Weatherproofing and Insulating Your Log Cabin

Special thanks to Historic Martin's Station and to David Cadle for sharing his expertise with us!
Historical Martin's Station en.wikipedia.o...
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[@coltonregal1797]

That Southern drawl is about the most pleasant thing I've heard all day.

[@IAmTheZombieGirl]

Agreed.

[@trainerlance]

Southern dialect is the best.

[@an3582]

Ill say, I could listen to that guy for hours.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338]

@@trainerlance that isn't a southern accent, he's speaking a west virginian accent, A.K.A early american english

[@justanotherbaptistjew5659]

Frank Mycek Interestingly enough, the American accent is more similar to the English accent of the time than the modern English is.

[@monkeywrench4169]

I've seen a lot of reinactors. This guy is a time traveler. You've been warned.

[@mikekean8344]

You say that like it's a problem.

[@RaduB.]

I thought so... Even his speech was betraying him.

[@garysmith9818]

Be on the look out for a long scarf with multi coloured stripes and a tendency to say "Allons-y" every once and a while...

[@aenorist2431]

I hate fake thick accents, but he ... yea he was born with that drawl. Such an amazing job.

[@howardfortyfive9676]

@@mikekean8344 He might could be saying it as a slur to the social justice wanker crowd. That's how I took it. That or tree hugger zealots.

[@clivewarren780]

That dude is amazing. Im not entirely convinced he is a modern person. He just may be a time traveler

[@JennyBeeAMDG]

There is a brief video of Jon filling up his Corolla at the gas station wearing his Colonial ensemble.😂❤

[@fartzinwind]

That's a heck of a commitment to up keep a historic recreation of what was a temporary style site.

[@Xbman123457X]

It really is, but it's such an awesome place to visit.

[@garbleduser]

Do you participate in the constant conservation of Historic Over There? Do you still join in worship at Bubs concession stand? Have you forsaken the Homestarmy? Do you have the five bucks?

[@BREW530]

Hey trogdor would you burninate these cottages if you had the chance? -kaizer CA

[@FingeringThings]

There is just something about a guy dressed in 1700s clothing asking people to check out a link that makes me smile

[@howardfortyfive9676]

Sounds like *you're one of US!!*

[@kylearmstrong3935]

David seems like such a nice man. So humble and very knowledgeable.

[@charadreemurr1083]

something i really wish was mentioned is that the POINT of the use of horse manure is not about the actual digested parts of the manure, but rather the UNDIGESTED parts. the straw found in horse manure is straw that came through a filtration within the horses gut, and this results in a stronger straw than one could get manually without passing it through a horse gut first. the gut of the horse simply strips away any parts of the grass that dont contribute to its structure, and thus the straw gotten from horse manure is more able to be a structural support

[@miskee11]

we put moss in between all the logs for insulation as we were erecting the walls when we built our cabin here in finland. our dad had also prepared a lot of tar-laden cotton fiber to insulate the window/door frames and the bottom. that stuff is completely resistant to water so it works wonders in any parts of the structure exposed to moisture. it's interesting to see how things are done in other parts of the world. the methods we used were all traditional finnish tricks from hundreds of years ago.

[@1425363878]

The only time he seemed acting was at the end, when he explained from a modern day perspective what they were doing there. His own words seemed to bewilder him. This man has achieved peak dream.

[@MaefigHistory]

It truly is amazing to see how many people love David, I had the pleasure of meeting him at Martin's Station about 2 days ago as a volunteer, and he's definitely a wonderful person to talk with, work with, and just generally is a good guy.

[@KASSISHOT]

The re-enactor that you guys featured today was such a joy to listen to I honestly feel like I could listen to that dude read the phone book

[@vegavictoria6768]

I read this notification as “Weatherproofing and Insulting a log cabin”. I’m a bit disappointed that he’s not screaming insults at the cabin.

[@Cionaoith]

I don't know about you, but I heard they were slinging quite a bit of mud and feces at the cabin.

[@b_uppy]

After reading your comment, I feel pretty disappointed, too.

[@b_uppy]

@@Cionaoith Love it.

[@AHagridLookalike]

After a day of crumbling horse manure is probably when the mumbled insults begin.

[@theherrdark4834]

@@Cionaoith I heard they were slinging mud and talking crap about it.

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

David is seriously amazing. I hope we see more of him.

[@kettle2293]

Oh my he's great. This was delightful.

[@lesahanners5057]

I spent part of my early childhood living in a log cabin. It was chinked with old clothes and daubed with mud. Unfortunately it was burnt to the ground by vandal's in the 1970's. This was a splendid episode Jon. I really love Martin's Station and the historical 18th century living history they do there. Any time you get to go there is fantastic, but the, "Raid" is the best time of all. Thanks so much for sharing, this series is epic! Have a great day!

[@johndahlager7798]

You must have some interesting stories to tell.

[@theherrdark4834]

@Lassi Kinnunen Many buildings had to be built quickly and try to gather supplies for the winter months, so it did not leave much time to get it done, they were also limited to how big of logs they could cut down and move to cabin site and prepare them. Another issue is the type of wood it will literally bend and twists as it dries, so the more significant gaps help with that, remember these logs were just cut down, so they have not been seasoned at all when they were used to build the cabin.

[@lesahanners5057]

@@johndahlager7798 I was only seven, but the experience of living in that cabin has never left me. We hadn't any running water and the only electricity was a bare bulb hanging from a cord in the kitchen. When we moved in the place had been empty for some time and was full of mouse berries and other filth, but it was soon cleaned. It was a large cabin, tho it may have only seemed that way due to my young age. It had a lean-to front porch that you entered which went directly into the kitchen area where there was a sink and old cupboards. The sink had a metal bucket underneath to catch the water. Our food was cooked in and on an old wood burning cook stove. The living room was straight past the kitchen and there was a door on the left into a bathroom, with a toilet and an old claw-foot tub. These had been added later and the toilet could only be flushed with a bucket of water, and the tub filled the same way. The next door on the left was to a small bedroom. At the end of the living room was a staircase leading up to a loft which ran the whole length of the upstairs. But only on the bedroom and bathroom half of the cabin. My twin and I shared a bed near the staircase and my two older sisters shared a bed at the other end of the loft. They strung a sheet on a wire to divide the room between us. It was open to the downstairs if you laid on your belly and stuck your head near the slope of the ceiling. In this way my twin sister and I peeked down and watched my grandma and mother wrapping up our Christmas presents that winter. My older brother slept on the living room couch at first, but later one of the little shanties that was in the side yard, was made into a room for him. My youngest brother, who was only three, slept in a crib in my mothers room. We were snug as a bug in a rug they say, but I never really thought of it as crowded. Not long after we moved in we began to lose personal items. My older sisters hair clips and other such objects. Then stuff went missing from the kitchen cupboards and small objects like cones and bits of stone and bark were found in their place. Once we even found an old chewed leather glove had been put on the shelf. At first we didn't know what it was and some pretty harsh false accusations by my older sisters were thrown around when their things went missing. Telltale droppings however made my mother believe it was mice so she decided to put out mouse traps, but when she did they disappeared too. Her final effort was to put a homemade biscuit covered in her homemade jam on the plate of a coyote trap, and set it in the kitchen to catch whatever was raiding our cupboards. The next morning the trap had caught a pack rat the size of a small house cat. It was disgusting! We kids then went looking for its nest for we knew pack rats collected all kinds of colorful shiny objects. We found it under the floor boards just beneath my twin sisters and my bed. We retrieved my older sisters hair clips, and the mouse traps. We also found the nest was stuffed with very old Christmas ornaments. We cleaned out the nest and saved those ornaments, which were unbroken, and they hung on our Christmas tree for many a year after.

[@nicpay3851]

What a cool story! I had no idea "pack rat" was an actual species! Thank you for sharing!

[@etuckedfg]

Hearing these personal stories is one of the things that makes this channel so special! Thank you for sharing!

[@MsZfactor]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate this man's eyes? Like wow.

[@slimerimuru4747]

For real

[@Tonks143]

@@joeroganofficial5433 My mans got pretty eyes

[@vonDumpy]

made me tremble when he handled that manure and looked at me

[@TotalXPvideos]

Yes, they are blue.

[@suzyrottencrotch5132]

😂

[@dgracia18]

Great video as usual. This was particularly interesting to me because I volunteered at the Vause 1750's Fort in Explore Park. That's located in the Blue Ridge Mountains just south and slightly east of the city of Roanoke, VA. We had a number of buildings there that had to be re-daubed usually on an annual basis. We did it a little differently though. During the season we would brain-tan a number of deer hides. Deer season in Virginia allows you to take quite a few deer, especially if you participate in the muzzle-loader season. First step in that is soaking the deer hide in ash-water. That is water that is mixed with hardwood ash until it is strong enough to float an egg. That process is known as "bucking" a hide. After soaking in what has become "lye-water" for 2 to 3 days in warm weather or 3 to 4 days in cold weather, the hair can be removed easily. When we scraped off the hair we would keep it to mix with clay-mud for our daubing. After thoroughly mixing in a pit with our clay, we would distribute buckets of the daubing to everyone and away we would go. We never had any large pieces come out of it but lots of little ones. After daubing the outside, we would go inside the house, close the shutters and look for spots where light was coming through. Spots that needed more daubing were much easier to see inside the dark house because the light would just shine through. Patch it until no light came through and you were usually good for another year. I was not there when the initial chinking and daubing was done, so I don't know if dried grass or perhaps cedar bark was mixed in originally - lots of red cedar on the property. All that we used for the daubing was deer hair and clay mud. One of the nice things about deer hair if you are not familiar with it is that it is hollow. There are air spaces inside each hair. Thicker hair (belly region) has more hair thin hair (hocks and along the spine) have fewer air spaces. But all deer hair has air pockets inside it and those actually help a bit with the insulation. The house at the fort was a 2-story log and daubing house with fireplace. It was a very large log house, easily 4 times as large as the outbuildings. We would often use it for a Tavern night where a bunch of the volunteers would gather with their beverage of choice in period containers. We'd light the candles, have a nice fire roaring in the fireplace, and have a couple of tables set up playing whist and dominoes. There was a bench running all the way around the inside wall so there were plenty of places to sit if you weren't playing one of the games. We would of course toast to the health of the King, unless it was a Rev War era gathering, then it was to "His Eminence George Washington" or "These United States", and occasionally to one general or other. Almost always had someone playing a fiddle and a fife and once three of us brought guitars (not really period but fun). One time, one of our fellows brought sheets of 18th ct. music with chord charts. So, we all played and sang and just had a "merry old tyme". Was a great way to spend an 18th century evening.

[@betoian]

Interesting! Wouldn't it last longer if you just daubed the outer logs completely without leaving gaps?

[@dgracia18]

@@betoian Sorry, you misunderstand how it works. You seal it up by daubing both inside and out to make sure there is no light coming inside and thus no leaks of air. The areas you do this to are the spaces between the logs. Each year there is some erosion to the daubing. It dries out, cracks in places, and bits fall out. Or it gets too wet and some of it washes out. Plus, as the logs of the cabin settle (takes a few years), it will push some of it out. Usually refreshing the daubing on an annual basis keeps your house dry and stops any major wind leaks. The fireplace keeps it warm and is used to cook your food. Although you do put some daubing on the edges of the logs to be sure you get a good seal, it doesn't help to put daubing on the body of the log. It is already far better sealed than any daubing. Plus, if you tried to cover the whole log with daubing, the first bad rainstorm would wash off the daubing on the convex part of the logs. They demonstrated in this video why you don't bring the daubing out to be even with the outer edges of the logs. Ideally, the water will drip down from log to log without ever touching the daubing unless there is a strong wind blowing the rain against the side of the cabin.

[@flowertrue]

Hey thanks for that excellent description including explanations! You really took me there.

[@andreatagliapietra277]

Home did you come across volunteering for that? Where can I find any references?

[@dgracia18]

@@andreatagliapietra277 That would have been in 2005 when I first moved to Virginia from VT where I had been active in Reenacting. I worked in Roanoke and heard about Explore park at work. I live about half an hour from the Park. I stopped by Explore Park one day at their Visitor's Center and spoke to someone there who said they did indeed have numerous folks who volunteered at the 1757 era Fort. They gave me the contact info for Eddie Goode, who ran the 1757 "Vause Fort". I got in contact with him and after a short discussion he invited me to come on in. I came in period attire signed a volunteer form and then was officially an Explore Park "volunteer". I would show up whenever I could. Usually it was a weekend day, but there were plenty of times I was there during the week too. One of my favorite things to do was to teach people how to throw a tomahawk. It closed in 2008 because the plans with a private investor to make it the "Blue Ridge America" theme park fell through and the county of Roanoke couldn't afford to keep it open. So we cleared everything out and boarded everything up. I took one of the Tomahawk targets home as well as a primitive bench with branch legs. A lot of the furnishings had been borrowed and were returned. Everything else was packed up and sealed away. Looks like they have plans for bringing it back to life, so you might want to check with them. Was a real shame to see that timeline Park going from the 1600's through the 1800's with period correct buildings, volunteers, and farm animals disappear. No longer have their contact info, but I'm sure you could google it. By the way, Eddie Goode was the only paid person in the Fort. Everyone else was a volunteer, and we had a great group!

[@anonimai]

As much as I love history, I'm s grateful that I live in a time period where people can create their own channels and share it with the rest of the world!

[@jedtattum9996]

always a pleasure to hear a person talk about a technique they understand.

[@eoinmaclean6478]

Just for reference: “Cedar” in southeastern jargon typically refers to Eastern Red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana) sometimes called “pencil cedar”, because the wood was used for making pencils. The wood is pleasingly fragrant and very resistant to rot, especially the purple center. “Poplar” most often refers to Tulip-tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), also known as Yellow Poplar and Whitewood, the latter being an attribute of the pale color of its bare wood. This tree is actually related to magnolias, but has very fibrous inner bark comparable to the Populus spp - aspens, cottonwoods, and poplars.

[@K4inan]

Is your name pronounced like "Owen"?

[@eoinmaclean6478]

Yep

[@robgazzard4432]

Very useful. Many thanks.

[@dylantaylor7416]

Hell ya dendrology

[@shaynecarter-murray3127]

You always leave such good comments.

[@TheNails3]

What a wonderful man David is, and a great teacher too

[@coltonregal1797]

15:29 By God those mountains are breathtaking.

[@Hyreia]

David, you wonderful human being. That accent, that passion and that knowledge.

[@bluduv4him]

Great to see work continued on the fort, my family was there and helped with some of the first reconstruction, lived in one of the small cabins for 2 weeks. My young son also got to learn how to drive a team of oxen during the process.

[@MotorcycleMouse]

bluduv4him awesome

[@robertcole9391]

Great vid John. The wisdom is authentic. What is amazing is this same method was carried out here in the US up through the late 1960's all through the Smokey Mountain Chain. Shame you don't have time to visit or travel the Blue Ridge Parkway and experience it all. Interestingly enough, manure has been used through out the centuries. In Europe, you had cob houses. And it and the science behind it was brought to the Americas. It's quite fascinating once you open the door to Pandora's Box on housing and evolution.

[@stephpavone]

What an amazing guest. So knowledgeable and had a very sweet energy. Would love to see him again on the channel and the event in May 2020 sounds interesting as well.

[@markcaselius5993]

Just want to say how much we enjoy these cabin episodes. Really makes one appreciate modern building techniques. :-)

[@jaxoni_2395]

Brilliant. What a guy, very knowledgeable, very passionate. Superb.

[@Stewiehleba]

I love how Dave seemed to glow when he was giving the info for their event. If I ever visit the US, I would go to spend time with people like that in the nature. Great guy.

[@VoidDragon82]

I could listen to David talk all day! Such a pleasant and soft voice.

[@anuronironworks6164]

I am really loving this series. I'm working on a little 10' x 10' cabin in my free time and these have been very helpful. Thanks a lot!

[@b_uppy]

Daubing is a skill. The ratios of sand, clay, straw and manure need to be well considered. If it's not right, it will shrink and crack. In England the saying "good hats and boots" discusses the importance of adequate overhang and foundations to the life of a building.

[@b_uppy]

@SeriousName Cob is great stuff. Lasts forever and very sturdy.

[@b_uppy]

@SeriousName It might have been a technology unknown to the particular subgroups who came over. It is sort of an amazing coincidence, if so. Thatching is an excellent type of roofing but that never made it over, either.

[@revtrev380]

I would imagine it was more the fact the sheer amount of wood available in North America. Imagine what it would have been like to come from Europe where large parts of it's most dense forests have been gone for 1000yrs or more.

[@vavavoodoo]

37 people who disliked this have to go live in a drafty cabin.

[@zan31669]

Or they just live in a normal modern home ... Most of these people playing house would of died from dysentery if they lived back then

[@charles-y2z6c]

For some reason every video gets dislike. A lot of times it’s because of fat fingers and small devices and wrong tap. But sometimes they just don’t like it. You could have a video that cures cancer and people would dislike it. Maybe they are greedy doctors making money off of cancer.

[@daniel4647]

Not that I dislike the video, but this is still going to be really drafty. I find it a little strange that they'd build stuff like this back in the day, but I guess they didn't need more in that area? Where I'm from people built log cabins too, but the climate here can get very cold and we do this in a very different way. First of all the logs are cut flat on the sides that will go on top of each other, making any gap much smaller and making the over all wall thicker all the way up. Down the center of the log there is a deep groove cut that will line up with groove on the log above and beneath it, so all the logs except the top and bottom has two grooves. These groves are stuffed with dry grass/hay as the cabin is put together which will close off any minor gap and since the insulation/hay will be mostly inside the logs it will be protected. Also the locking mechanism on the edges are different, where they use an A shape on top and V at the bottom we'll cut the same groove on both sides of the logs that look kinda like this \_____/ Locks them in really securely and can be made to fit perfectly leaving very few gaps. There are actually special tools that where made just for this purpose, a special kind of blade with two handles to flatten the log and make the groove and a special kind of axe with a very wide blade. Many people still use this method of building, so these types of cabins are common all over the place, no reenactment or anything just woodsmen who want a cabin, so the tools are still produced too.

[@charles-y2z6c]

Daniel the tools they use today to cut the logs flat were far superior. They only had hand tools and hand saws. It was an interesting project no doubt. I am just thankful I am not a frontiersman in 1790 and have a nice tight insulated warm home.

[@charles-y2z6c]

Daniel let’s also remember it was probably the first time this crew ever built a log cabin.

[@beck320]

David is so sincere hope to see him again

[@Akamuaru999]

I love this so much. This is the time of reinacting I adore. Not the violent and playing soldier but the lifestyle: crafts, cooking, and construction. This is really wholesome and I wish I could single-handedly swing how successful these videos are. Alas, I am but a small drop in the hat. I hope my pittiance of promotion can do you something. I will never stop being a Townsend fan! I love the videos you make so much!!

[@Lifesizemortal]

watching these videos has sated me in some ways. I've always desired to build a cabin, and you've given me a better understanding of how the process unfolds

[@balaran4349]

This channel is pure gold. I am not even interested in these things yet I still enjoy watching it! =)

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Comprehensive and succinct explanation. Can't wait to see it on your cabin! Martin's Station sounds like a great place to visit!

[@justinb2824]

I'm not into guys but that is one good looking pioneer dude.

[@thehandlesticks66]

He has beautiful eyes

[@DarthKater311]

He’s def hot

[@imabigscrewball]

Hey now.. he has a son, you lost your chance lol but I get it, he is a handsome man and very capable. If the zombie apocalypse happens we all need him on our side

[@Benzy670]

Justin Brown you might be into guys just a little bit. Nothing wrong with that

[@debbiepierce5316]

Quiett Bear how you know he has a son ??

[@Xbman123457X]

My family used to go to Wilderness Road state park all the time when I was a kid, it's an awesome historical site with alot of historical interpreters that do a really great job.

[@johnrobinson4445]

He speaks so beautifully about his purpose here. Wonderful.

[@kevintaylor3816]

Great job Dave!! Looking forward to seeing you again in May!!

[@daveyjoweaver5183]

Thank You Kindly Jon and David! There is a stone house near me in Lancaster Co. Pa. Called the Hans Herr House. It is built of stone in the year 1719. It is of Germanic style of that period. The plaster in the house was made with cow manure, sand, lime and clay, if I recall correctly. If you ever get by this way it is well worth the visit. They also have a reproduction of a Native long house. So many great places over our country. I lived not far from Cumberland Gap for three years so I know the area a bit. Be a great trip this coming may. Thanks Again! DaveyJO in Pa.

[@robinchwan]

i've been learning everything i can about log houses and how to make them on the internet for a while and i think i now know enough to be able to do it.. how well? probably not very but it's like that with everything you do the first time, it's not like i'm gonna do it but it's good to know in case something happens and you have to take care of yourself. from survival shelters to a log house is what i'm learning about. even how to make fish traps out of wood and ropes /soap and tar as well. all that stuff.

[@khobia2]

The countryside is simply gorgeous. Wow!

[@RaduB.]

I could swear this guy is from 18th century!... Thanks for introducing him to us.

[@tonygore5750]

Love David...he seems as real as they get.

[@VickieV1333]

Wow! Gotta hand it to our forefathers, they had so much to do to just survive. Awesome video Mr Townsend

[@matthewdockter2424]

How-To Living History. Love this log cabin experience. Laundry stuff was great too!

[@WayPointSurvival]

Excellent video! Thank you so much for all you do in bringing us such great content!

I really appreciate all those involved.

[@dingote]

David Rocks! More vids with him please!

[@jassiuswise]

This is very much entertaining and the guest is a good teacher.

[@Siegerzkranz]

A lot of the older country houses up in the hills in my home state were originally log houses, which were then clad in clap-boards or siding as the house was expanded

[@roddmatsui3554]

Yes, earth and natural fibers have been used to reinforce and insulate structures for thousands of years, and seeing time-tested techniques like these is a most useful education. Building and crafting techniques are ever so much more useful these days, when creativity and the ability to improvise are so crucial.

[@k.s.3748]

I'm from an old Southern family, we were in S.C. by 1720. This guy's accent is music to my ears!

[@P_RO_]

Upstate SC here, and on my Mother's side from some of the earliest known settlers in this area. I've lost some of my 'Southern drawl' but I can still speak it at will. I'm also fluent in "mountain talk" too ;)

[@RT804]

When asked, people involved in modern building sciences always say that the most important design factor of a building is the size and coverage of the roof overhangs in mitigating water exposure. These are people who study buildings hands-on, from those just built to 100+ years old. They always see buildings and foundations in significantly better condition when overhangs are maximized to the roof design and angle/pitch. 36" is great if you can get that. But of course making them absurdly large introduces wind concerns where they might act as a sail ad take your entire roof off in severe winds.

[@douglashagedorn7717]

Wonderful information. Can’t wait to see your cabin build completed, I have a feeling that it will be amazing.

[@Benzy670]

I quite like the period clothing. Jon’s clothes are normally pretty fly, but I particularly like the blue David is wearing.

[@julianl.109]

If you haven’t checked out Jon’s website, it has a ton of wonderful items like clothes and kitchenware

[@pekkaseppala3999]

This series of videos on building your cabin is going to be hard to top. But I'm sure you'll do it. Thanks for doing what you do.

[@jogoodwin7352]

This episode left me speechless- in a great way of course. Put off by the use of manure? Not one bit! I understood the reasoning from start to finish. I love the way Mr. Townsend's constituents are so knowledgeable in their areas and articulate that knowledge so well.

[@gamernick1533]

I've seen wattle and dorbing done here in the UK. They added horsehair and hay to the mix to help keep it together. Would be interesting to run an experiment if you haven't already done your own walls by using different contemporary materials and see which holds up best?

[@fionafiona1146]

Horse hair is very sturdy (tensile strength and rotting resistance), mixing it with only clay and whitewashing over that would be the most expensive /effective method.

[@Ironclad17]

Any dry assortment of fiber sizes you can find I guess.

[@GSHERPA]

what a nice place. A great combination of greenery, plains, hilly surrounding and stream nearby.

[@davidhutchison3343]

Keeping pioneer skills alive. Wonderful to see.

[@Henchman1977]

I grew up in a log home (cedar). Outside was sided but the living room had exposed logs.

[@andysway6011]

I get so excited when new Townsend videos come out

[@NS-pf2zc]

Oh it's been a while! Your channel ALWAYS brings a sense of peace as soon as they play! Very informative!

[@robertocorradi7571]

Brilliant . . . thank you both very much . . . David - absolutely fantastic .

[@MPythonGirl]

We had this book when I was a kid about a pioneer family, and one of the few needless things they brought was the grandma's quilt scrap bag. When it got cold and some gaps appeared in the chinking they used the scraps to repair it from the inside. The next morning the dawn light made it look like stained glass.

[@papayeaststack3743]

your videos relax me.thank you for all your effort and how in depth you go into your videos

[@P_RO_]

Over ONE MILLION subs- HOORAY for Townsends!

[@alanhelton]

That David has such an easy voice to listen to.

[@darlenewright5850]

Oh, my this IS fantastic! Need to know. Thank you for sharing.

[@user-df2so4js7x]

Some of my first ancestor from yorkshire county england settled in culpeper county virginia, neat video of maybe some the techniques they used way back when.

[@juliewatson2281]

Mine too came from UK, in 1750s, settled in Culpeper, VA, Orange County, Thomas Jefferson territory.

[@davidcochran5071]

Was at CW one year, and a guest asked asked an interpreter “what is the significance of the ‘sawdust’ along the road” and it was explained that it wasn’t sawdust, but manure that had broken down

[@JC_R8MEOW]

I seem to recall reading that horse manure which is dried, but not composted, contains enzymes that help to harden the daub without it cracking, as well as microfibres which aid in binding it together.

[@willienolegs8928]

Another outstanding work showing how they did it.

[@annalepper457]

Never thought I'd be so interested in weatherproofing a house, but you guys got me!

[@nathanjeffery3059]

Really enjoyed this video! We used to use horse manure in our mixture making clay ovens. It helped hold things together like David here described.

[@pancho1993]

Love his accent! Really looks and sounds the part

[@jaicro89]

Here in Costa Rica, old houses are made with Adobe, and bricks made of manure mixed with clay, they work perfectly!!!!

[@mikekean8344]

Stones? Interesting. I'll bet that not a lot of people know that. Well done and very informative!

[@chrismoseley349]

David is like a weird yet delightful mix of Joaquin Phoenix and Mose from The Office.

[@debbieboring3422]

It is amazing how long the wattle and daub will last. Out in the desert southwest, it is called Adobe. They did and do use it to make Bricks, but the adobe is also used to seal the gaps between the bricks. Then they would cover inside and out with the adobe like a plaster. They have come across ones still standing after several hundred years. Thanks again for another great video. Have a great week.

[@b_uppy]

Wattle is not used in making adobe. Think wattle fences, that is what is used in European houses as the underpinning for the "daub" in certain house walls. Traditional Tudor style employs this...

[@debbieboring3422]

@@b_uppy Like the sticks that are used in the walls?

[@b_uppy]

@@debbieboring3422 Not quite the same. Similar in concept, some differences in execution, however... Wattle fence: www.bing.com/images/search?q=wattle+fence&id=8929225624157784B195BC38A51E6DFC2AB61F31&FORM=IQFRBA Wattle and daub walls: www.bing.com/images/search?q=wattle+and+daub&id=541C5757A42F0204BCE6D670029E0A9E6B49E521&FORM=IQFRBA

[@cookec]

I love your channel anyway, but I'm really digging this cabin series! Great stuff with loads of good info and very knowledgeable people. Thanks for bringing it to us!

[@amberinthebox4462]

Omg look at that landscape. Geeze, virginia and georgia are soooooo pretty. The ozarks are my favorite tho

[@utubeaccess7]

5:33 'If you'se gonna.. ' Love the dialect 😉

[@utubeaccess7]

Btw, that means that "You and yours are going to"...🙄

[@nessamillikan6247]

I thought it was “You is”.

[@ArchangelExile]

Not me.

[@jburritt426]

Wow This is so cool. In Colorado it is a different thing all together. Nice job.

[@GrahamBartle]

Wow, dude is incredible. Started to believe in time travel. I will be visiting if I'm ever in the area.

[@robertlambert7736]

Pioneer Caulking. Ive been sealing buildings for 32 yrs and never thought of mud. That stuff lasts as long as modern caulking. Most of it only makes it 10yrs max

[@MtnTow]

You need 6-8 inches of wood to stop a 45/70 as evidenced by some channels. Pro tip #1 (has already been debunked. Lol) Throw the dobbing horizontally into the cracks to save a lot of time. I feel the impact tends to fill holes with less air pockets. You use much more dobbing and have to wash the logs after but trust me, worth the time. #2 Find a turned up tree or river bank for clay for much added strength. #3 Prime the wood if you can by using a very thin clay/ water mix. Im no pro but these things helped me a bit. Love the channel!

[@BigHenFor]

Putting the daub in horizontally means the water doesn't run off as quickly and fallout due to shrinking is accelerated because the shape of the daub is less resistant to gravity. In daubing at an angle, most of the mass of the daub is supported by the log below. That's why traditional window panes are puttyed at an angle for the same reason.

[@MtnTow]

@@BigHenFor Huh, did not know that but does make sense! I used a mostly clay base and had little shrinking to this day. Maybe just lucky?

[@michael-m]

Just fascinating. Love the work on your cabin, John. Keep up the great work bringing out shared history to life

[@WulfRanger]

Wow, this was highly informative. I had a rough idea of the building and the shingling, but no idea on this.

[@ivonnevillegas6187]

I never came so fast to watch a video, greetings from Chile, pretty nice job

[@southernwanderer7912]

I love his accent! Great interview. Many skip the manure step.

[@mattt9298]

Way cool, John and crew. Great job!!

[@katanatac]

Another fine video, thank you Jon and crew!

[@SeeonX]

I want more of David.

[@patrickcharette2151]

The wonderful southern accent is taking of the quarantine edge real nice

[@GANGLYMAN117]

Sucks watching this today knowing 8 months ago they had a wonderful event planned with over 60 vendors he said and it probably had to be moved or canceled. It's really interesting to look at videos from months ago before Coronavirus and little by little realizing a lot of the simple stuff was a given that's not so much nowadays.

[@seigeengine]

Fascist screeching aside, it's really disappointing. Especially thinking of how many interesting businesses and groups have ceased to exist as a result.

[@bub_sy]

Really enjoying this series and all you're content actually. I'm re-reading the outlander books at the moment and your videos seem like a companion series :)