Jon Anderson of McGowan Lake, Minnesota has been constructing a log cabin on his property that he calls “The Stump Ranch.” Jon has put together an article and pictures to share with us about his project. Jon has a blog called the peelinglogs.blogspot.com and you can follow his progress on it. Here is Jon to tell us about The Stump Ranch.
For some, a log cabin is a shelter from the elements. For others, a cabin is a home built with sweat equity and passion. In my case, a log cabin is simply a diversion that keeps me away from the tequila and pharmaceuticals that are so near and dear to my heart.
I have always loved the outdoors which includes hiking, snowshoeing, backpacking, camping, chainsaw work, and even a little fishing. It seems natural that at some point, I might want to tackle a project or two that aligned with my desire to work outside. Well, I selected building a hand-scribed log cabin. Oh, and of course, I would choose to do so from scratch. Meaning I cut down the trees, peeled the bark with a draw-knife, and then cut and notched the trees with axe, adze, and chainsaw. And, I picked a location to build said cabin that was three miles back in the woods where you there was no power, no services, and no way you could get a vehicle anywhere close. Probably my Swedish heritage… I am very persistent. However, based on my cabin location—intelligence…maybe no much.