building a rustic wood shed

With just a few tools, you can build this rustic shed, which can be used as a woodshed or cabin. The model shown was made by driving four logs into the ground and adding two crossbeams. Slab boards were used to cover the walls and roof.

slab cabin

A slab board is the outer portion of a log removed when sawed, with one flat and one curved surface. Slab boards generally have a thick layer of bark, and eco-builders appreciate their rough look. Some sawmills will sell them at a very low price. However, you may need to hunt around as these off-cuts are often recycled into paper pulp, wood pellets, fiberboard and so on.

Today slab boards have a variety of uses, including picket fences, flower boxes and cabin siding or roofing. In the past, slabs were turned flat-side-up, on a bed of sand, and used as floorboards. Scouts still use these techniques for building forest camps.

Choose your shed location and mark a 6-by-6 foot square on the ground. You will need two 5-ft logs for the back and two 6-ft logs for the front. Drive each log into its appropriate corner, approximately one foot into the ground. Then add the two crossbeams, attaching them with ropes or using a joinery technique such as a halved join (see example) or a mortise and tenon joint. Nail the slabs down on the back side of the shed, then on the sides. Finally, nail on some slightly longer slabs for the roof.

slab wood shed

Your shed will acquire a pretty sheen with age. If you use it to store wood, remember to weatherproof the roof with roofing paper, as shown in the example. For additional weatherproofing, you can apply an environmentally safe, protective wood stain over the entire shed.

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February 2007 [sheds & huts]
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