Started the peeled log woodshed | Construction and DIY projects | Forums

Cut down a large pine and got 2 peeled logs out of it. My camera died before I could take final pictures, but the logs look really good peeled and it wasn't that hard at all. You just have to peel them when they are freshly cut -- if they dry it will be a nightmare (or so I hear). I just used the 100 year old peeler I bought of eBay in the third picture and the skin came right off.

All of the effort came with felling the tree, taking off the branches, and moving the log around. I think I will need 4 more same sized logs to finish the frame of the woodshed plus some much smaller boughs for the roof.

If I were to bury the ends in the ground it was recommended to paint those ends in roofing tar. I am going to switch my plan and just have these logs resting on a small concrete block, not buried in the ground. In the skinning process you remove this soft white layer that is under the bark -- I think that is what attracts the bugs. I'm not worried about bug damage on the wood now that they are skinned but I am worried about water damage -- so I will probably stain the logs the same color as the house. Plus it will look nice.

It is a lot of work getting to this point when I could just pick up a treated 4x4 but I think this will look nicer and won't be nearly as expensive. We have the baby coming and other things coming up -- this wasn't on the radar so I am trying to bootstrap it. If this works out I could see myself building a lot more from logs. They are fun to work with.

Hope to make it look like this without the front overhang.