Patent ID: 6543193
Filing Date: 2003-04-08
Classification: E04B

Abstract:
A plurality of log supports for supporting wooden logs in a generally vertical stack of generally horizontal logs, each of said log supports comprising:a generally vertical elongated support element having sufficient longitudinal compression strength to support a significant portion of the weight of a log structure and transmit said portion of said weight down through a vertical stack of said log supports to a fixed lower support surface; and a separately formed generally horizontal support element positioned at an end of said vertical support element, said horizontal support element extending beyond the width of said vertical support element, said horizontal support element configured to be selectively engaged and disengaged with said vertical support element; wherein said log supports are adapted to be vertically stacked to form a generally vertical support column acting on the stack of logs, said log supports adapted to associate suitably with one another so that vertical compression loads are reliably transmitted through said support column, each log support adapted to vertically extend through the width of one or more logs within the stack of logs so that a top end of the vertical support element of the log support is generally aligned with a top surface of a log and a bottom end of the vertical support element of the log support is generally aligned with a bottom surface of a log, the logs through which each log support extends defining a sub-stack of logs, an initial position range of each sub-stack of logs being defined as the space between an initial location of a top surface of a top log of the sub-stack, relative to an initial location of a bottom surface of a lowermost log in the stack of logs, and an initial location of a bottom surface of a bottom log of the sub-stack, relative to the initial location of the bottom surface of the lowermost log in the stack of logs, the horizontal support elements of said log supports being adapted to reside between sub-stacks, said support column adapted to substantially maintain each sub-stack within its initial position range when the logs shrink.