Jason's Log Furniture Reviews

Log furniture is beautiful in many different ways. The unique character of an individual piece is created by the personality of the logs that make it. Those logs bear the scars of their existence – worm tracks, knots, and cracks.  Those cracks are  known in the log furniture world as “checks”.

Checking is a perfectly normal process that occurs with the seasoning and drying of logs. Even though some of the checks may be wide and extend far into the depth of the wood, rest assured that the log is still structurally sound. The integrity of the log is retained and the checks do little to affect its durability. Even large logs in the rafters of cabins experience checking but still function for the lifetime of the log home.

Log furniture is beautiful in its rustic simplicity. The unique personality of the logs helps to determine the character of each piece. Even though different techniques may be used to debark and construct the furniture, checking occurs as a natural part of the process. Be proud of your beautiful log furniture when admirers check it out.

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Aren’t those some dreaded words? It seems that many of the large items we order today require some assembly once we get them home. Sometimes we choose to avoid that step and pay to have someone else put them together for us. After considering the amount of stress that can occur with trying to juggle directions, parts and pieces, and tools that we may or may not have in our possession, sometimes we find that the price of assembly is far more than that of our own sanity and patience.

However, in today’s world of technology, internet shopping is becoming more and more prevalent. And that is for good reason. It is convenient, it is always open, and you can comparison shop freely…all from the comfort of your own home without having to put yourself together to go out in public. That freedom does come with its compromises, though. Even though frequently you find that you don’t have to pay sales tax on items you purchase over the internet, usually you do have to pay shipping costs. Consider yourself very lucky if you find a site that has an item that you want and you get the bonus of free shipping. JHE’s Log Furniture Place is one such site. Not only do they carry a large variety of log, rustic, and reclaimed furniture, but they also offer free shipping. This is important news to a consumer…sometimes the price of an item may be a bit more from a certain Vendor A, but when you consider free shipping it makes the item from Vendor A less expensive than the same item from Vendor B (whose price is less but charges shipping fees).

And then, particularly when purchasing large or oddly shaped items, there is usually “some assembly required”. The chill runs down your spine as you consider just how involved that assembly can be. For people such as my husband, assembly can be extremely stressful and time consuming. He just does not have that handyman gene that enables some to put furniture together without the benefit of instructions. Some people can just look at the pieces and parts, maybe a picture, and it goes together easily for them.

Recently I received a log chair from JHE’s Log Furniture Place. My “assembly-challenged” husband happened to be out of town when the shipment was delivered to my front porch. However, since I enjoy putting together puzzles and doing things with my hands, I decided to give it a whirl. It was a lazy Saturday evening and I welcomed the challenge. I am happy to report that about a half hour later, thanks to the supervision and guidance from the neighbor’s two little boys and our incredibly helpful Rat Terrier dog, I was sitting on the front porch happily in the fully assembled chair. The assembly process was almost as pleasant as the end result. It was fun to have the boys and the dog “help” me to put it together. I no longer dread the words “some assembly required”. And since then, I have assembled about three other items and have savored (nearly) every minute of it!

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Let’s talk about what a mortise and tenon is today.  You will see the term mortise and tenon used on our site in descriptions due to most all of our rustic furniture uses mortise and tenon joints.

Mortise and tenon joints have been used for centuries by woodworking craftsmen because of the benefits they give in strength and simplicity.  Mortise and tenon joints in log furniture are used when one piece of log is joining to another.  You will see mortise and tenon joints on all of our log furniture in one form or another. What most do not realize is that the strength of the log furniture will fall upon the tenon and how large it is.  Keep this in mind as you are looking at rustic furniture; The size of the logs used doesn’t make a rustic furnishing stronger or weaker – the size of the tenon does.  A log bed made with 4″ diameter logs and 2″ tenons will probably be stronger than a log bed made with 6″ diameter logs and 1 1/2″ tenons.

The basic premise behind a mortise and tenon joint is that one piece of wood is inserted into another, and then held in place with a fastener.  Today most mortise and tenon joints in rustic furniture are held together with glue and a screw or lag bolt.

Tenons can be cut and shaped by hand, but most often the tenon is formed by placing a spinning blade shaped like a funnel over the end of the end of the log.  Most tenon cutters are sold by the size of the tenon they cut.  A 2″ tenon cutter will leave a 2″ tenon on the log.  It is recommended to apply some pressure to the tenon after it is cut – make sure the log did not have a hidden weak point.  This tenon is what will support the weight of the log furniture piece and the person using the furniture.

Cutting the mortise involves marking a spot on the log where you want the other log to join and then drilling a hole the same size as the tenon you are going to insert into the log at the angle you desire.  A drill press is most often used to keep the mortise straight and clean.  The log is usually locked in place so that it will not move and then the press is lowered allowing the bit to sink into the log, drilling a small amount at a time so as not to ‘chew’ the wood around the mortise.

This sums up what a mortise and tenon is.  I hope you have found it useful.  Of course if you have any questions or comments regarding log furniture or rustic furniture please feel free to contact us at 877-LOG FURN (877-564-3876).

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