[Illustration: CABIN MISCELLANY]
Native Stone Lends Charm and Ruggedness to Cabin
Fireplaces and Barbecues
Native stone, gathered from near the site, seems to be the most popular
material for the cabin fireplace or barbecue. Skillfully handled, it may
be adapted to a variety of artistic treatments, and it lends to the
cabin, inside and out, the atmosphere of ruggedness sought after by most
cabin builders. Sometimes the stones are gathered one by one over a wide
area for their appearance, beauty and other characteristics, so the
fireplace itself becomes almost a collector’s item to those who have
gathered far and wide the material for its construction. Where stones of
the proper size are not available, they are frequently blasted from
larger boulders.
The various ideas for indoor and outdoor fireplaces and barbecues shown
here have been sketched from photographs of fireplaces actually built in
Western cabins. They show some of the wide possibilities of design and
of decorative treatment. Among them, or from a combination of their
various features, you should be able to find the design of your ideal
fireplace.
[Illustration: This attractive all-stone fireplace shows what a
little ingenuity can do in arranging a mantel without the use of
wood or set-back in the masonry. A carefully selected long flat
stone, imbedded in the chimney wall and supported by three oblong
stones, makes the mantel and adds a touch of master craftsmanship to
the entire fireplace.]
[Illustration: A metal hood gives a rustic effect to this small
fireplace and adds to its efficiency as well.]
[Illustration: For a large cabin room this massive fireplace lends
an air of warmth and comfort. The large mantel area is obtained by
building the fireplace out into the room and setting back the
chimney. Suggested by the fireplace at Rainbow Gibson’s Weasku-Inn,
Grants Pass, Ore.]
[Illustration: Increased floor area in the smaller cabin is obtained
by setting the fireplace back flush with the walls. The chimney
could have been set back still farther and covered, but running the
stone work to the roof breaks up a long wall.]
[Illustration: Hand-picked boulders, skillfully arranged and tapered
toward the ceiling, make this fireplace look as if it had been
transplanted from a frontier cabin. It is an effective and
interesting treatment where a mantel is not desired. From the W. B.
Jones cottage at Kaweah, California.]
[Illustration: A huge oak beam, hand hewn, tops off this large
fireplace and gives a massive effect in keeping with a large cabin
living room. The warming-ledge with its old-fashioned cast iron
kettle adds a note of charm.]
[Illustration: Here is an interesting treatment of massive stones
that shows still another mantel arrangement. In this case the mantel
is a quarter log supported by two heavy hewn beams imbedded in the
masonry. It fits in charmingly with the atmosphere of a log cabin.
The bar support for kettles is even more pioneerish than a pot and
crane and in keeping with rugged charm of the fireplace itself.]
Outdoor Cooking Awakens Primitive Impulses and Sharpens Vacation
Appetites
All the world likes to return to the primitive at times. In most cases
this return takes the form of cooking and eating a meal outdoors. There
is something about a fire outdoors that awakens impulses lost in us ages
ago. And a well cooked outdoor meal makes hearty vacation appetites even
keener.
Since the purpose of your vacation home is to get closer to nature, you
should plan to get the most out of it by providing facilities for
cooking and eating at least some of your meals in the open. On the other
hand, you will want to arrange to have greater convenience than the open
fire on the surface of the ground that served your ancestors long ago.
The outdoor grill, or an outdoor fireplace with a grill built in,
provides the comfort and facilities that the modern generation demands.
[Illustration: This barbecue grill and fireplace built in the stump
of a great redwood looks as if the tree had actually grown around
it. From the E. D. Thompson summer home at Ben Lomond, California.]
[Illustration: This barbecue layout consists of grill, oven, and
separate fireplace. The oven is heated by the draft from the
fireplace or barbecue, which passes around it, but it may also have
a separate firebox. Note the handy adjustable grill, which is one of
several types sold by Pacific Coast manufacturers.]
[Illustration: An isolated area surrounded by trees and shrubbery
makes an ideal setting for the outdoor fireplace. Be sure, however,
that there is no dense growth overhead to interfere with the draft.
Large logs make rustic seats, one on each side. Place the rough
table about ten feet away with split logs for benches.]
Outdoor grills range from the simplest form U-shaped brick cooking
place, covered with a heavy steel screening, to huge affairs of brick or
stone with chimneys and dampers, Dutch ovens built into the sides,
warming places for plates, and perhaps a roaring separate fireplace to
soften the chill of the evening air. All of them are relatively easy to
build and reasonably inexpensive. However, you must keep the fire
hazards in mind, and in the National Forests, before you begin to build,
have your forest officer approve your plan and location.
Construction of the outdoor fireplace is much the same as that of an
indoor one except that the chimney and flue are not carried to such a
height. Nor does the footing need to be as thick unless your fireplace
is very heavy. A concrete base eight inches thick with four inches of
this above ground is usually ample. You may use the chimney of your
cabin fireplace for your outdoor fireplace or grill but be sure to
provide a separate flue.
[Illustration: Here is a combination outdoor fireplace and grill
large enough to cook for the neighborhood. After the steaks are
broiled, large logs can be rolled in to provide a roaring fire for
the evening. The grill can be supported by a three-sided frame of
firebricks built up to the proper height.]
[Illustration: The feature of this barbecue and oven is a sliding
fire pan. The fire may be used to heat the oven until the coals are
ready and then slid across under the grill, or with two pans both
grill and oven may be heated at the same time.]
[Illustration: To make this barbecue pit, a framework was built up
of an old barrel and scrap lumber and then covered with concrete. A
slow fire burned out the wood when the concrete had hardened. It is
set on a platform of concrete and bricks against a rough chimney of
rock.]
[Illustration: This barbecue of stone is built with the firebox and
grill at a convenient height. A chimney is desirable but not
necessary. Note the device for raising and lowering the grill.]
There are several methods of adapting the outdoor fireplace to cooking.
The simplest is to provide yourself with a pair of rather high andirons
and a grill to lay over the top of them. The grill may also be hinged to
rear of the fireplace or you may install sliding adjustable grill as
illustrated. A pot and crane adds to the appearance as well as the
utility of the outdoor fireplace.
The design of the barbecue grill or outdoor stove is a matter for your
own taste. For comfort’s sake you will want to have the grill top about
the height of your kitchen stove. Build up the firebox so that when the
coals are glowing, they will be about eight inches below the grill,
which should be made of ³/₁₆-inch steel rods spaced about one inch apart
in a metal frame. A groove or seat for the grill may be made in the
masonry, or you may provide supports by imbedding projecting pieces of
iron in the firebox walls. A piece of sheet steel laid over the grill
will provide a fry plate when one is needed.
A chimney is a good addition to a grill of this type. It not only adds
some architectural character but it will draw off fumes and give a
better draft to your fire. And if you want even more efficiency, you can
include some sort of damper arrangement to control the draught.
[Illustration: This outdoor stove is simple to construct and may be
used for cooking over flame or broiling over live coals. You can
make it even simpler by omitting the chimney and the door on the
front of the firebox.]
[Illustration: For roasts over the coals a revolving spit is
indispensable. A half-inch iron bar can be bent in the form of a
crank at one end, sharpened at the other, and set in a pair of
bearings or saddles designed to straddle the walls of the firepit.]
[Illustration: You don’t have to wait for good outdoor weather to
enjoy grilled steaks if your fireplace is equipped with a hinged
grill that hooks up out of the way when the fireplace is not being
used for cooking. For this type of grill use ¼-inch rods spaced
about 1¼ inches apart. The andirons, or metal legs attached to the
grill, keep it at the right height from the floor.]
[Illustration: A pot and crane add interest to the cabin fireplace,
whether it is indoors or out. Any wrought iron shop can make this
crane. You might even get it done by the country blacksmith.]
[Illustration: Another way to convert an ordinary fireplace into a
barbecue is to install a sliding grill. By providing additional
slides you may adjust the height from the coals. Two types of metal
slides are shown. Don’t forget, when having the grill made, to
adjust its shape to the side walls of the fireplace and to allow for
heat expansion.]
[Illustration: A barbecue belt is a great convenience in keeping
important accessories handy when you are cooking in the open. You
can make one of leather or oilcloth or several thicknesses of cotton
material interlined with buckram. Make pockets to hold the salt and
pepper shakers, provide clasps for your pot holders and loops to
hold your fork and spoon. Now you are ready to cook. If you prefer,
you can build these features into a chef’s apron.]
[Illustration: Fireplace tools that stay up out of the way when not
in use may be hand forged by any good blacksmith or wrought iron
worker. A simple bracket with projecting prongs, as illustrated, is
fastened to the fireplace wall and each tool hangs by a collar.
Rough forged tools are more in keeping with the cabin effect than
the factory-finished kind. If the maker is skillful enough, the
heads may be made in various designs. Animal heads are popular.]
[Illustration: Discarded railroad rails make excellent material for
hand-forged andirons that are heavy enough and crude enough for any
cabin. Simply have the blacksmith turn up one end of each piece of
rail. If you want to be more original, you can have the end forged
into some special design, as shown.]
[Illustration: The old-fashioned California ranch-type dinner gong
will round up the family from far and near when the meal is ready.
Any blacksmith can forge one of octagonal tempered steel. Suspend it
by a steel wire from a wrought iron bracket.]
[Illustration: A handy supply of wood is a great convenience in the
cabin. So, plan a woodbox when you plan the fireplace. Here is one
built in the fireplace wall. You can put a door on it, if you wish,
but the exposed wood does not look out of place in the cabin. Don’t
overlook the possibility of a two-way woodbox that can be filled
from the outside or from the garage or wherever the wood is stored.]