This is the second parameter in wooden construction, which affects how warm it will be in the house or how durable the log cabin of the bath will be. Of course, the diameter of a log (forest) also significantly affects the cost of a log house due to the price of a tree.

If you have a question, what diameter to choose manufacturing, our answer is simple, the larger the diameter, the better!

Advantages of a large diameter

• When using large diameter logs, fewer logs will be used for felling a log cabin than a log cabin with a smaller diameter of the same height. As an example, let's take a log with a diameter of 20 and 30 centimeters with a difference of 10 cm. The number of logs in a log house can vary by 50%.
• Reducing the number of connections of locks and bowls.
• Increase the width of the groove and, as a result, reduce the thermal conductivity between.
• Displacement of the border of the "freezing" of the log from the entrainment of the thickness of the walls.
• Choosing a diameter of 240 millimeters over the years after shrinkage and shrinkage, this diameter can give a reduction to 220.
• Increase the service life of the lower rims. Sometimes, to solve this problem, the first crowns are cut from larch or a lining board is used.

What diameter to choose?

For ease of perception, we give the diameters of the log and the scope of its application in the construction of log cabins.

• Forest up to 18 cm. Logs of small diameter less than 18 are considered unsuitable for construction and are used only for the construction of gazebos, outbuildings or non-residential buildings. Also from this diameter you can cut down a budget bath with a size of 3 * 3
• 18-19-20-22 cm. Minimum possible diameter. Choppers often call it a "bannik" - this is a simple and budget option for making log cabins of baths chopped into a paw or for country houses from logs. For cutting into a bowl, logs from 20 cm are used.
• 23-24-25-26-28cm. The best option for building a permanent home that does not require additional insulation. It is worth noting, due to its specifics, Canadian felling is possible from a diameter of 24 or more due to the peculiarity of the bowl.
• 30-32-40. An ideal option, we give this diameter the highest rating.
• The maximum size is 40-50 and more according to experience, this diameter is used mainly in exclusive and elite log cabins and as a design solution. For cutting in this diameter, mainly large forests of cedar and larch are used.

I would like to note that these characteristics are more relevant for houses than for baths.

Photo of diameters in a log house.

Photos of log cabins from a log of 18 cm.

Photos of log cabins from logs 18-22 cm.

Photos of log cabins from logs 23-28 cm.

Photos of log cabins from logs 30-35-40 cm.

Wall material, will discover many useful abilities of a residential building. Good conditions for human well-being, automatic maintenance of optimal humidity in the interior. Preservation of heat, uniform distribution over the log house. Filtration of carbon dioxide, a variety of therapeutic and prophylactic properties of coniferous wood.

Who has not yet decided on the method of processing logs. Or chooses the best time of the year for construction. He decides what to choose - a rounded log or a hand-cut log house. He knows one thing for sure: wood has more advantages than disadvantages. OCB is manufactured and assembled faster, cheaper than a handmade log house. The second option is more reliable, more prestigious, more durable. In both cases the main thing when ordering is not to miscalculate with the optimal diameter of the log for the house.

The main problem of any building is heat loss during the cold season. The log building is no exception. According to GOST, it turns out that it is necessary to build a house small in area, with minimal glazing (heat also escapes through it).

However, it is enough to choose a log of a suitable thickness, install high-quality double-glazed windows, and caulk the cracks. The log house should be with a mezhventsovy groove, sufficient in width, rounded, tightly adjacent to the lower crown. Heat loss will depend on the shape and width of the groove. The required groove width is dictated by the lower temperature mark of the cold season in the region:

• at winter temperatures down to -20 ° C, the width of the groove should be at least 14 cm
• when falling, even for a short time to -30 ° C, at least 16 cm
• up to -40°С not less than 19cm

Machines for OCB are configured to choose an interventional laying groove with a width of 1/2 of the diameter of the log of the house kit. It turns out the optimal diameter for the middle strip of the Russian Federation in a rounded log is a wall of at least 28cm. Less - in cold weather you will heat the street. Especially in a house with large stained-glass windows and a second light, as in recent years they have been asked to do it based on the "most popular" projects found on the Internet. Main gas + efficient floor heating = salvation.

There is no de facto standard for the width of the interventional groove in manual felling. GOST 30974 2002 is advisory, given the manual nature of the work. Normal carpenters get a groove width from 1/3 of the diameter at the top to 2/3 in the butt, taking into account the run (differences in diameters along the length of the logs). On average, 1/2 diameter is guaranteed to come out. The working height of the crown in this case is about 2/3 of the thickness of the log. The optimal log for a manual felling is considered to be a log at the top of at least 26 cm.. From the groove, in addition to blowing, depends on the reliability of support on the lower crown, counteracting the displacement of the log relative to neighboring ones. The overall solidity of the building, respectively, the frequency of maintenance of a wooden house.

It is actually beneficial to build from a thick log, not only to make the neighbors envious. Heat losses are lower due to a decrease in the number of log rows at the same wall height. Fewer laying grooves - cold bridges. Assembly is faster (fewer days of crane operation) + caulking is cheaper (fewer running meters). In a thin log, the built-on second floor made of wood looks like a birdhouse.

On a thick diameter, the first cut (the lower part of the tree trunk) often comes across, a moderate number of knots, but they are larger. Heat accumulates better in winter. Cool in summer. If you try to make an extended warm laying groove on a small diameter, it will be bad. Under load, the tree will split.

Insufficient thickness of external walls can increase the energy consumption used to create comfortable living conditions in the house (heating in cold weather, air conditioning in hot weather) by 30% or more. Therefore, it is better to choose from which diameter of rounded logs it is better to build a house at the design stage. At the same time, it is important to make other house structures as energy efficient as possible, through which heat loss is possible:

• openings (windows and doors),
• roof (ceiling and roof),
• foundation and floor
• ventilation and chimney.

What diameter of rounded logs to choose for building a house

The cross-sectional dimensions of the log are determined by:

• wall thickness, and, accordingly, their thermal characteristics,
• visual perception of the house,
• the required amount (cubature) of lumber (while the quadrature, determined by the surface area of ​​the walls, remains the same).

The smaller diameter of the logs requires the use of a larger number of logs per unit height of the log house. The number of interventional joints also increases proportionally, and the distance between them decreases. As a result, one gets the impression that the house is assembled as if from matches. And this leads to a feeling of fragility of its design and not a solid appearance.

With an increase in the diameter of the log, the required volume of lumber for the log house increases (due to the thickening of the walls). Therefore, a warmer house will not only be more expensive (for the purchase of lumber), but also heavier. This may require additional costs for the construction of reinforced foundation structures.

What log diameter is needed for year-round use

Only an integrated approach to insulation, part of which is the decision of what diameter of logs to choose for living in winter, will allow you to create a truly economical and comfortable home. In this case, it should be taken into account that the effective wall thickness is determined by the width of the interventional junction. And this parameter is numerically 2 times less than the diameter of the logs used to assemble the log house. For example, with their diameters of 22 cm and 26 cm, the width of the joint between the crowns will be 11 cm and 13 cm, respectively.

Determining what log diameter is needed for year-round living should be carried out taking into account the climatic conditions that will affect the house during the period of residence in it. It is obvious that the lower the winter temperature extremes, the thicker the outer wall should be, which provides comfortable conditions for residents during frosts. The building standards recommend the following minimum width of the interventional junction for specific climatic conditions:

• 10÷12 cm (up to -20°C),
• 12÷13 cm (up to -30°C),
• 14÷16 cm (up to -40°C).

If you use not the log diameter that is needed for a winter house according to design calculations, but a smaller one, then this is beneficial only at the stages of acquiring lumber and construction, since this helps to reduce the volume of walls, labor intensity and cost of work. At other stages, there is no saving, and in some cases, on the contrary, losses occur. For example, the cost of caulking (you need to purchase materials and pay for work) will be higher, since in proportion to the increase in the number of interventional joints, their total length also increases.

And in winter, insufficient wall thickness will require constant heating associated with energy consumption. The result of such intensive heating is the following: within a few seasons, the owner of the house completely loses everything that he managed to save by using logs with a smaller diameter. It is more expedient from the very beginning to purchase lumber with design dimensions (taking into account what diameter of the log is preferable for permanent residence in the house) and assemble a log house from it in compliance with all technological requirements. In this case, despite the increase in financial costs at these stages, there will be permanent savings in energy costs subsequently, sooner or later exceeding the invested costs.

Insulation of interventional joints between logs

Regardless of which log diameter is chosen for building a house - satisfying thermal engineering calculations or insufficient, caulking of the joints is always required after the assembly of the log house and again after the completion of the shrinkage processes. For its implementation, natural (jute or linen) or artificial (a combination of acrylic sealant and polyethylene foam cord) materials are used. It is they that make it possible to ensure a high degree of tightness of the joint, to minimize heat loss through it (the effective thickness of the wall increases accordingly).

11/10/2016

/ How to choose the diameter of a log for a bath?

How to choose the diameter of a log for a bath?

A real Russian banya was built from wood, which has not lost its relevance in modern conditions. High environmental friendliness, healthy indoor climate, excellent appearance are the main advantages of such projects. In order for the bath to warm up well and retain heat for a long time, be comfortable, functional and inexpensive, it is necessary to carefully consider the choice of building materials, especially the size and diameter of the logs.

Factors affecting the choice of the diameter of logs for a bath

The production of a log cabin for a bath involves cutting a groove in each log. If you make it too deep, the material consumption and the number of crowns will increase. With shallow grooves, there is a risk of a decrease in thermal insulation characteristics. Therefore, when choosing wood and calculating the depth of cut, the following criteria are taken into account:

• The temperature in the region where the structure was installed in winter. Depending on the place of installation, in the cold season, the temperature varies from -10 to -45 degrees, so the diameter of the log can be from 180 to 360 mm. The most popular is wood with a cross section of 200 to 250 mm.
• When using the bath only in the summer, in spring and autumn, the thickness of the logs can be reduced. To heat and maintain the optimum temperature, a thickness of 180 mm is enough.
• The dimensions of the building also affect the choice of material. The larger the bath is planned, if there is an attic floor of a rest room, a terrace, the diameter of the material increases.
• The moisture content of the building material also affects the choice. For logs of natural drying, harvested in summer, shrinkage can be up to 150 mm. Baths made of rounded logs will decrease in height by no more than 30 mm. Accordingly, the thickness of the wood is also calculated.

When harvesting wood and sawing a groove, certain rules also apply. The width of the groove varies from 60 to 70% of the diameter of the building material. The rise of each crown is performed by 75% of the diameter, respectively, the depth of the groove should be 25%.

Requirements for wood for the construction of baths

In order to get a log house for a bath of the best quality, winter wood is purchased, with humidity indicators at the level of 10-12%. A good option would be to use rounded material that does not shrink. When calculating the diameter, it is desirable to take into account the requirements of regulatory documents. Determining the cross section of logs under various operating conditions:

• For year-round use, the thickness of the forest varies from 240 to 360 mm when installed in regions with a temperate and cold climate.
• The construction and operation of baths with winter temperatures below -30 degrees will be possible when using logs of 250 mm or more.
• The installation of a small building used in the warm season is made of a material with a section of 180-240 mm.

The use of these standards allows you to get a high-quality design and not overpay for the material. If desired, the dimensions of the logs can be increased, achieving an attractive appearance and design. But it is not recommended to build a bath from a forest whose thickness is less than the minimum allowable. A lot of energy will have to be spent to heat the interior, and heat leakage will adversely affect the quality of bath procedures.

Having decided on the wall material for the log house of the future bath - a rounded log, then you need to choose it suitable diameter.

Of course, each project is individual based on the needs and goals, but the most frequent choice falls on log with a diameter of 200 mm.

There are good reasons for the popularity of this diameter:

• Sufficient wall thickness to retain heat. Wall insulation is not necessary, more important is competent and thorough caulking.
• Such a diameter "eats" the internal space less. Even in the most modest in size, the bath will be quite spacious.
• Not the largest weight and volume affect the cost of delivery, the speed of assembling a log house, lower foundation costs.
• Usually a bath does not involve a daily firebox, unlike a house for permanent residence. Every time in winter it is necessary to heat a frozen log house, which can be done faster with a log of a smaller diameter.
• Again, unlike at home, the bath does not need to accumulate heat in the walls. The bathing process rarely takes more than a few hours. The accumulation of heat in the bath is required not from the walls, but from the device of the furnace (fireclay bricks, stones).
• In most cases, the steam room and sinks are sheathed from the inside, so there is no point in a log of large diameter.
• The 200th diameter already looks quite solid and solid, but still saves the budget due to the smaller log volume in the log house.
• Perfectly straight and even trees do not exist in nature. If you adhere to strict requirements, it is not easy to select material for the production of large diameter logs without any flaws. On the contrary, there is plenty of material for a log of a smaller diameter, and therefore prices are often set at a discount.

The price of a rounded log with a moon groove:

Attention! Especially for those who want a log house, but who are embarrassed by the need to wait for significant shrinkage and shrinkage, we produce log cabins from our dry logs chamber drying.

Diameter d, mm	Volume 1 p.m., m 3	Width thermal groove S, mm	Width jute, mm	working height h, mm	Cost per 1 m 3 (spruce, pine), rub
Loading is free.						Are you offered cheaper?
180	0.0254	100	100	150	8900
200	0.0314	100	100	173	8900
220	0.038	110	110	191	9000
240	0.0452	120	120	208	9300
260	0.0531	130	130	225	9100
280	0.0615	140	140	243	9100
300	0.0707	150	150	260	9300
320	0.0804	160	160	277	9300

Rounded log 3rd grade for only 6,500 rubles. for m 3. What is the 3rd grade?

The price of a rounded log with a Finnish groove (Finnish profile):

Diameter d, mm	Volume 1 p.m., m 3	Width thermal groove S, mm	working height h, mm	Cost per 1 m 3 (spruce, pine), rub
Chamber drying, antiseptic, packaging and screed services on request. Loading is free.					Are you offered cheaper?
200	0.0314	140	143	9300
220	0.038	152	159	9400
240	0.0452	174	165	9700
260	0.0531	186	182	9500
280	0.0615	186	209	9500

The price of rounded logs with tongue-and-groove profile (thorn-groove):

Diameter d, mm	Volume 1 p.m., m 3	Width thermal groove S, mm	working height h, mm	Cost per 1 m 3 (spruce, pine), rub
Chamber drying, antiseptic, packaging and screed services on request. Loading is free.					Are you offered cheaper?
200	0.0314	100	173	9100
220	0.038	110	191	9200
240	0.0452	120	208	9500
260	0.0531	130	225	9300
280	0.0615	140	243	9300
300	0.0707	150	260	On request
320	0.0804	160	277	On request

* The price is given taking into account the cutting of a set of rounded logs for a log house or a bath according to the project, with each item marked with a unique plastic tag.

** The price may change upwards depending on the presence of a large amount of production waste, the presence of bowls at an angle of 45° and 60°, the presence of a non-standard groove.