The exterior of the
cabin being completed, we will turn our attention to the
finishing of the interior. The cost of the structure will be
considerably reduced if, instead of making a wooden floor, you
dry out the ground and pack it down
until it is hard. If you are situated where you can procure
boards, nail them to the joists which you set in place during
the early part of the building's construction.
Make the cabin door of matched boards,
fastening them together by means of battens at top, center,
and bottom. If you do not happen to have iron hinges, there
are several ways of making good wooden ones. Cut three blocks
of wood and nail them to the inside edge of the door
jamb. Make three wooden hinges, each about eighteen
inches long. Round one end of each, and bore a small hole
through it . Nail these three hinges to the door in such a
position that, when the door is put in place, the ends of the
hinges will rest on the blocks. Now, when you know where the
holes bored in the hinges come on the blocks, bore a hole
through each block directly below that in the hinge. When
ready to put the door on, set it in place and either bolt the
hinges to the blocks or slip large spikes through the holes.
A hinge very commonly used consists of
a pole about four inches longer than the door. This pole is
nailed to the edge of the door, one end extending into a hole
bored in the floor, and the other end into a corresponding
hole in the log over the door opening.
The old-fashioned wooden latch and
latchstring is a very good and serviceable fastening for a
cabin door. The latch should be about two feet long and two
inches wide. Make a guard by cutting a slot in it about
three and one-half inches long and a little deeper than the
latch is thick. The catch should be made with an incline, so
that the latch will slide easily into the slot.
After screwing the latch to the door,
fasten the guard and catch in place. The catch should be set
into a slot cut in the door jamb. Bore a hole through the
latch and another through the door; after which fasten a cord
to the latch and pass it through the hole made in the door.
Tie an iron ring or small weight to the end of the string
hanging outside of the door. The latch, guard, and catch may
need some adjusting at first to make them work perfectly.
Two bunks should be arranged in a
corner of the cabin. Erect two posts thirty inches
from the wall, and fasten two cross-pieces, about twelve
inches from the floor. Cut some straight poles about three
feet long, and gain one end of each into the wall, and fasten
the other ends to the crosspieces. Place these poles about six
inches apart, and cover them with a thick layer of straw.
In addition to a few stools, which can
be made out of boxes, you should have a corner cabinet for
guns, fishing tackle, camera, photograph supplies, etc. This
may be made out of one of the packing cases in which you
brought your camping outfit. Attach the cover to the front
with leather hinges and fasten a few shelves inside.