Thanks for the comments guys ...sorry its been awhile but I do have a few updates on a little progress.

Finally got down that south wall with the siding. There will be two windows on this wall but only one is showing; that one will be fixed in place like the ones on the front of the cabin. Above that one, I'll put a window that will swing outward. So if that is gonna happen, I have to put wood trim around the double glass panes, then a frame around those and hinge them at the top. Here's what I'm talking about.







I thought they turned out pretty good

Changing gears ....

Today I was milling up that big log which I'd started on last fall. A couple of the neighborhood old timers came over to see what all the noise was about. I gotta say, they were pretty entertained with the chainsaw mill. Comments and questions started flowing: "what's that contraption bolted on your bar ... that thing just goes sideways down the log? .... how do you start the first cut? ... "

I gotta say I really enjoyed the show and tell. Before it was all done, one of them was walking behind me wedging the cut for me. They were both impressed when I lifted that 1x slab up and knocked the sawdust off. " Now that's pretty slick ! " they said. They had seen the cabin going up but didn't know I was milling the lumber myself till they wandered over. You cut ALL the lumber for that cabin with that chainsaw ? It was pretty cool telling 'em all about the process. Old timers seem to have an appreciation for rough cut lumber ... the way it used to be.

So while we were talking, one thing led to another and one of them asked how I was gonna heat the inside. So I dug out this stove out from under my work bench.







When I was 7 or 8, my grandparents used to let me play with candles and a steam engine on the foot of this wood stove. Always under the watchful eye of my grandma. When my Grandad died, I got the stove and I've had it for 15 or 20 years now. Its been collecting dust all this time but will finally find a home again, in the cabin.

One of the old timers said it reminded him of the stoves he'd seen 40 years ago in sheep camps.

Not sure if I wanna sandblast and repaint it, or just wire wheel it to knock the rust off. Think I would like to restore it to the way I remember it in their home. I remember Grandad would open that top loader to put in wood and the whole room would fill with smoke.
Fond memories, for sure.

Updates on the build !

I have to apologize for this thread being left alone, and forgotten since February. I haven't really left the project alone but worked on it here and there. I made progress but haven't posted photos. Allow me to update a few things:

I wanted to leave the tar paper on over winter and get to the roof in spring or summer but no matter how many button caps and nailers I put down, the windstorms found a way to tear it off here and there. Then the next snowstorm would leave 2 or 3 inches of snow on the roof, and as soon as the sun came out, I would find the leaks. I got tired of patching the tar paper and I had to move the roofing to top priority on my list.

I also had big dreams of splitting my own shakes for the roof ... and that dream died pretty quick when I looked at the amount of time it was gonna take, not just to split them, but install them. So the rustic cabin just got a little modern when I decided to go with 30 year asphalt shingles. An old nearby farmer had a stack of leftovers from a roofing project and I picked them up cheap. It looks fine, just takes away from the finished sawmill cabin I had pictured in my mind. I guess someday I can still split and install shakes later down the road.






After the next snow storm came, and the sun melted the snow off, I ran out to see if my work was waterproof ... and to my delight, it passed the test.

Started getting the batten's put on as well:







You can see the yellowing/weathering which has occurred over the last several months, compared to the new battens which are lighter in color. I'm hoping this will even out with a stain or oil treatment ... also on my list.

Also built and hung a door ...






Still lots of work to do. Not shown is the back and left side walls which are not sided yet. Will have to build and hang two more windows as well.

My driving motivation on the project has been the picture in my mind, of the finished product. For the most part, my progress matches that vision with a few exceptions. Early on in the build, White17 said this project was gonna be a lot of work. That prophecy has been fulfilled ... and then some. But looking at it like a journey and not a destination has helped. I'm still enjoying doing this and its been over a year now.

I will carry on !