On the pages of specialized forums on the Internet, the question has been discussed for a long time: “Which is better, chopping with a paw or a bowl?” Bloggers unanimously note that these methods are equivalent in complexity and cost and are suitable for building economy-class country housing. This technology of low-rise housing construction has received worldwide recognition; abroad it is called Russian cutting into a paw, and one of the methods of joining into a bowl is called Siberian.
Laying in a paw or cutting into a bowl is recognized as the best solution for the construction of country or country houses, outbuildings and log baths. Rounded logs and solid timber of natural moisture are used as building materials. The main difference is the method of laying the corners; the corners of buildings are assembled with or without residue.
According to most bloggers, the construction of a log house in a bowl is experiencing a period of revival and is called the “Russian style.” Such houses convey national flavor and are gaining popularity among developers. Designers resort to this style when constructing stylized architectural miniatures.
Log house in a bowl
Bowl logging is a system in which logs are connected to each other using a “cup.” The bowl itself is a half-cylinder, cut out with an ax and sometimes modified using a special tool in the upper transverse log and repeating the shape of the lower longitudinal log. This is the most convenient and fastest way to cut logs, which is used by almost all teams in Smolensk and neighboring regions. Our team also prefers this type of log house, because in this case, the bathhouse or house does not freeze in the corners - the joints of the log house. With this method, the insulation is placed only in semicircular recesses. During assembly, the corners of the log house must be additionally fastened during installation either with metal ties or with dowels.
Advantages of a log house in a bowl:
- Cutting speed
- Warmer corners of the log house,
- Greater reliability of the design,
- Efficient home appearance.
Flaws:
- Higher price
- Smaller horizontal size of the log house, compared to the log house “in the paw”.
Photo
Developer reviews
In-line cylindering of wood takes place on a special machine. But not all entrepreneurs use a new, high-quality machine; more often, equipment is not of the best quality, which results in a log with non-ideal proportions. And when cutting a log house, such material will have to be adjusted, although the cost of these logs is not high.
Logs that have undergone strict rounding have equal proportions and an ideal round shape. A frame made from such crowns is easy to cut. But to achieve this result, its entire protective layer is removed from the tree trunk, and without treatment, the surface of the material will quickly become covered with cracks, mold, etc. And manually rounded logs have the highest price, because it takes a lot of time to process one crown. This rounding method is used most often when it is necessary to give an even shape to a log with a large diameter.
The advantages of rounded logs are their attractive and aesthetic appearance. And also in the minimum time spent on construction, the logs are even, they fit easily. The disadvantage of rounded logs is the removal of their protective top layer during processing. Over time, the walls of the log house will acquire an unsightly appearance; cracks that appear will reduce the thermal insulation characteristics of the building, thereby increasing the cost of heating the room.
Log house in paw
Log house in the paw - this method allows you to increase the horizontal dimensions of the log house. But the disadvantage is obvious - the corners in this case will be less warm and, during severe frosts, the room may freeze if the log house is not additionally insulated. This is important both for the log house and the log bathhouse. The corner joint into the paw is made using a chainsaw.
Advantages of felling:
- Larger dimensions of the log house, compared to the “bowl” method, for a smaller amount;
- More neat corners if you plan to additionally decorate the facade of the house.
Photo
Log into a bowl and paw. Photo example
Connection with remainder
The corner of the frame laid in the bowl is called a connection with the rest; this technology is used in the construction of log houses, less often - buildings made of timber. The corners of such buildings have a kind of angular crown formed by the ends of logs or beams protruding 300-500 mm beyond the edges of the building. The logs are laid in rows at an angle of 90 degrees, and at the joints a round recess is cut to fit the size of the log. When using timber, the recesses are made rectangular. The process is called chopping into a bowl or into an oblo - this is how it sounds in the Old Russian language. To improve adhesion, a longitudinal oval with a depth of 30-40 mm is cut along the entire length of the log. The most common options for assembling crowns:
Less commonly, more complex connections are used for the construction of a log house: a “Canadian bowl” of a triangular shape, a lock “in the tail” with an additional ridge. Such connections of the crowns provide a tighter fit to each other.
What to choose, a frame in a bowl or in a paw?
Choose by appearance
The first point is your personal preferences. A wooden house, first of all, is a pleasure for the soul. Therefore, you can simply choose the option that you like best.
Which one is more convenient?
From a practical point of view, it is better to choose a frame in a bowl , because this design is more reliable. This means the house will last longer. Thanks to this method of fastening, the crowns are firmly attached to each other, so it is not even necessary to use dowels. The result is stronger corners that are well protected from atmospheric influences. The log house in the paw clearly loses in this regard.
Which one is cheaper?
In terms of price, a log house is more profitable , since for the same amount you get a more spacious house, due to the fact that the craftsman does not need to “take away” part of the length of the log to create a fastening element. The savings are approximately 20% of the cost of a log frame in a bowl.
Order a log house from professionals!
It should be noted that both options are good and such houses and baths will delight you for decades if the log house was made by professionals. has been working in the wooden house construction market for more than 10 years. During this time, we have built more than a hundred projects of varying levels of complexity using both technologies.
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Expert opinions
The main advantages of a log house in a bowl are the reliability of the design. Thanks to the bowl, the crowns are firmly attached to each other, and it is not necessary to use fasteners such as dowels in construction. The result is stronger corners that are well protected from atmospheric influences. Therefore, the frame in the bowl is durable. The disadvantages of this cutting include its cost. It will be necessary to purchase a large amount of wooden material, because... in the corners, about 50 cm of crowns should protrude beyond the plane of the log house wall.
Logging in paw is less popular. Basically, the choice is made on this particular felling option because of its affordable cost, which is 20% lower than the bowl construction method. It is much easier to cover such a log house with facing materials (siding, boards, clapboard, etc.). But it is more difficult to chop; the paw needs to be prepared much more carefully than the bowl. The ends of the logs do not protrude beyond the perpendicular plane of the wall. From here the corner turns out to be cold, not protected from an aggressive atmospheric environment.
Both options for a log house are good, but only if they are cut by professionals. It has a beautiful appearance, an antique log house, cut into a bowl, and cheaper in the paw.
Prices for log frames in a bowl
At home
| Log size | Basic log house | Log house with veranda | Log house with attic |
| Log house 4x5 | 155 000 | 175 000 | 185 000 |
| Log house 4x6 | 180 000 | 200 000 | 210 000 |
| Log house 5x5 | 200 000 | 220 000 | 230 000 |
| Log house 5x6 | 240 000 | 260 000 | 270 000 |
| Log house 6x6 | 270 000 | 290 000 | 310 000 |
| Log house 6x7 | 315 000 | 335 000 | 355 000 |
| Log house 6x8 | 375 000 | 395 000 | 415 000 |
| Log house 6x9 | 420 000 | 450 000 | 495 000 |
| Log house 7x7 | 390 000 | 410 000 | 430 000 |
| Log house 7x8 | 445 000 | 470 000 | 490 000 |
| Log house 8x8 | 470 000 | 490 000 | 515 000 |
| Log house 9x7 | 490 000 | 525 000 | 555 000 |
At the bathhouse
| Log size | Basic log bathhouse | Log bathhouse with veranda | Log bathhouse with attic floor |
| Log bathhouse 3×3 | 98 000 | 108 000 | 118 000 |
| Log bathhouse 3×4 | 110 000 | 120 000 | 130 000 |
| Log bathhouse 3×5 | 115 000 | 135 000 | 145 000 |
| Log bathhouse 3×6 | 135 000 | 155 000 | 165 000 |
| Log bathhouse 4×4 | 120 000 | 140 000 | 145 000 |
| Log bathhouse 4×5 | 150 000 | 170 000 | 180 000 |
| Log bathhouse 4×6 | 170 000 | 190 000 | 200 000 |
| Log bathhouse 5×5 | 190 000 | 210 000 | 230 000 |
| Log bathhouse 5×6 | 230 000 | 250 000 | 260 000 |
| Log bathhouse 6×6 | 265 000 | 285 000 | 305 000 |
To find out the cost of a log house in a paw, call us and we will discuss it individually.
Log house in a bowl for a bath. Examples of projects
This type of log bathhouse is most common. Such baths will be comfortable both in the summer and during severe Christmas and February frosts. Such a bathhouse will not freeze during “downtime” if you do not use it for a long time, and will retain heat longer after kindling.
Finally, this type of bathhouse has always been traditional in Rus'. Look at the photo, I really want to have such a bathhouse on my property.
A log in the paw for a bath. Examples of projects
This is also a popular method, because such bathhouse projects are cheaper. It may make sense to save money, leaving funds for better interior decoration of the bathhouse or purchasing a more expensive stove for the bathhouse.
Log house in a bowl for home
Interesting projects of bathhouses with cutting into the paw:
Log house for the house. Example of a house
Several photos of house projects in which to use felling:
Log veranda
An extension to a house or bathhouse is very comfortable and practical. You can relax on such verandas in the warm season; it will be cooler here than outside. In autumn or early spring you can dine here, read and just play with the children. Such verandas can be additionally insulated so that they are functional in the winter season. A log veranda will allow you to expand the usable area of your home or bathhouse. Here you can use log houses, both in the paw and in the bowl.
Log gazebo
A gazebo made of logs is very prestigious and convenient. Such wooden gazebos will last on your property for decades and will allow you to feel comfortable at any time of the year, protecting you from snow, rain and wind. Large barbecues or smokehouses are often installed near such gazebos; they are a gathering place for the whole family for dinner, and it is comfortable to welcome guests there. We recommend using a log house in the paw, because such projects will look much more beautiful and neat on the site.
Is it worth taking the job?
For a long time, the construction of a hand-cut house from logs was the lot of highly qualified craftsmen who, thanks to their impressive experience, could not only build a house, but also prevent the deformation of lumber during the shrinkage process.
Nowadays, building with wood has become easier, since the secrets of working with lumber are available to everyone. In addition, today novice builders have access to a tool that they could only dream of in ancient times.
So, despite the fact that houses made from hand-cut large-diameter logs can be ordered from specialized organizations, you can handle this work from start to finish on your own. We will tell you how to assemble a house or bathhouse from logs with your own hands and thus save money in this article.
Tips for woodcutters
A log house with a bowl is well suited for northern regions where severe frosts prevail. It is easier to chop it than to cut it with a paw, but the cost of such a wooden building will not please everyone. And if there is a desire to cover it with facing material in the future, it will not be easy to do this without skill.
The bowl is made using an ax. Its depth should be such that the upper rims are raised by 0.5 of their diameter. It should be taken into account that another layer of insulating material (tape or moss, tow) must be laid in the inter-crown groove with a layer of at least 5 cm in order to reduce the heat loss of the log house.
The work can also be done with a chainsaw, then the assembly of the log house will be faster, but to obtain a high-quality wooden building it is still better to use an ax. Each time this tool hits the wood, its fibers are sealed, which prevents moisture and other pests from penetrating inside the trunk. A chainsaw, on the contrary, tears these fibers, thereby increasing the water permeability of the wood, which can lead to its rapid rotting.
The frame is assembled with the bowl facing down so that rain and other moisture do not accumulate in it and cause harm to the material. You can also do it with the bowl up, but almost no one uses this option. It is also necessary to take into account the direction of the annual rings on the wood. They should be placed inside the log house with the south side (where the annual rings are wider), and the north side of the tree should be placed outside (where the rings are denser). This nuance will help improve the thermal protection of a wooden house. The option of cutting a log into a bowl develops over time, some aspects of the technology change slightly, for example, Norwegian cutting into a bowl, Canadian, etc.
But the corner joint in the paw is made using a chainsaw. This tool opens the pores of the wood, which leads to rapid rotting of the corner. The logs for erecting a log house in a foot must be of equal thickness, the foot must be accurate, even small deviations can lead to skew of the entire building. For cutting a log house, mainly two types of logs are used: rounded and chopped.
