Profiled timber with cups. What is better - assembling the timber “in a bowl” OR in a “warm corner”? House made from timber in a bowl according to the project

Question - “Assembling timber into a bowl or into a warm corner - which is better?” — arises not only among customers when analyzing projects wooden houses. Discussions about optimal scheme Cutting the joints of beams for a log house is also carried out among professional builders, but there is no consensus on this matter.

Practice shows that in terms of energy efficiency, both the bowl corner and the warm corner are approximately the same. Their design reduces the risk of blowing, therefore the heat loss of the building at the joints of the walls is reduced. But at the same time, these types of connections have differences in design, and therefore in the complexity of installation. Therefore, you can choose between two technologies only after analyzing all their pros and cons.

Technology for assembling timber into a bowl

When installing a log house in a bowl, the edges of the beams (or logs, if cylindrical blanks are used) protrude outward on both sides. The connection itself is made like this:

  • An indent of 30-50 cm is made from the edge of the part.
  • At the selected distance, symmetrical recesses (cups) are formed, the dimensions of which allow two transverse beams to be tightly joined.
  • Sometimes the recesses are made offset, forming a labyrinth lock - in this case, the tightness of the joint increases and its mobility decreases.

Advantages and disadvantages of the bowl

The main advantages of houses made of timber in a bowl are an attractive appearance and good thermal performance. The protruding ends of the beams look organic, while the place of contact of the parts is not blown through, and also does not release heat. Another advantage is the simple technology: the formation of lock recesses does not take much time, and does not require high qualifications from craftsmen. Due to this, the work goes faster.

Connecting timber into a bowl also has disadvantages:

  • Firstly, due to the protrusions, material consumption increases, which means that more money will be required to purchase them.
  • Secondly, the side projections make it difficult (or impossible) to insulate the house externally. So you'll have to limit yourself internal thermal insulation, which is less effective.
  • Thirdly, the tightness of the corner cut into a bowl directly depends on the accuracy of the fit of the parts and the moisture content of the timber. If damp wood was used during construction, then during the shrinkage process, cracks may form on the locks, through which the rooms will actively lose heat. the main problem The problem is that all the problematic joints are located inside the wall, and it is impossible to caulk them without dismantling the frame.

All these shortcomings can be compensated for by professional house design with correct thermal calculations, as well as the involvement of qualified builders in the assembly of the log house.

Technology for assembling a log house into a warm corner

Warm corner is a technology that is more complex to implement, but at the same time more reliable. When assembling timber using this method, there are no protruding parts - the ends of the parts are in the same plane with the wall. Log houses are laid in approximately the same way (assembling the timber “into the paw”).

To form a lock, a groove is cut out on one beam (in the shape of a rectangle or half-trapezoid), and at the end of the second there is a symmetrical tenon. When assembling the beam, the tenon is inserted into the groove and adjusted as tightly as possible, which completely eliminates blowing. Additional sealing is provided by laying sealing material. Jute or flax fiber is used for compaction.

Semi-trapezoidal locks (“dovetail”) are more reliable - they minimize the horizontal movement of the beams in the log house. Therefore, when forming the corners of wooden houses, they almost completely replaced rectangular configurations that were easier to install.

Pros and cons of a warm corner

Today, assembling timber into a warm corner is considered as the main option for installing wooden log houses. There are two reasons - high design versatility and good thermal insulation:

  • When assembling a lock (especially a semi-trapezoidal “dovetail”), a labyrinthine joint is formed that is not blown even with strong wind. The configuration of the joint helps to retain the seal, which does not move even when the beams shrink and move.
  • Locking connections securely fix the parts, preventing them from moving in the longitudinal plane. This also allows you to compensate for deformations when the wood dries.
  • The high strength of the connections eliminates the need for additional mechanical fasteners using metal parts. Thus, zones with high thermal conductivity – “cold bridges” – do not form at the corners of the building.
  • The shape of the log house itself is also different: the absence of protruding ends facilitates further work on the outer cladding with heat-insulating materials and subsequent decorative finishing.

The main disadvantage of assembling a warm corner is the high complexity of installation. Forming tongue-and-groove locks requires high precision and takes a lot of time. At the same time, it is important to strictly control the quality of the timber that is taken into work, otherwise cracks may appear at the bases of the tenons (the narrowest places), which greatly reduce the strength of the structure as a whole.

Which option is better when building a log house?

It’s impossible to say unequivocally which assembly technology – a warm corner or a bowl – is better. With qualified installation, they will have approximately parity in terms of thermal performance indicators: both options have low thermal conductivity and are not blown through.

Therefore, the microclimate in the house, if at all, depends on the choice of timber assembly method, but not too much.

But there are other aspects:

  • When installing a bowl, the cost of purchasing material increases due to the formation of a protruding part on each beam. The cost increase is not too large, but on a large-scale project it can be noticeable.
  • A house or cottage assembled in a warm corner is more economical in terms of materials. But the construction itself will take longer, and a more qualified team of builders will need to be involved in the work (with a corresponding difference in wages).
  • It is also worth considering whether your own thermal insulation of a timber frame is enough for you. If the thickness of the walls is insufficient to retain heat in the house, you should choose a warm corner. This way you can install external insulation - either immediately at the construction stage, or later, if it seems to you that the effectiveness of thermal insulation is insufficient.

When choosing a method for assembling a log house between a bowl and a warm corner, you need to take into account appearance the buildings. The option with protruding parts of the beams is closer to the classic log house, while the design with even plane joints looks more modern. But in any case, the final result - both externally, attacks and in terms of operational performance - will depend on the quality of the design and assembly of the structure.

It is easier to install a log house made of profiled timber from a ready-made kit with sawn cups. The cups are cut according to the design of the house or bathhouse. You can find ready-made kits for sale or order bowls to be filed from specialists for your project. You can cut out the cups yourself, but their design will be simple. For slicing, a special tool is used - a “cup cutter”. The better profiled timber with cups from the manufacturer, design various types sawing and features of making it yourself in one article.

Based on their shape, cups on a beam are divided into simple ones, which can be made with your own hands, and complex ones with a special labyrinth. Complex ones can be made using a cup cutter, as they have a lock to save heat. The thermal lock makes the connection as airtight as possible and the joints of the timber not only look aesthetically pleasing, but are also inaccessible to the penetration of wind and cold. According to the shape of the connection between the profiled timber and the cups, the connections are divided into:

  1. In the “region”.
  2. In the “cup”.
  3. "Dovetail".

The first two compounds are with the remainder, the third is without. Connecting the corners of the house with the remainder has a number of advantages:

  1. The corners are warmer.
  2. Aesthetics of the facade.

The disadvantages include:

  1. Material consumption increases.
  2. It is difficult to perform additional insulation of corner joints.

Beams with sawn cups are suitable for joining with the rest - “in the oblo”. This is precisely what our readers are encouraged to consider.

What are the pros and cons of a warm corner?

The connection of the corners of a house made of profiled timber with the remainder is called a “warm corner”. It was formed due to the locking connection, which reliably protects the corners from freezing. Cupping is not always the most effective. Since the profiled material natural humidity It shrinks a lot and dries out; a void appears between the beams, which cannot be further caulked. You can avoid problems by using profiled, chamber-drying or glued material. It is important to know a number of features before choosing hand-cut or factory-made cups:

  1. Bowls filed on machines can only have certain sizes, since the settings are not unlimited.
  2. The manual filing method cannot be ideal, since there is always an error during operation.
  3. An experienced craftsman can make bowls no worse than any factory ones.
  4. When sawing at factories, you still have to adjust the corner joints, since the timber can dry out or, on the contrary, gain moisture.
  5. Factory cutting is carried out with a margin of 1-1.5 cm; during manual cutting, you can adjust and fold the beam hermetically (in tension).

The main difference between mechanical cutting and manual cutting is the complexity of the thermal lock. It is almost impossible to do a complex one manually. But the factory one is also not always of high quality and ideal. The cut of the cup depends on the quality of the machine and the cup cutter. You can even use a cup cutter on a construction site, since the machines come in massive stationary and small mobile ones. The choice of machine and attachment determines the shape of the cup, the depth and angle of the cut. Corner cutting is necessary for easier installation of the corner.

How does a cup cutter work?

To cut bowls using a stationary method, powerful electric milling machines are used: Intercom FM-62/220E, AEG 2050, Makita 3612C, Felisatti RF62/2200VE and others. Plates with cutters for cutting are located in the design of the machine. The edge of the cutters is sharp and the cut occurs when rotating. When rotating, the cutters receive a large load, so the plates are inclined to reduce it. The plates can be removed and put back in place, secured with a special screw. Cutters for cutting bowls are mounted on a special frame that is movable and adjusts the length and width of the bowl.

By rising and falling the cutter makes it possible to drill the required depth. The complexity of the lock depends on the machine model and the installed cutter. The mobile milling machine is installed directly on the profiled beam in the place where the bowl was cut and secured with cleats. During operation, the frame moves across the beam, which makes it possible to work with timber of any cross-section. In this case, the groove is obtained of the required dimensions according to the given diagram. The main thing is not only to install the cup saw correctly, but also to calculate the location of the cut. You can see more details on how to use a cup cutter in the video:

Where is the bowl washed down on a beam?

Corner connections in different sections of timber are made differently. It is necessary to calculate the place of the cup so that the material does not become brittle and crack when laying the walls of the house in the corners. The cut can be calculated using the standard formula: H = (B + c): 4 (H is the thickness of the groove of the profiled material, B is the height of the selected beam, c is the height of the existing groove or tenon on the profile. For example, take a profiled beam with a simple lock connection 10 mm, section 200x200 mm. We insert the values ​​into the formula: (200+10):4=52.5 mm. This will be the size of the cut depth. Cups are cut on a profiled beam using a cup cutter according to the following scheme:

  1. The middle of the cut is marked and an incision is made along the borders to a depth of 10 - 20 mm.
  2. The cutter is lowered onto the cut grooves and work begins to the previously calculated depth.

Judging by customer reviews, ready-made factory cups do not always fit in size when assembled and they still have to be modified. To simplify the work, you can buy a manual cup cutter. The price of the machine starts from 35,000 rubles, but by purchasing timber without cups you can save money. Use a manual cup cutter directly while assembling a house or bathhouse from profiled timber. The saw can be measured on the spot and adjusted to the desired shape.

In this case, the connection in the warm corner is more airtight. If the production of profiled timber is small, then purchasing such a hand tool will be more profitable. Moreover, the work can be performed to the same quality as on a powerful milling machine. Depending on the type of frieze chosen, you can make different cuts for the cup. The number of cutters depends on the brand of cup cutter and its power. The more fezes included in the package and the higher the power of the equipment, the higher the price of the cup cutter.

Types of cutters and corner joints they make

The chosen shape of the cutter results in a different angular connection of the profiled beam:

  1. Four-sided bowl. The connection is made on a profiled beam with one rounded side - block house or with flat ones. Reminiscent of a four-way joint in a corner laying logs with the remainder. A cylindrical end mill is used to make the joint. The side parts of the bowl are obtained according to a template, which is secured to the material with cleats. The cuts are straight at the top and bottom. The timber fits evenly into each other.
  2. T-bowl. This angle is called “dovetail”. The cutter has a special shape with a notch. Machines on which similar cutters are included: Brussivit, Euroblock, Craze, Blook. The bowl is made in two steps; more details can be seen in the photo.

Price for drank cups

The price for sawing bowls in a profiled beam depends on the complexity of the structure, the cross-section and type of timber, and the complexity of the house structure. You can buy profiled timber with cups as a ready-made set in any major construction company, which produces the material. IN major cities the price differs little, we calculated the average and present it in the form of a table:

You should not expect that by ordering bowl cutting from a construction company you will get impeccable material. The human factor has not been canceled. The only thing worth paying extra for is the complex shape of the bowl for a warmer corner connection.

- this is a log house with releases, when the logs extend beyond the log house box by 30-50 cm. The place where the logs meet in the log house is called a “lock”, where they are fastened together by cutting in the log, made in a special way. The castle was cut out in the form of a semicircle, according to the shape and size of the log that will fit into this groove, reminiscent in configuration of a drinking vessel, therefore, in the everyday life of carpenters, such a corner connection has been called “into a bowl” since time immemorial.

A log house without outlets is a log house where the corners of the house are smooth, without protrusions beyond the contour of the building and have a special shape in the form of a trapezoid or dovetail. The carpenter's term “corner of a log house into a paw” also goes back deep into antiquity, when Russian architects cut down huts, wooden estates and towers with only one ax, erecting real works of wooden architecture.


The timber castle has nothing in common with a real bowl; it has straight shapes, because the beam itself has the correct geometric shape, in contrast to a semicircular log. Houses made from timber in a bowl are manufactured in production, so-called. “constructors” and manual, when a team of experienced carpenters at the construction site erects a frame house from timber and manually makes a cut into a bowl in each timber.

A log house made of timber “in a warm corner” is built “without a trace”, when the lock on the corners is cut out using a method called “half-dovetail” in carpenter’s terminology.

2. Profiled timber with cups manufactured in production


Mechanical sawing of the bowl has its pros and cons.

In production, a lock “with remainder” is made on a special milling machine. The design of the machine contains plates with cutters, which have sharp edges and rotate to cut out recesses in the wood of the desired shape and configuration. The cutters are removable, after sharpening they are returned to their place. The plates are mounted in a special movable frame, which adjusts the length and width of the bowl lock being manufactured. The milling plates are raised and lowered to create the required depth of cut in the timber. The level of complexity of the lock, which can be made mechanically in production, depends on the model of the machine and the milling plates.


The main advantage of the production of profiled timber with cups is its speed. Mechanical work of special milling machine allows us to produce the maximum amount of finished timber building materials in the shortest possible time.

Theoretically, the manufacture of a profiled cup lock on a machine should occur with maximum precision, but in fact, this is not always the case. Building materials do not always turn out flawless; sometimes they have to be “finished” on site manually.

The most complex bowl configuration is considered to be a “labyrinth lock” connection, when the cups sawn from all sides are offset on both sides. With this arrangement of the lock in the beam, it is considered impossible for air to penetrate from the outside.

When making a “labyrinth lock” on a milling lock, sometimes inaccuracies occur; gaps in the mechanical method of manufacturing this complex type of lock can be up to 1-1.5 cm, which does not happen with experienced carpenters who make this type of lock by hand.

3. Profiled timber with hand-made cups

Individual work with a log house made of profiled timber with a cup, when carpenters manually build a specific object, can be compared to the work of a fashion designer. Making profiled timber with a cup industrially can be equated to “ready-to-wear” work, i.e. mass produced consumer goods.

When assembling a house from profiled timber into a cup from a production set, most often semi-skilled carpenters who do not have complex manual skills work.

Many manufacturers do not undertake to make log houses with it because of the complexity of making bay corner joints on a machine and offer their customers a frame view of this architectural element in a wooden house.

Experienced carpenters can hand-cut a bay window from timber with a special corner joint in it.


The Chukhlomskaya Usadba company builds designer houses with profiled timber in a cup. But our special pride is the carpenters, the descendants of the architects who built in Rus' in the centuries before last. Our carpenters know the secrets of their craft, which were passed on to them from generation to generation by their great-grandfathers, grandfathers and fathers. They know how to build not only houses from profiled timber with cups, but also cut log houses from solid logs, which is considered the highest qualification of a carpenter.

Therefore, if you want to build a house from profiled timber with cups, contact the company "Chukhloma estate", we will build you a house, either from a designer or from a hand-built “haute couture” according to an individual project.

Projects of houses made of profiled timber with cups:


8x11 m 1 515 000 rub.

12x8 m 1 776 000 rub.

10x11.5 m 1 700 000 rub.

8x10 m 1 368 000 rub.

Profiled timber is becoming increasingly popular. The configuration of its profile protects the walls from deformation during the drying process and reduces construction time. In order to minimize the influence of the human factor during the assembly process, they use a ready-made constructor for a high-quality house - profiled timber with cups.

For designed buildings, cutting cups in timber is an important stage at which a castle structure with a windproof labyrinth is created. There are one-, two- and four-sided keyways. To build a house, 2 technologies are used: assembly of a ready-made kit - involves factory production of cups and cutting of cups directly at the site of construction of the house.

Factory production

The cutting of cups is carried out for the production of sets of finished buildings: houses, bathhouses, gazebos. The set, which is obtained as a result of processing and cutting the timber strictly according to the developed project, is assembled on site quite quickly.

This is due to the high precision of woodworking equipment and developed drawings. After assembly, you get a house with perfectly straight and warm walls, which are not blown through and do not require additional finishing.

GOST 30974-2002 provides for a maximum deviation in the size of milled timber of no more than 1.5 mm in width. Get this kind of accuracy without using automatic equipment difficult. The operation of cutting four cups takes about 1 minute.

Additional cutting processing - milling - increases cost finished products. On average this is about 2500 rubles. per cubic meter m. Therefore, some owners, trying to save money, plan to cut the cups on the spot.

Cutting bowls during house assembly

The industry offers manual mobile machines for cutting cups. Such designs can be used in small production facilities. Chainsaws are also widely used.

It takes 8...10 minutes to cut the bowls. As a result, assembling a house from profiled timber without cut cups requires several times more time than when using ready-made kits.

Quality assembled structure depends entirely on the qualifications of the craftsmen. This is precisely the factor that is offset by the purchase of finished products that do not require significant adjustment operations.

Cost of cutting cups

For the price finished products The moisture content of the material and its type (solid timber or laminated veneer lumber) are affected. It is also worth noting that chamber-drying products are more expensive than profiled timber with natural moisture. But dry material has two advantages: the formation of fewer cracks and the ability to construct the finishing of the house within one season.

The price for cutting bowls on glued material with a moisture content of less than 15% is 3000...4000 rubles. per cubic meter m. The data for the timber array is given in the table.

In conclusion of the article

The use of profiled timber with ready-made cups allows you to speed up construction processes and guarantee high quality results. But for these benefits you need to pay an additional price: about 2500 rubles. per cubic meter m. Otherwise - when cutting cups on site - the result depends entirely on the qualifications of the builders.

Our customers, before making a final choice of project or concluding a contract, often ask the question: “Which cutting method is better: in a warm corner or into the bowl for a house made of timber?

We immediately answer that both methods of cutting corners are windproof from the outside. The quality of the house, its reliability and ability to retain heat are not affected by the types of cutting: a house made of timber, whether in a bowl or in a warm corner, will equally warm you in winter.

Of course, provided that the cutting is carried out by professional carpenters, subject to all the rules for assembling a log house from timber.

Carpenters from the company "Chukhloma estate" have the necessary qualities and skill to cut a house from timber with locks into a bowl or into a warm corner, as needed. Therefore, we do not face the problem of the method of cutting the log house - the choice is up to the customer.

The difference between locks in a warm corner and in a bowl lies in the external design and shape of the castle itself, in the price of a log frame in a bowl and in a warm corner.

Let's look at what a bowl corner is, a warm corner, so that you can decide which cutting method to choose and make your choice.

1.Angle into the bowl

The method of cutting corners or “with removal” is the most expensive method of cutting. This is due, first of all, to the additional consumption of timber during the construction of a house.

The corners in the bowl are the protrusions of the rows protruding 30-50 cm beyond the main contour of the log house; they intersect with each other in the castle unit and continue in the form of extensions.


Making corners into a bowl has been used since ancient times, when cutting. Carpenters used an ax to cut grooves in the log in the form of a semicircle, in the shape of the log, so that the logs of the log house, when laid in rows, were fastened together in locks, crossing each other.

The shape of a castle in a log with releases in the form of a semicircle reminded ancient carpenters of the shape of a cup, which is why the name of a castle in a log house on the corners came into use - "into the bowl" or "with releases", "with takeaways", "with remainder".


Locks with releases in a log house made of timber have nothing to do with the bowl-shaped shape, because they are made not to fit a round log, but to fit a square-cut beam, but according to tradition they are called “in a bowl.”

The timber “bowl” has a different lock configuration at the corners, this is the so-called. "labyrinth castle". The labyrinth lock has an offset on both sides, which ensures the stability of the frame due to these special offsets. The labyrinth lock also ensures complete tightness of the timber at the corners, which prevents air from entering from the outside.

Construction of a house from timber according to a design in a bowl, filling the corners into the bowl:

2. Castle of a log house made of timber in a warm corner

A log house castle made of timber without releases is called "to a warm corner". This method of cutting corners is also called "without a trace". In appearance, it is similar to a castle in a log house made of hand-cut logs, because it does not have outlets in the crowns beyond the walls.

A house made of timber is cheaper because it uses less building material.

Making a lock in a warm corner follows the principle "dovetail". A tenon in the form of a half-trapezoid is cut out at one end of the beam, and a groove for the half-trapezoid is cut out at the other. The rows of timber with sawn ends fit tightly together in the corners, thanks to the tongue-and-groove system. And this is done on all four sides of the log house, from the first to the last crown.


The dovetail for a warm corner is made using a single template, which carpenters always have at hand. Such complex closure at the corners and “stitching” of the timber in the rows ensures the stability and strength of the entire log house.

A high-quality warm corner ensures complete closure of the timber in the locks and eliminates the blowing of cold drafts from the street.

Carpenters from the “Chukhloma estate” are building a house from timber for two families according to the project, the video shows how they drill holes for wooden dowels, make grooves in the wall “into a groove” and saw out a lock into a warm corner in the timber, making tenons and grooves for closing:

3.Which is better: a warm corner or a bowl?


Both types of locks in a log house are reliable, retain heat well from the inside and do not let the cold in from the outside, thanks to their complex configuration: a “labyrinth lock” in a bowl and a “dovetail” lock in a warm coal.

The frame in a bowl with outriggers looks more prominent. It looks emphatically stylish, in the traditions of making log houses, when wooden houses they chopped with the help of one ax.

A log frame into a bowl does not imply additional cladding of the walls on the outside, because... the stems on the corners will interfere with this. Bowls on the corners are a sign that the house is made of wood.

But for corner extensions there is an additional consumption of timber, approximately one meter for each beam, so a house made from timber into a bowl is more expensive.


For a house made of timber in a warm corner, no additional building material is spent for the sake of “beauty”, so its production is cheaper.

A log house with a warm angle is even at the corners on all sides, so it can be sheathed on the outside if necessary.

Thus, which timber house suits you best, make the choice yourself: with bowls decorating the log house, but more expensive, or with a warm corner - cheaper and allowing wall cladding.

Both methods of cutting corners are reliable and time-tested, which shows that in terms of quality characteristics one is not inferior to the other.

4.Construction of houses from timber in a bowl and in a warm corner, examples with photos and videos:

House made from timber in a bowl according to the project


House made of 8x12 timber in a bowl according to the project


Start of construction of a house from timber into a bowl according to the Patriarch project for shrinkage

Continuation of the construction of a house from timber into a bowl according to the Patriarch project

Construction of gables and a roof on a house made of timber in a bowl according to the Patriarch project

Roofing installation and completion

Interior decoration after shrinkage next year

Finishing a house from timber into a turnkey bowl after shrinkage

A house made of timber in a warm corner 12.5x12.6 for two families according to a project for two families


House made of timber in a warm corner according to the project

Start of construction of a house made of timber in a warm corner according to the Lesnye Prudy project for shrinkage