Tools for log cabins

Tools for log cabins

Many of the first American homes were made of logs, including the lodges of Native Americans and the log cabins of settlers and trappers. These cabins were inventions of necessity, not choice. Energy efficient - warm in winter and cool in summer - they were crude structures, but remained popular even as the young nation expanded westward. Some famous early Americans, including Abraham Lincoln, grew up in a log cabin.

A log cabin could be built with a minimum of tools. Some pioneer homes were built with only an axe, though saws were often used later. The frontier builder who had a crosscut saw was a lucky person. A good crosscut saw enabled the pioneer to cut the logs for his cabin more easily than with axe alone. It made the jobs of trimming the ends of logs for neat corners, and shaping dovetails, much quicker and easier.

Because log cabins had to built quickly, a distinctly American axe (lower right) was developed. This axe had a shorter, broader blade compared to that of the European axe (upper left) and a poll attached to the eye opposite the blade. The result was an axe with perfect balance that could be swung easily for hours with little effort.

Other tools sometimes used were the adze, augur, and hammer. The adze is a chisel with an ax handle. When nails were scarce and pegs were used as substitute, the auger was essential for boring the holes into which the pegs were driven.

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