Traditional Finnish Log House: Handcrafted Wooden Walls

In the world of log home building, Finland’s masters are considered experts their field. With a history dating back centuries, these Northern European craftsmen have maintained their solid reputations not just by building homes and other dwellings that have remained standing long enough to be admired today, they’ve also passed their skills and knowledge down to the next generation of builders, making sure they carry on the same traditions of quality and longevity.

However, today only a few truly skilled craftsmen continue to build log houses in Northern Europe using their ancestor’s tools and techniques. The tedious and inefficient methods passed down from history have slowly given way to more modern and faster powered tools and techniques that make log home building easier and more streamlined – ideally to meet the continued and growing demand for traditional-styled log homes, cottages, saunas, and other types of buildings.

Handcrafted Wooden Walls is Finnish log home builder, Jarmo Hiltunen’s fourth and most comprehensive book on the topic. By combining the first three corner notch techniques – Cross, Diamond-Saddle and Dovetail – into this one complete volume, Jarmo brings even more of his in-depth skills, knowledge and years of experience, as well as tips and techniques from other notable Finnish pros, to carefully and meticulously guide you through several log wall building techniques.

But this isn’t just a collection of his three previous books. In this book, Jarmo takes you much further…and back.

In this newest edition, not only has Jarmo included the fascinating origins and historic significance of Finland’s log building traditions – beginning with the Forest Finns of 17th century Sweden – he also includes tips and techniques for crucial steps such as selecting the best logs for your building project, tool selection and maintenance (What is a piilu axe and why should you have one?), knowing when your logs are dry enough to add them to your wall, the best way to transport your logs from storage to the building site, and much, much more!

This book is Jarmo Hiltunen’s most complete and extensive book on the topic to date – in fact, it’s probably the only book of its kind in English. So, if you’re hoping to start a building project using Finland’s time-tested log building techniques – we think you should – this is the book you must have by your side.