Wooden platform question

A

andrew7978

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
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664
Ok I need some advice and you guys are the people to ask.

My house has a step wooded hill behind it, but there is also a stream and good sunsets, so I would like to build a platform into the hill, although I would like to do it all naturally.

So far I have selected three trees to form the outer perimeter and have attached three logs vertically beween the trees. MY question is how to make the floor. I could just buy 2 x 6 planks but I would like to do it naturally with gathered wood. I feel if I just place logs down, they would tend to move and a chair leg would fall right through it.

Flattening them out into lumber would be a lot of work.

Any suggestions appreciated.
 
If the chairs have wooden legs and are old stuff (not nice furniture from the house), you could fasten a piece of wood between the tips of the chair legs to provide support on the uneven log surface. Or, get some folding aluminum chairs that already have that sort of setup.

DancesWithKnives
 
You can make chairs out of gathered wood as well. If you do, you can use the same method for the legs as DWK2 mentioned above.
 
How about felling a tree or two and getting those rough sawed, or if you are handy you could do it yourself - then you have the satisfasction of using your own wood - but still being a more useable platform.
 
Saw the logs in half lengthwise and notch out the ends to fit over timbers. It really shouldn't take that long. Heck, Richard Proenneke did a bunch of 'em in no time!.

Log cabin style.
 
Well without fully understanding I would do it one of two ways.

One way is to use living trees to make the vertical suports and use 2x6's for the frame and decking. Then you could use gathered wood for the railings, furniture, etc.

Another way would be to use gathered wood everything. This way you could still use the trees for the verticals and gathered for the frame. Then you could gather logs of at least 6" diameter and split them down the center. The flat sides would be the surface and hopefully prevent you from tripping to much.


Whatever you do be sure to take a few pictures for us to drool over.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas guys. I like the idea of splitting logs. It would give me twice as much floor space for the same amount of log. Splitting them with a wedge and an axe would work well.


Runsalone said:
How big a platform are we talkin? (shhhh! im a deck builder by trade........):p
Click to expand...

Its probably about 8 feet on a side of the triangle.

orrey45 said:
Whatever you do be sure to take a few pictures for us to drool over.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I will take a few, altough I have a fairly busy schedule so it may take me a while.
 
"Thanks for all the great ideas guys. I like the idea of splitting logs. It would give me twice as much floor space for the same amount of log. Splitting them with a wedge and an axe would work well.'

I've done some log work. Get those plate logs off the ground with some local rocks you can stack and level.

A drawknife would be best to flatten the logs after being split. Notch the floor logs rather than the plate logs so that moisture will not sit in the plate log notches and rot. Use a scribe to mark the notches and a chainsaw to open the notch to the scribe line, then chisel to remove remaining waste wood. Then drill some peg holes in both plate and floor log and dowel them down so they won't shift.

Gonna take some work to fit those floor logs snugly. Align them first before pegging down, and just make some log furniture the same way, preferably out of cedar, to last.

B
 
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Look up a local WoodMizer portable bandsaw mill owner and have them saw your logs in half or into thick boards. If the logs are small enough you could bring them to the mill or if you have a lot of stuff to saw up, hire them to come to you. The cut sides will be pretty flat and reasonably smooth for a platform floor. Much better than if you split them. Just a thought.
 
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