Cordwood constructions is one of those things I’ve always read about and wanted to do, but never quite got around to doing. With piles of cedar logs in our yard from the trees we thinned this fall, we decided there were plenty of other kinds of wood we should use for firewood, and started scheming some cordwood projects. A new chicken coop and a forest gazebo/shed were up there on the list, but then we started reading about cordwood pathways and got even more ideas. People like me especially don’t really need more ideas, but at least it keeps me out of trouble. Since we have a lot of muddy areas in our yard due to the heavy back and forth traffic with wheelbarrows and boots, Corey decided to practice our cordwood skills on a pathway by the garage that was in the roughest shape.
He started by cutting up the cedar logs into 3″ thick rounds. A friend recently referred to them as “tree cookies” and I rather like that term. Corey made sure to cut up a variety of diameters to fit together and fill the spaces, which the tapering trunk provided, along with some thicker limbs.
The most laborious part was digging the mud out along the pathway so that the top of the cedar would be even with the concrete sidewalk in front of the garage door. This was followed by putting down a layer of gravel to level the rounds and keep them from sinking down.
Setting the “tree cookies” took a while, both in figuring out the best placement and in leveling them. Not all the rounds were perfectly 3″ and the path had a slope to it, so this required some creativity and patience.
As usual, Little Sadie the cat helped supervise the project. Cats are fabulous supervisors.
To set the rounds in, we dumped piles of sand along the top and smoothed it into the cracks with trowels. Then we sprayed the top with a hose, let a day of hard rain do it’s work, and added more sand for the areas that settled. We may need to add more sand at some point, but for now it’s looking good. When it was all said and done, it took an afternoon and an evening to create our cordwood path, and we are very happy with the end product. I often find with these projects and many situations in life, it is easier to take them on than we think it will be once we set off down that path. I also find that almost anything worthwhile requires some hard work, but nothing beats looking around and seeing the results. I’ll take a life filled with hard work and a bunch of really cool finished projects any day.
I absolutely love how it turned out, what a great job! Love the term tree cookies too ;). Pam in Norway
Thank you Pam! I think I will be saying "tree cookies" from now on! 🙂
Interested to know how well you cordwood path has lasted? Would you still recommend it? I am keen to make one, and being in Devon in the UK, it is also wet and muddy here (and there is lots or wood)!
Thanks for asking! The path has held up great, and I would still highly recommend it!
Great work! Any chance you can update us on how thing look 4 years down the road and any lessons learned? Pictures perhaps? Many thanks!
Thanks! 4 years down the road, the path is still holding up and the log rounds aren’t breaking down at all. Lessons learned are these rounds get slippery when it’s raining, so maybe using smaller rounds so your feet get traction with more edges, or doing something to roughen up the surfaces might be a good idea.