51 ms·

I Spent Three Years Alone Building a Log Cabin

30 points by mhb 4y ago

tanseydavid 4y ago
The jump-cuts back and forth between "The Urban Environment" and "The Log Cabin Environment" (as well as the accompanying audio) really, really touched me in a deep way.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
danieltoomey 4y ago
Had you seen the movie by that older guy up in Canada? Think it was made in the 60's. Very similar experience
- cf100clunk 4y ago
  > After seeing the documentary "Alone in the wilderness" by Dick Proenneke Indeed, both series of ''Alone In The Wilderness'' by Dick Proenneke are absolutely essential viewing for anyone wishing to build a log cabin or homestead completely from scratch, off-grid, with minimal modern tools. Proenneke filmed his trips in his light aircraft to Alaska. https://www.dickproenneke.com/ https://www.dickproenneke.com/
- nanomonkey 4y ago
  I believe you're referring to Richard Proenneke's documentary Alone in the Wilderness. He spent 30 years in a self built cabin off a lake in Alaska filming wildlife.
  - dieselgate 4y ago
    Don't forget about his writings as well! https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/early-years.htm https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/early-years.ht...
cf100clunk 4y ago
Same topic, hopefully will be merged: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34307286 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34307286
avgDev 4y ago
And I was proud of building a fence. This guy is a film maker also.
voakbasda 4y ago
Amazing for so many reasons. 1. He uses hand tools at every step, following traditional materials and methods (with only limited exceptions) 2. He never wore gloves to protect his hands. I cannot imagine the callouses he must have developed. Or the number of blisters, cuts, and splinters that he endured. 3. He worked alone doing logging and construction, day and night, in all kinds of horrible weather, in a forest. Many risks were taken, but I think most were unavoidable given the budget and goals. Glad he didn’t get seriously hurt. That said, I wonder how many different sources of information he ingested to learn all of theses skills. I’ve spent a lifetime pursuing a similar set of skills and only recently feel ready to build some log/log-framed structures on my own property.
- y-curious 4y ago
  I do wish he didn't skip over the commerical products he used (the roofing and the cinderblocks under the house). Even if it kills the Walden aesthetic, it would have been nice to see how he did it.
  - mhb 4y ago
    I'm also curious how he decided when to use commercial products.
Arrath 4y ago
Folks who enjoy this video may also like the Yukon Passage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NWdFll2X8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NWdFll2X8 A 1977 National Geographic documentary following a quartet of friends who retrace the Yukon Passage ala the gold rush, building their own raft and cabin in the process.

30 points by mhb 4y ago

The jump-cuts back and forth between "The Urban Environment" and "The Log Cabin Environment" (as well as the accompanying audio) really, really touched me in a deep way.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

danieltoomey 4y ago

Had you seen the movie by that older guy up in Canada? Think it was made in the 60's. Very similar experience

cf100clunk 4y ago
> After seeing the documentary "Alone in the wilderness" by Dick Proenneke Indeed, both series of ''Alone In The Wilderness'' by Dick Proenneke are absolutely essential viewing for anyone wishing to build a log cabin or homestead completely from scratch, off-grid, with minimal modern tools. Proenneke filmed his trips in his light aircraft to Alaska. https://www.dickproenneke.com/ https://www.dickproenneke.com/
nanomonkey 4y ago
I believe you're referring to Richard Proenneke's documentary Alone in the Wilderness. He spent 30 years in a self built cabin off a lake in Alaska filming wildlife.
- dieselgate 4y ago
  Don't forget about his writings as well! https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/early-years.htm https://www.nps.gov/lacl/learn/historyculture/early-years.ht...

cf100clunk 4y ago

Same topic, hopefully will be merged: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34307286 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34307286

avgDev 4y ago

And I was proud of building a fence. This guy is a film maker also.

voakbasda 4y ago

Amazing for so many reasons. 1. He uses hand tools at every step, following traditional materials and methods (with only limited exceptions) 2. He never wore gloves to protect his hands. I cannot imagine the callouses he must have developed. Or the number of blisters, cuts, and splinters that he endured. 3. He worked alone doing logging and construction, day and night, in all kinds of horrible weather, in a forest. Many risks were taken, but I think most were unavoidable given the budget and goals. Glad he didn’t get seriously hurt. That said, I wonder how many different sources of information he ingested to learn all of theses skills. I’ve spent a lifetime pursuing a similar set of skills and only recently feel ready to build some log/log-framed structures on my own property.

y-curious 4y ago
I do wish he didn't skip over the commerical products he used (the roofing and the cinderblocks under the house). Even if it kills the Walden aesthetic, it would have been nice to see how he did it.
- mhb 4y ago
  I'm also curious how he decided when to use commercial products.

Arrath 4y ago

Folks who enjoy this video may also like the Yukon Passage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NWdFll2X8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3NWdFll2X8 A 1977 National Geographic documentary following a quartet of friends who retrace the Yukon Passage ala the gold rush, building their own raft and cabin in the process.