A few questions about FIW cabins...

[Zaheer]

Hello all, I'm a bit of an interloper on this particular board, certainly a lurker! I hope it will be OK to ask a few questions about a piece that I am currently working on;



I'm getting to the stage where I need to roof the thing, I'm wondering if any particular roofing methods were prevalent/common/anachronistic for this period. I'd love to find one that will do for 'Old West' gaming too, and was thinking wooden shingles. Any thoughts appreciated.

I'd love to thicken the internal walls in order to make castings a little stronger, is this justified? Were double skinned walls of two layers of logs common or upright poles inside the structure for example?

If i've made any deal-breaking errors that can be fixed I'd be happy to hear them too. Thanks in advance!

(Not the best photograph at all, but shows everything necessary for this thread).

[Hupp n at em]

Lovely work so far Zaheer.    I am sure someone with more expertise will be along re: your question on the roof (though wooden shingles would be my best guess as well).  But I can say that I have seen both (plastered-up interior walls and log/plaster as you have them now) in person at the many historical sites my dad dragged our family to over the years. 

[FifteensAway]

I'd definitely go with a shingle roof - especially for the FIW era.  They'd be created on site. 

Your chimney is an interesting hybrid but I don't recall ever seeing such a chimney - either all stone or all the "chinked" top.  But that doesn't mean what you've done is inappropriate. 

I would take some issue with the "chinking" on the main walls.  While there may be some like what you've done, all I've seen have the logs much more prominent and the chinking (the "mortar") much less so. 

I've no recollection of any double skinned walled cabins in the era - though maybe by the Old West period. 

Until relatively modern times, a log cabin was a necessary expedient construction that would be abandoned once a sawmill was with in range and sawn boards could be used.  One exception is that sometimes logs sawn in half to build a cabin but that adds a huge amount of labor so I wouldn't go there, especially for the earlier era.

Hope that helps.  Only helps me if you do it in 15 mm!

[Zaheer]

Thanks guys. I did find one 'hybrid' chimney on a reconstruction, I've been considering an all-stone chimney as an alternate all the way through and you may just tip me over into that territory.

The chinking is slightly exaggerated, I think that may be due to modelling it in such a way that makes it a bit easier to paint. I hope this isn't a deal-breaker for many!

Cheers again