The Pioneers built log furniture both out of neccesity and for its rich beauty. Today we like the way log furniture allows us to feel at one with nature. There is no right or wrong way to build log furniture, as some people prefer the look as rustic as possible while others prefer a sleeker more finished look. This being said it is important that your furniture stay tight over time. We will discuss this further in the future.
    Personally I like my furniture "rustic" and we build what I call "Rustic Elegance". To achieve this style, special tools are required and each piece of furniture is individually built. The wood is hand peeled and sanded, the machining gives a medium uniformity on the tennons while allowing precise fit.
  More rustic furniture can be built with simpler tools. For example, using a hatchet to form the tennons can produce an excellent effect. A drawknife can be used to peel the wood and the marks left behind exemplify log homes and furniture from days gone by. The one major difference between sanding and using a drawknife is that the drawknife can cut away many of the neat features that nature has put in the wood.
  There are ways to get even more rustic, by leaving the inner layer of bark on or by leaving some of the limbs intact, both present special challanges. If you are lucky enough to find one or two posts for your log bed with a distinctive limb sticking out just right, then you've got an excellent place to hang your cowboy hat or tie.
  If you are the type who likes your log furniture less rustic, there are companies who build machined furniture. Building your own furniture of this style may be out of reach. The tools used to create these pieces are not available at the local hardware store. The advantage to this type of furniture is that the people making it can produce it at lower cost and the consumer is still getting a quality piece of furniture made of real wood. This is something that is becoming more rare all the time, which a trip to most any furniture store will confirm. So whether you live in a log home or not and you want a special attachment with nature, building your own log furniture can offer a real sense of pride and achievement which is hard to find anywhere else.
  Good luck and check out other articles in this series.