In 1968, Dick Proenneke (1916-2003) set out to build his cabin in the Alaskan wilderness with only hand powered tools. During July 1967, he harvested spruce logs for his cabin. He returned to Twin Lakes on May the next year to build a small cabin and spend more than 30 years living there.

Because he made his cabin, in a remote area, by himself, and only using hand tools I am curious to know what methods and tools he used.

Here is a fragment of Alone in the Wilderness, the film about his time out there:

He also filmed Alaska, Silence and Solitude, and The Frozen North in addition to Alone in the Wilderness, which shows the process of building his cabin.

These are the tools that Dick brought to build his cabin and test himself:

A) Folding Pocket Knife

B) Woodworking Dividers (2)

C) Plump Bob

D) String Level

E) Mallet (made of spruce in the field)

F) Chalk and Chalk Line, for marking logs for boards

G) Adze, for flattening (hewing) logs

Files, including saw files for sharpening his tools

 

 

 

H) Augers, for building furniture, the saw horse, and door latch (1 ½ inch wide auger and other large auger)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bow Saw

 

 

 

 

I) Carpenter’s Pencil

Combination square (one-foot) 

 

 

 

Carpenter’s Hatchet

 

 

 

 

J) Double Bladed Axe, for everything

 

 

 

 

K) Drawknife, for debarking, flattening and shaping logs and poles

 

 

 

 

L) Flat Socket Chisels he made the handles out of spruce for his various chisels

 

 

 

 

M) Gouge Chisel

 

 

 

 

Hammer, framing claw hammer, for hammering nails and chisels

Thin Bladed Wide Chisel

 

 

 

Short Crosscut saw

 

 

 

 

Large Crosscut saw (36 to 40 inch one man tree saw)

Handsaw (ripsaw) to saw logs into planks  (26” Disston D 8?)

 

 

 

Short Panel Saw, approximately 12 inches long, and with an aluminum handle

Keyhole saw, to saw the elaborate latch and lock for his Dutch door; also likely used to saw the crescent on the outhouse door and wooden spoons.

 

 

 

Folding ruler, used as a wood gauge

Level (24 inch?)

Nails

Tape Measure

 

Oil Stone (honing stone), and perhaps a Lansky puck, used on his axe, hatchet and draw knife

 

 

 

 

Small Block Plane

 

 

 

 

Smoothing Bench Plane (number 4 Stanley?)

 

 

 

 

Splitting Maul

 

 

 

 

Vise Grip Pliers

Wide-bladed small cold chisel, used to tack moss between the cabin logs for insulation

 

 

Other tools seen in Dick Proenneke’s film

Crowbar, for un-boarding boarded up windows after winter.

Paint brush, to apply glue

Round Point Shovel, for gardening and cutting moss for his roof.

Snow Shovel

Bricklaying Trowel, for cementing the fireplace.

Hoe, for mixing mortar for his fireplace

Tin Snips, for cutting airplane fuel cans

Brace, for drilling (didn’t appear in the film, but he probably had one), with various bits.

If you were wondering what tools you need to build a cabin in the woods like Dick Proenneke, now you have a good idea.

 

Tools of Dick Proenneke References

Alone in the Wilderness, kk.org, permies.com, reddit.com, forum.multitool.org, Evenfallstudios.com