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[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

> My logger Uncles
> always preferred to cut in the fall, less sap.

That's what I am thinking. Wait till the temp is cool to avoid the sap, 
ticks and sweat. Lay the logs out on some cross logs and let em dry a bit. 
I remember one winter when I had a bunch of six-inch pines fall over from a 
wet, heavy snow load. They were on a steep side hill and when they fell, 
the branches held the main stalk off the ground. Two years later you could 
pull the bark off with your hands.

A factor is how you want the logs to look. Some like the hewn look, so the 
drawknife makes marks they prefer. I like the smooth, natural waves of the 
wood, with the knots protruding a bit. So I will attempt to let Momma 
Nature do the peeling for me on the next project, which is the woodshop 
with apartment above. I want the pine logs for the ceiling in the shop and 
to hold up the floor of the living space above. Will cut one side flat for 
laying the floor, notch the bearing surfaces. The logs/beams will be about 
twenty-six feet long.