis- ing and timber framing together. Harcourt covered is pipeline cones. Harcourt found is now employed by Unique Timber Corp. his first set in a ditch, and with some cre- in BC, which has provided him another ative thought, felt they would work well in opportunity to gain more experience and his yard. “They are very useful for light knowledge of the timber framing industry. duty work or temporary bunks.” The ones Harcourt is always looking for ways to shown in these photos are 20” tall with a improve techniques, and came forth with rating of 200kg each. They have a finger the following to share with other ILBA hole for grabbing and stack well for stor- members. age purposes. Harcourt cautions that “with Vice Horse larger heavy wood they sometimes mark “The Vice Horse is a great time saver, as it the log if you spin them in the saddle, so allows you to clamp the piece you are there are some limitations.” The benefits working on quickly and securely,” says of these cones is they are light, strong and Harcourt, “it is one of the most useful tools quick to set up, so they can be set up with I have made.” This jig is 32” tall and 48” speed and used often. wide, with the vice mounted through the end verticals in steel bushings. The rod is Tenon Maker Pipe Line Cones 1” diameter with a course thread; left What other jigs does he use these days? hand on one half and right hand on the Harcourt said the ‘tenon maker’ designed by Terry McCluskey McCluskey learned the art of log building of Whitevalley Log by necessity, he needed a house and want- Homes is a regular ed a log house. He hasn’t looked back at Unique’s yard. since, now co-owner at Whitevalley Log McCluskey is also a Homes in Cherryville, BC, McCluskey’s log member of the building yard has been enhanced with jigs ILBA, and has been such as this Tenon Maker. “What we can building log homes do in 5 minutes would take 25 minutes by since 1987.