# square peg round log



## brown down (Aug 4, 2016)

This has been on my hit list for sometime now and this year went up to the mountains and cut down enough grey birch trees to build my log framed dresser. Shaved the bark off right away as it comes off like butter and put them in the rafters of the shed to cook them. This will prob take me quite some time to build but have not seen that much log framed furniture on here and figured I would show how I go about building mine. I am by no means a pro at this and am still learning as I go. 

any suggestions as I go along here is very welcome and would be appreciated 


I used black locust and oak for the tenons that are locked in place with the other tenons. I tried cutting them using tenons I cut on the end of the logs but that didn't go very well so I improvised lol
the through tenons will be wedged in place and I may then run a dowel from the underside to just beef the locking part up even more but its prob overkill 


 

screwed 2x4 blocks on the ends of the logs to keep it from rolling and maintain squareness with the other tenons on the other end 


 

locking tenons or whatever they are called


 


 

chalk lines to keep the tenons and rails in line with each other 


 
front side is lying down 


 

mortise for the locking tenons. you can see its not square with the sides on this one thats because I had it a bit twisted and had to lay it out on the floor otherwise it wouldn't have gone together. good thing I caught that before I drilled and cut it out lol 


 

rough assembly. the drawers will be around 27 ½ wide and have 38 to make a few drawers and they will be around 18-24 deep I haven't decided that yet. still have to trim the logs on top and on the bottom to get rid of the slight rock I have as well as put the rails in the back to lock the other two bag legs in place.


 


I want to use black locust for the drawer fronts but I don't have enough to do the sides so I am open to suggestions for what to use??

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## Wilson's Woodworking (Aug 4, 2016)




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## woodtickgreg (Aug 4, 2016)

Subscribed !

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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)




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## ripjack13 (Aug 4, 2016)

brown down said:


> I want to use black locust for the drawer fronts but I don't have enough to do the sides so I am open to suggestions for what to use??



What do you have for choices of material to use at your disposal ?


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## Tony (Aug 4, 2016)

Very cool thread!
Tony

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## brown down (Aug 4, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> What do you have for choices of material to use at your disposal ?





not much at the moment.. black locust some white oak and maybe some cherry. I was thinking about either going to the mill and seeing if they had any flitches lying around or slag. I know the black locust goes really well color wise but I am almost positive I don't have enough and if I go that route I think I would want the top out of it as well. I could also go up to the mountains and cut some more trees down and make my own slag "I think thats the right word lol" I would like to try to keep the weight down for the sides this thing is gonna weigh a ton when finished. so the top will just be set down on pegs so I can remove it.

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## Don Ratcliff (Aug 4, 2016)



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## tocws2002 (Aug 4, 2016)



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## Kevin (Aug 5, 2016)



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## brown down (Aug 6, 2016)

this is the simple jig I use made out of a few 2x4's to cut the tenons on the ends of the logs parallel with each other. 


 

this is the back top rail. have to cut and shave another one as I screwed up on the first one trying to cut the tenons without the jig!


 


 


after the tenons are cut on the bandsaw I clean them up with my block plane and my shoulder plane removed to make it a chisel plane making them as square as possible. 


 

back top rail installed 



 

the bottom rail had to be replaced. it was soft for some reason around where the locking tenon went into the log and when I stood it back up it ripped the wood apart. it was punky for some reason. anyways had a few extra logs that I cut and shaved and reinstalled it 


 

It does have a pretty bad rock but will be able to shave the bottom of two of the logs off to fix it. That will be next once the bottom rail is shaved and installed

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## Brink (Aug 6, 2016)

Dang! Cutting long straight tenons on a round and not so straight log. Well done!

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## Kevin (Aug 6, 2016)

Looking good Jeff. Are you going to cope the ends?


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 7, 2016)



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## David Van Asperen (Aug 7, 2016)

Thanks for showing this project and the process, I have looked at these log projects and thought that I would like to try one,but I know nothing about the processs. Very interesting and again thanks for sharing 
Dave


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## brown down (Aug 8, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Looking good Jeff. Are you going to cope the ends?



I did these in the beginning and stopped myself from going further until the piece was put together. I am gonna do everything except the back rails. its a lot of work fitting them to the log but my girl and I think it is worth all the work. hahah she is already asking me when I am gonna build the next one with the mirror in it for her. 

after I get the frame sitting level I will cope all the ends.




 


 



David Van Asperen said:


> Thanks for showing this project and the process, I have looked at these log projects and thought that I would like to try one,but I know nothing about the processs. Very interesting and again thanks for sharing




 neither do I... I am making this up as I go along.

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## ironman123 (Aug 8, 2016)

Looking like a good project Jeff

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## brown down (Aug 8, 2016)

have to let this one dry luckily birch dries very fast..


 


 



The log I replaced I had to flatten for when I mortise the boards in place. I also flattened the inside edge 90 degrees to the other surface for when I attach the drawers slides.

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## brown down (Aug 9, 2016)

so I flipped the frame over and it stood solid no rock so thats the way its gonna stay. I will only have to fine tune a little on the top when I decide what timber I am gonna go with. I still don't know if I have enough black locust to use. if I use the boards horizontal I think I may but if I go vertical I highly doubt I will have enough... what do you all think about horizontal orientation of the boards? so what are your opinions about making this thing come apart? when I go to move this thing will be heavy without the top and drawers. The top will be installed so it floats but also be able to be removed? If I make it so it comes apart how to I go about pegging the tenons or just lag them in place from the top and bottom of the posts?

today I coped some of the ends of the log to fit the posts. very time consuming to get them to fit perfectly but I think its well worth the time. here is my progress so far on that. This is a rough fit still have to take the oscillating or use the small drum sander on the dremmel to clean them up a bit.

top front rail







top side rail

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## brown down (Aug 18, 2016)

milled the wood for the sides and got to laying it out. This is hands down the hardest part of the build so far. laying a flat panel on non straight logs made my gears start spinning 

I cut a ¼ dado in the log and worked from there. since I couldn't flatten the whole side of the log I had to then cut a shallow dado the width of the panel.

Ps ended up in the emergency care getting stitches today when I decided to stab myself with a freshly honed chisel  which may slow this build down for a few days lol 


 


 


 


 
¼ dado 


 
tunge and groove panels 


 

rough fit

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## brown down (Aug 18, 2016)

still have to fine tune the tongue and groove but this is the rough fitting and the final tune of the panels to the side posts

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## brown down (Aug 18, 2016)

ohhh and heres my battle wound

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## rocky1 (Aug 18, 2016)

Chisel wound looks a tad painful. But, the project looks fantastic!!

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## woodtickgreg (Aug 18, 2016)

rocky1 said:


> Chisel wound looks a tad painful. But, the project looks fantastic!!

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## ripjack13 (Aug 18, 2016)

Bah...


brown down said:


> ohhh and heres my battle wound
> View attachment 111591

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## ripjack13 (Aug 18, 2016)

Jeff, this is coming along great man. Great job....

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## brown down (Aug 19, 2016)

I need some of those chainmail gloves when working with my chisels. would have saved me a trip to the docs lmao. thanks.. putting the sides on is very slow going and the next side is gonna be very difficult. the log has a very hard arch to it and would not be able to flatten it at all. just an area for the boards to sit in.


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## brown down (Aug 19, 2016)

rocky1 said:


> Chisel wound looks a tad painful. But, the project looks fantastic!!



just a bit. didn't hurt when I did it but hurt like hell when I tried to move it back and forth but doesn't hurt to bend it which is a good sign. I am almost positive it hit the bone lol I had just sharpened it and was finishing coping the one end when I decided to stab myself. since it was a freshly sharpened edge it should heal fast tho. bought meself a pair of gloves day late and a dollar short


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## ripjack13 (Aug 19, 2016)

well...better late than never....at least you will be thinking about how you approach it from now on.

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## rocky1 (Aug 19, 2016)

That's kinda what I was thinking, on the knuckle like that it would it's hard not to hit bone, and that is always a tad painful. Plain old leather work gloves would have been better than nothing, but I know where you're coming from. Have 2 - 3 sets, don't ever think about them, until after I cut myself doing something where I should have been wearing them.

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## brown down (Aug 25, 2016)

got the right side done and have to put this on the back burner for a little bit. have to get some projects started for the woman. This took longer then I had expected to complete but all in all I am happy with how it turned out. def stiffened up the frame but did make the frame a little out of whack which will be an easy fix. just need to trim the one back stretcher and cope the end again. I tongue and grooved the boards together but only glued those together and got to use my stanley 45 which is a joy to use. hopefully since I didn't glue them to the logs it will float and allow it to move but it is pretty tight in those mortises in the logs!??

before sanding and gluing 



 

one coat of boiled linseed oil

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## ripjack13 (Aug 25, 2016)

That is sooooo awesome looking....nicely done....

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## woodtickgreg (Aug 25, 2016)



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