Learn the skills necessary to construct your own handcrafted log cabin or home at the Great Lakes School of Log Building in northern Minnesota. Save money, get hands-on experience and gain personal satisfaction by attending one of our monthly workshops. The Great Lakes School has been promoting and teaching the craft of Scandinavian full-scribed log construction for 34 years. Our ten-day courses are designed to accommodate all skill levels, from novice on up, and we invite men and women of all ages to participate.
The school is a member of the International Log Builders' Association (ILBA)
and teaching is in accordance with the Association's Log
Building Standards, soon to be known as Effective Practices & Methods
for Handcrafted Log Building.
Updates:
| 06/28/2009 |
See the 2009 schedule of
courses on the course dates and rates
page. Note the temporary
tuition reduction of 10%
for all courses - to help out
in rough times.
All 2009 courses are still open.
|
| 06/28/2009 |
Current list of required tools and safety gear |
| 06/28/2009
|
Check out Ron's advice for
weathering the tough economy: first page of the Log
Review Newsletter on this website.
|
If you are thinking of sending a relative or friend on a log
building course in 2009 - as a holiday, anniversary or
birthday present, tuition
gift certificates can be easily and quickly arranged. Call 218.365.2126
for information.
Very occasionally, partial bartering for courses could be a
possibility. For instance, we currently have need of a clean
camper trailer - 16-24' or a small sawmill.
The participants in the free three-day roof
workshop May 30-June 1, 2008, are shown below after the ridgelog
was fitted and placed. l to r: Mark Aufiery, PA; Jon
Anderson, MN; Scott & Bruce Blacketter, MN.

Bruce Blacketter trims a kingpost to accommodate the
ridgelog.

The International Log Builders' Association met for the
annual conference and annual general meeting (AGM) in Whitefish,
Montana in April of 2008. Great lodging, food, and workshops
galore left participants feeling well-satisfied. Local
builder and vice-president of ILBA board, Pat Clark, hosted some
super field trips in the vicinity. Below, left to right, are
David Rogers presenting on log restoration, a group viewing
the new Brand X sawmill, and some folks watching the
highly-competitive log builder games.

Jeff Garland of Indiana cuts a window
on the April 2008 course. One of the most successful and
enjoyable courses ever held (at least from the instructor's
perspective), the group also included Colin Bourgouin of
Manitoba, Marlon Davey of Tennessee and Pat Simeon from
Ohio.

Former
students Jim and Nancy Sauer of St. Louis, MO, holding their model in front of
their almost completed home, done during 2007-07 of yellow
pine with help from their son and a friend. See more
pictures below.

During May 2007 Stonework
Course, Jennifer James, Illinois, sifts mortar sand while
Tony Chmiel, Wisconsin, mixes.

Jim and Nancy Sauer from Missouri brought to the June,
2006 class their model of the house they would build. After
some modification, the house now well underway, the revised
mockup of the house is shown below with their son, Mike, and
Bruce Gibbar, who were participants on the June 2007 course.
