Chinking

Exit78 Photo of the Day #81

Chinking and log detail from old building, Bannack State Park (ghost town and first territorial capitol), Montana, July 30, 2010 (Pentax K10D)

Buildings made of logs are more than just the logs. The logs used in the construction primarily only touch at the ends, at the notching point, with a space between the logs over most of their length. Logs fit perfectly together along their entire length would result in excessive binding and twisting as the seasons change and the logs expand and contract. The space between the logs is called the chink.  This gap, left to itself, would let in air and small pests.  To seal the chink, yet allow the logs to expand, contract and breathe, a variety of materials were traditionally used such as clay, mud, sand, and other common resources, with an inner layer sealed by a mortar-based “daubing” on the outside. This material used to fill and seal the gap came to be known as the “chinking.”

Series notes:

• The photos in this series are (usually) randomly selected from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Exit78 Photo of the Day.
• Each photo in this series is an “original work” – a copyright term – of Michael Goad.