Sealing The Door - Log Cabin Maintenance
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มี.ค. 2021
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Again, the cinematography is amazing. Actually better than the majority of TV shows
You’re totally right. Also this is way more relaxing to watch. No (scripted) chaos or whatever to make it seem cooler and more action packed, just the content you came for.
every part of their production is top notch, really
Modern tv cinematographers are too busy shaking the camera around to try to look edgy and realistic.
Anyone i describe this to, I always say it has the production value of the best PBS shows.
Professionally filmed, but comfortable and relaxed.
Imagine if History channel still had History on it. They'd be doing 3 hour blocks of Townsend's!
"I don't even want to talk about the roof"
I think it's time to talk about the roof 🤣
Do we need to have a roof intervention? Admitting you have a problem is the first step.....
It might be time to start splitting shingles.
I could see why fire was a problem in this period; everything that's watertight is also flammable!
I’ve always been curious about this - we know that fires were a big problem in the olden days, but were there any mitigating measures taken to keep oilcloth and pitch-sealed wood from catching flames? Natural sources of boron retardants or the like?
Nothing to do with the house made of wood then? 😂
@@danowest yeah, that entire towns made totally of wood was kind of major factor. It's why London was rebuilt in brick after the Great Fire. Boston too, I think.
@@andrewevanjohn1482 It seems not much. I think most people at this time were limited to proactive vigilance, and if a fire does occur they had to quickly salvage the most valuable things in the house (which is what the 'bed key' and 'salvage bags' are for - quick collection and dismantling of valuables). They did have many forms of fire resistant materials, but they weren't widely available to safeguard an entire house until asbestos mining and refining became a really big industry in the states during the 19th century.
Chicago went up in smoke!
Amazing how watching a 18th century style door being repaired can suddenly become the most interesting part of my day.
I agree
Same thing with the door handle. Also makes me wonder though how they'd make the equipment they use to make these things back then.
Depends on the era. Some imported, some then made in the colonies. Nine easy to get with a trip to Lowes. :)
Nine easy - thanks for nothing, autocorrect.
There were doors in Europe and Asia made to far superior standards. This is a frontier door. It wasnt even in its own day meant to be the best door possible. Frequently families played a game of hopskotch with family homes. They'd build a cabin like this then a small brick home then add to it a while then more and more modern until today. Unbroken lineage of door making before and since.
Last time I was this early Roanoke went lost!
Showing the smith as one of the most valuable members of any village, and still important in 2021.
... especially if the carpenter sucks! /s
@@Kamamura2 I don't see how having a good smith makes up for having a bad carpenter considering they work with entirely different material.
@@aaronloiselle7404 They put the bad carpenter in irons and parade him around to town for him to see err of his way, unless there is no blacksmith and the carpenters reign of terror goes unchecked... Just guessing here but it seems legit.
The carpenter cant do his job without iron tools.
Same with stonemasons. In a castle build in Europe at that time the guilds frequently cooperated to form novel and otherwise impossible solutions. Some of which remain architectural world heritage sites to this day. Particularly in the UK from whence many of the founders of this nation carried forth
They used to have folks in workhouses and jails pick apart old ropes for turning into just that kind of wadding. You can imagine it was very tiring and unpleasant work with stiff and tightly wound old ship rigging and the like. Wikipedia tells me it was also a common punishment detail for sailors who'd been caught misbehaving.
Quite a while ago I read Two Years Before the Mast. If I recall, sailors work was unending, but yes, the less pleasant work was usually reserved for the lazy guys, but the amount of unpleasant work available generally made for everyone getting their share.
They were making 'oakum'.
@@jonanderson5137 lived aboard a sailboat for years, unending work is correct
The blacksmith is a cool addition! he's a natural on the camera
As soon as I saw the rope on the table, I was shouting *Oakum!* at my screen.
Watching this as I prepare lessons on the 13 colonies for my home schooled grandson. How appropriate.
Back then, virtually everything had to be customized. Hats off to the blacksmith!
You are talking about a customized hat that is taken off as a custom, aren't you?
So hats off to the hat-makers ....
Kinda makes you appreciate the centuries old doors in Europe a lot more doesn't it.
you get better results if you pick at the rope so its all frayed thats why they used old rope its much more fluffy
I recently bought a 15 acre homestead in Maine with a hand built cabin on it. My husband and I are living here fulltime. We're literally going to be using these techniques to fix the cabin so that we can live in it this winter. We've been staying in our rv, and I can't wait to actually be warm by our woodstove next winter. Thank you for everything you do!
I remember, as a kid, helping my older brother, restore an old lobster boat and caulking the seams with a robe like substance mixed with tar! Great memories and fascinating to see the same technique used on a door! Great video!
oakum and stockholm tar
Some boiled linseed oil would help seal the grain of the wood on the door and help it to last longer.
When mixed with beeswax, it also makes a superior metal finish.
Linseed/turps is the old fashioned way. 50/50
But would Washington's men have any? That's the theme of this cabin... what a primitive, thrown-together cabin would be like; the kind you slap up so you can survive building a better one...
@@northeastslingshot1664 That’s how I maintained my cedar gutters. WAY better than cheap aluminum ones!
@@maugusenergy7008 Sure are! Ive treated and oil painted hundreds on Nantucket and most historical renos Ive worked on. My carpenters would hand cut and nail lead into corners as well. Now I torch the insides to a light char and then 50/50.
🙏
That same latch/handle system is the same on my fence back home
That has to be warmer now, whew. Brandon, that latch is beautiful. Excellent workmanship.
I have been really enjoying this homestead series! I look forward to many more.
Brandon can sure work a forge! That looks great! Now you just need a big snowstorm to really test it out!
Imagine someone getting lost in the woods and finding tha cabin. Maybe they'd think hey had traveled back in time Twilight Zone style.
Except log cabins like that dot the wilderness all over the united states, especially in the Rockies and Appalachian but they're also a common sight throughout the deep south in the back woods and very rural areas. They're time tested structures used for hunting, camping, get aways and vacation. And so long as they're well maintained can last decades.
@@ComotoseOnAnime *centuries
@@matildas3177 That's rather optimistic and assumes a dry climate where wood rot wouldn't compromise a vital part of the structure, forcing a repair that would effectively require dismantling it. Unless wood is treated and covered by some form of paint or covering, wood will eventually rot or succumb to moisture, and even then sun bleaching will compromise it no matter how much you maintain it.
It can last decades without any major repairs so long as insect and rot is kept to a minimum but everything needs repairs at some point and for a typical log cabin, if the repair is near the base of the structure which it generally always is considering it's sitting on the ground where insects and moisture stay, it would require dismantling the entire cabin to replace those logs.
@@ComotoseOnAnime in my part of the world replacing parts of or entire logs is considered an integral part of normal maintenance of a timber cabin. That's why we have timber structures that are literal centuries old all over the country.
Your great big boards on the door are a perfect illustration of why board siding has battens laid across where the boards meet. Board and batten. The big boards can expand and contract with the weather, and so can the battens - but there's enough overlap that coverage is maintained despite the movement.
This channel always brings me joy.
I cannot emphasize enough just how soothing your channel is. Whether it's the cabin, the meals, you give off such pure excitement over things that would either be forgotten or ignored. Hopefully in 300 years someone does the equivalent to what you do for our century.
Much love from the Nutmeg State!
I ws just about to suggest filling the gap in the door with oakum. The spaces around the sides of the door could be covered with leather,, attached so that it can flex to allow the door to open and close.
Tarred oakum and leather sealing on the door would do wonders for the habitability of the house - this rope isn't sealing much, since you can see the outside right through it.
oakum? I hardly know 'um!
That's a fantastic idea Ace! The only thing I wonder about it how often you would need to replace it, even with that in mind I bet that idea would've been GREAT during the winter time!
Oakum tucked in tight with a caulking iron and sealed with Stockholm tar. It will allow for expansion and contraction and be weather and water tight.
@@wedohedoshedooowee828 Replace it when the wind starts coming in around the door. Wrap yourself in a nice warm blanket and lie down by the fireplace to keep warm
It's Brandon the Stoic Blue Man! Hope to see some more blacksmithing projects soon.
I never would've guessed at using rope with tar to fix the gaps! I would've guessed a stick and daub but I guess that would be extremely temporary at the very best with the constant movement of the door. Neat!
Thank you, Jon & Co. You make my heart smile. Like a breath of fresh air.
These videos are so good. Cheers, Rose!
Back in the day carpenters from Nordic cultures would pack moss in very tightly between all of the logs and planks. In the winter when weather was damp it swelled up and blocked the leaks, in summer it would dry out and shrink down allowing airflow again.
Another great episode! I'm old enough to remember people being industrious enough to be self sufficient. Plastering, quilt making with home harvested, carded wool, homemade butter, bread, root beer!!! I'm so happy every time I watch one of these episodes! Thank you so much!!
Door needs a shallow hole above the latch and a peg on a cord so you can 'lock' the door from the inside...
This style of latch is still very common in the UK, mainly on shed doors.
Mostly seen in historic buildings in the US.
@@edcrichton9457 I have one in my garden shed 😂
My grandpa’s old house had old iron thumb latches just like that!!! It didn’t have rotating door handles for most of the doors. The one I remember the best is the old kitchen door, and the mechanism worked exactly on the same principle, just on a slightly smaller scale and I’m pretty sure it was mass produced. I think his house was built in the 1880’s by Swedish immigrants.
Usually with smaller gaps between planks oakum - fibres pulled apart from old rope- would be used. My grandfather taught me a rhyme that talked about "Pulling the donkey's tail", as if it was a common saying. Then I saw a rope that was being picked apart and realised that it looked just like the illustrations of Eeyore's tail in Winnie the Pooh. The saying must have come from Victorian times .
My great grandfather used to tell me stories about living in this type of structure ... he said snow would blow thru the gaps in the walls at night, so he would use mud, paper (whatever he could find) to sure things up. The interior was so cold he had to chip away ice from the water basin to clean his face in the morning. A very difficult way of life ... cold in the winter, hot in the summer.
Pulled pork sandwiches, Australian merlot and Townsends. Perfection.
Happy, happy...
I'm a blacksmith who forges with a charcoal side blast (much like the setup ya'll have going on) and I recommend lowering the walls of your forge so the top of your fuel pile is an inch or two above the walls. This way you can access the neutral layer of the fire better and you can heat up a larger section of metal.
i used some of these methods in a house i used to live due to a lack of money and a crappy landlord. you would be surprised how well it works and how good it looks, we eventually remodeled in that style it looked awesome
Well done Townsends gang. Really good series.
I have really enjoyed the cabin and homestead builds, improvements and upkeep videos. Only complaint is I wish they were longer. Cheers.
It's quite amazing to see the origin and practical purposes behind the tropes of fantasy and medieval buildings in fiction.
What about upholstering the door on the outside with linseed oiled leather and upholstery nails? I've seen that on an old Russian house in pictures
That's an interesting technique
I was about to suggest it too. Also: dry moss can be used instead of ropes. Strips of hardy leather could be nailed to the door frame to further cover the gaps between frame and door. Old blanket or tarp can be hung from the top of the frame (on the inside of the room of course) to reduce the drafts even further.
And finally, small covered vestibule could be build outside, with another door at the end. It would isolate main room from the outside cold, reduce amount of snow brought in by either wind or feet, and provide space to leave wet or snow covered outer garments and shoes.
All those methods were used in old Polish houses I've seen preserved in open-air museums.
They would also build a little closed-in porch, outside or even inside
I live in a house from the 1500s in England. We have handles like this on our doors, but we also have wooden latches which work in a similar way but instead of an iron leaver, it’s a leather cord. The wooden latch is hinged from further away and is quite large so gravity pulls it down and secures the door.
I wonder that they wouldn't have just hung hides or something over the inside of the door to block out the draft.
I would assume a bit of both sealing and hides. AFAIK hides require quite regular care to weather getting wet and drying cycles.
@@defeqel6537 I think also that you can use the hide for a lot of other things, especially if it's big/numerous enough to cover a door of that size, so it be inefficient use of materials for this repair. Granted probably you could tar up some trimmings of rags or junk leather and it would be a good substitute for the rope.
I would assume even a ruff blanket hanging from the door frame would help cut down on the draft.
But most cabins are always colder in the winter, from my experience from camping. An open fire all, a hot meal and clothing that covers the whole body you don't notice it so bad.
@@234ne14 That's a good point, you'd probably rather sleep under that hide than put it on the door.
That would work to block drafts while inside for the evening, but might need to be tied up or folded away while you're out. I'm not sure many frontier folks could afford to use that much fabric for the purpose? Might be helpful next winter, though!
Why not just use battens to cover the gaps between the vertical boards. Blocks/stops attached to the doorframe to seal the edges. No fussing, No tar/ caulk.
Battens and door stop was my first thought too.
@@joshh5336 My first thought was grooving the plank edges for an inlay strip or packing a channel between the boards, and/or shaping them on a V or a flat angle to nest with thinner packing (felt scrap, etc), but they're beyond that point.
This channel and the content you give us has done so much for my mental health.
It's helped with my depression, watching these videos before bed helps me sleep because they're so relaxing and it makes my imagination soar.
It's also helped keep my mind off of my substance abuse problem.. You guys with this channel are so inspiring and I cannot wait to start my homestead up. You make me want to persevere, much like our frontiersmen and forefathers did. I will pick up where they left off.
We have those latches on an old house that's been in my family for over 150 years, though most of it has been modernized (right up to the 50s)!
You could use battens to cover the gaps, which allow for expansion and mud or pitch from behind to seal the air. But I definitely learned something about making a rope last longer! Always enjoy your channel!!
You all amaze me. Thank you for all you do to teach us. My admiration for the Framers of this nation continues to grow.
Hey, there's Brandon! I just mentioned in an older video how rare it is to see him on screen and how I like looking at him. Getting fancy with that pipe! Seriously fantastic work you've done here guys! I wouldn't know better myself, so I enjoy your very considerate demonstration of common knowledge of available materials and challenges of each season for the time period, and I'm really interested to see how you're going to pull off the roof situation in a similar fashion.
I want to do this!!!!! You guys are killing me! So cool to work through issues within the parameters of what was available in the 18th Cent. Great work once again! Thanks guys!
We have been having the nicest weather around here right now.
It was a lot of fun watching both your projects. Thank you and enjoy the weather.
Most people can use high tech modern materials, because they are readily available. It takes special training, to learn to use very archaic materials and techniques. But the training is most valuable. These techniques will take you places in situations where modern materials are simply not available. Thank you! For your tremendous work.
You could put door stop around the jamb to close that gap and batten strips on the joints you put the rope in. Love your channel. Enjoy your day.
The Barns of the old Farmhouses here in Switzerland have this latch system. They are sometimes built before america was discovered.
Love seeing you work on the cabin. And the quality of the videos just keeps getting better and better!
Hey! I was just yesterday looking at some 18th century latches and locks and was in trouble wondering how they work, and now THIS! THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING HISTORY ACCESSIBLE
This is the kind of history that I love. Thank you for bringing history to life.
Any plans for a garden by the cabin?
I'd like to see the process and get some good tips.
Ok. Who broke the horn off the anvil?
The blacksmith is a fine addition to the show!
It's so amazing and interesting how far we've come from handcrafting everything to modernizing everything with technology.
"On today's episode of This Old, Old, Old House..."
I would recommend completely painting the door in tar to make it waterproof. It would also expand and contract much less if coated in tar.
How about battens on the door cracks nailed to one side of the crack to cover the pine tarred rope? A leather flap seal could be used to seal the edge as well.
Small battens nailed or pegged to the casing to form a door frame for the edges. Battens on the cracks that's how many of the old doors I have seen and built where done. Nails would be expensive so wooden pegs would suffice and often be used instead of expensive nails.
People used to stuff paper, or rags, or whatever they had, into gaps like those. Since ropes were very abundant on ships, sailors used worn-out ropes to chink between boards. Often, they used oakum (loose fiber obtained from old ropes). Picking ropes apart into oakum was considered a tedious and onerous task, so it was typically assigned to people in prisons and workhouses (workhouse were the forerunners of shelters for homeless people).
Love seeing the small details of the building creation and maintenance . Such a nice view of the natural evolution of a home as time passes and needs change. Thank you for sharing!
John, your blacksmith is magic. Don't loose him.
I loooove these episodes. Just wish they were longer. 👍
Guys, this video is amazing !!! Your cabin is awesome. Watching you working on it is very interesting. Keep going, you do a wonderful and precious work. That's reenactment ! That's living history ! Thank you so much !!!
This content on this channel just keeps getting better and better.
I watch this channel to fall asleep at night. Informative and historical. Great mix. Quite a bit of this is a nice way to learn history and be a bit of a 'prepper' at the same time. Nicely done !
The cabin/homestead videos are absolutely amazing!
It's the closest thing you get to watching the actual setters.
Very interesting video on door latch how they would make it
Hi , I’ve only heard about your channel, how refreshing it is to see something and people being more optimistic in this state of the world at the moment.
A perfect video for my lunch thanks
Nice! To help seal the perimeter of the door, take some time and cut out strips of your wood so it is about 2 to 3 inches wide by 1 inch thick. Nail this wood on the outside of the door frame allowing for a small gap for summer expansion. On the inside edge you could probably use the pitch soaked roping to make a "flexible" seal for the door to shut against. For the bottom "seal" try using some of the same material used to make brooms and create a thick strip of this material and nail it to the bottom of the door to help seal out drifting snow.
When I saw this episode, I remembered the door to "Minnie's Haberdashery" from Tarantino's "Hateful Eight". Well, let's see how the door fares when a blizzard comes.
The real traditional way to fix a door in the colonies is probably waiting for a religiously persecuted Master Doormaker to emigrate from the Europe.
our house was built in the 1950's during a colonial style revival, so the drawers and kitchen cabinets had handles and hinges that looked like that.
There are still door latches like that one in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. It's a 24 hour operation so modern methods of door operation aren't necessary 😐 Historical preservation of the buildings is also the situation, Noah was a baby when Portsmouth was building ships 🙃
My day just got better as soon as I see a video uploaded from this channel.
Love watching smithy's work. Also like these types of videos.
I think it would help to mention that beeswax is applied to thoroughly brushed steel that's just a touch hot, so the beeswax goes on ins nice smooth layer.
Very nice video overall, i learned a lot on the door repair.
I was thinking you would put battens over the cracks (nailed on one side) and stop molding around the door.
Stop molding for the WIN!
Our family farmhouse Built-in the 1840 has several Of these style latches . One on and exterior door and several interior door. So cool to see that
This is like watching an episode of 'This Old House'. Love it
Great to see you guys putting some work into the details at the cabin. Not sure who the smith is but would like to see more projects including him
Geez, at this rate Townsends is gonna redo the whole industrial revolution!
Great video! I've loved watching these cabin videos. The builds, the foods, the smithing and all the skills that bring history to life. So fantastic! Thank you!
Just love the crafting involved with the door latch and filling in gaps. Makes a person really appreciate what our forefathers went through in home building. Thank you so much for sharing.
How wonderful this is! Thank you for bringing us along with you all.
I love these videos. They provide a window to the past. For those of us who love history, this is such a delight! Thank you for all that you do!
Here in sweden we use tar as finish on log cabins, protects and preserves the wood against rough weather. there's also a mix called "roslagsmahogny" which is tar, raw linseed oil and turpentine which penetrates the wood pores even better
I love this channel! It's so impressive seeing old techniques in modern times. Lots of work but beautiful. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing with us. Really enjoying all the projects around there on and in the cabin. Keep up the good work and videos. Fred.
Beautiful! I just love seeing pitch being used.
Hell of a job gentleman. I love watching these cabin videos.
Incredible teaching, fascinating to watch!! Everything was so labor intensive in those times. Thank you for sharing your skills & efforts. Good work gentlemen!!👍👍
My grandparents had a very nice but old cabin in the Sierra Nevadas of California made in the late 1800s to I seriously doubt any later than 1910. It had this same type of latch on the front door, though a bit smaller and I guess a bit more modern, but it was still clearly made by a blacksmith. It was such a wonderful place. I wish my greedy extended family hadn't sold it after my grandparents passed away.
Such fascinating times. One day we will need these solutions again.
What a neat idea! I love that, thank u for sharing! Beautiful work as always. Much love to the team at Townsends