Corner Joint for Log Structures Using Building Logs of Natural Taper and Varying Girth (Patent No: 520454)

Inventor: Crossley, Desmond I.

Location: Calgary

Comments: N/A

Description: Desmond I. Crossley, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Application December 26, 1952, Serial No. 640,768 4 Claims

1. A lock joint for the corners of log structures made from logs of natural taper and having a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration, although not necessarily of similar girth dimensions, comprising a reduced throat of rectangular cross sectional configuration formed on each log adjacent the end thereof, the vertical faces of the portion of the log adjacent said reduced throat extending outwardly therefrom at an acute angle from the horizontal, the upper and lower surfaces of said log being parallel and planar, said joint being formed by placing alternate logs one upon the other and at right angles to one another, with the under surface of the throat of the upper of the two logs resting on the upper surface of the throat of lower of the two logs, said vertical faces of adjacent logs being in interfacial contact for substantially fifty percent of their area, the under and upper planar surfaces of alternate logs running in the same direction being in interfacial contact.

2. A lock joint for the corners of log structures particularly prefabricated log structures made from logs of natural taper and having a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration, although not necessarily of similar girth dimensions, comprising a reduced throat of rectangular cross-sectional configuration formed on each log adjacent the end thereof, the vertical faces of the portion of the log adjacent said reduced throat extending outwardly therefrom at substantially forty-five degrees from the horizontal, the upper and lower surfaces of said log being parallel and planar, said joint being formed by placing alternate logs one upon the other and at right angles to one another with the surface of the throat of the upper of the two logs resting on the upper surface of the throat of the lower of the two logs, said vertical faces of adjacent logs being in interfacial contact for substantially fifty percent of their area, the under and upper planar surfaces of alternate logs running in the same direction being in interfacial contact.

3. A log for prefabricated structures, said log being of natural taper and substantially circular when viewed in cross-section, the upper and lower surfaces of said log being planar and parallel one with the other, a reduced throat formed along the length of said log, the vertical faces of the portion of the log adjacent said reduced throat extending outwardly at substantially forty-five degrees from the horizontal, said throat being substantially square when viewed in cross-sectional side and plan elevations.

4. A log for prefabricated structures, said log being substantially circular when viewed in cross-section, planar and parallel faces formed on the upper and lower surfaces of said log, and a reduced throat formed along the length of said log, said throat being substantially square in cross-sectional configuration, the vertical faces of the portion of said log adjacent said reduced throat extending upwardly at substantially 45° from the horizontal, the formula of such throat as a function between said upper and lower surfaces being expressed as follows where x equals the distance between said upper and lower faces;
said throat length equals
x / 2,
said throat breadth equals
x / 2,
said throat depth equals
x / 2,
said depth for either upper or lower faces to corresponding upper and lower faces of said throat equals
x / 4 .