Cabin builders and carpenters,, HELP!!! Walnut logs for log cabin??

[opiemaster]

I am looking into building a small log cabin on a piece of property that I have. I have been looking into using walnut logs as I have access to ALOT of them left over from logging two years prior on a friends property. These are nice straight logs about 7 - 12 inches in diameter. The only info I have found about using walnut is they say they are to expensive to use as cabin logs, but these are free left overs. Pro's or cons on using these walnut logs? :/ Any information is greatly appr4eciated.
Thanks in advance

 

[so lucky]

Why not have a professional logger look at them? You might get a pretty penny for them, as walnut is very valuable. Even if it is not wide enough for shelving or furniture, lots of people make gun stocks and other useful/beautiful things out of the wood. It would be a waste to use them as a log cabin, IMO.

 

[Joel_BC]

I'll be looking forward to the responses you get. I lived in walnut-tree (orchard) country for a while, though it was before I started building. I've worked on three styles of log buildings, though: standard (horizontal logs), "stockade style" (vertical logs), and stackwall (where short logs, like 12-18", are mortared into a wall, like stones). Stokade style generally requires logs at least 8 feet long, and standard style (hotizontal) usually requires much longer ones. This is where I can imagine problems with walnut logs, because truly straight sections of walnut aren't usually very long.

So you should tell us how long your logs are. Also, how many good logs you have. For standard and stockade, you need to have a lot of straight logs on hand.

Off hand, I'd think that possibly stackwall might work for you.

Just asking for info to get your discussion kick started.

 

[Andy J]

I agree with so lucky.Sell the walnut and buy wood that is more suitable for building a log cabin.You may be able to build the cabin and come out with money to spare.

It would be a terrible waste to use the walnut for framing walls and rafters.

I've read that a fellow could retire comfortably if he had one (1) acre of mature walnut trees to sell.

 

[baymule]

Walnut is a hard wood. When humidity is high, hard wood swells and it shrinks when humidity is low. Soft woods have air spaces in the cells and is not as subject to shrink/swell. The shrink and swell is important in a log home, whether long logs or stackwall because as the wood shrinks and swells, is loosens the chinking. Do your research and read as much as you can on log home building.

 

[opiemaster]

Thanks once again for all the responses so far. These walnut logs are the left over's left from the big walnut trees that were logged out. These are the "tops" as they are called. There are just alot of nice logs that are 15 - 19 feet long that were the tops that the loggers couldnt sell. I just hate to see them cut up into firewood (that is what is starting to happen now). I spoke to an individual tonight who saud that they would be fine, just make sure you seal them well and they should last.

 

[k15n1]

I was looking into this sort of thing and found out that there's no formal definition of hard and soft wood. Tree species vary so much that it's hard to make generalizations.

The dimensional changes in wood due to moisture content have been studies. I've seen several articles and this one is representative:

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2535/NREM-5009web.pdf

Note that black walnut (not quite what you have, but for example) is similar to the pines and firs. And sweetgum (very soft, I hear) is very sensitive to moisture. And teak, which is a "hardwood" is relatively less sensitive to moisture. So I'd recommend looking up some proper technical data on walnut instead of using the conventional wisdom.

 

[Joel_BC]

Why not have a professional logger look at them? You might get a pretty penny for them, as walnut is very valuable. Even if it is not wide enough for shelving or furniture, lots of people make gun stocks and other useful/beautiful things out of the wood. It would be a waste to use them as a log cabin, IMO.

I'd agree with this, but the possibility for sale may not be there anymore - except as firewood. From what opiemaster tells us, these logs are leftovers, with the salable logs having already been carted away. If these remaining logs were not cured properly, they're likely to be checked (i.e., have long fissures), so their yield of sawn boards could be pretty scant.