Meddrag is the Norwegian word used to describe the practice of
scribing logs. Scribing means to gauge out the bottom part of
each log so that instead of curving downward in the shape of a
“U”, the bottom of the log instead curves upward in the shape of
an “n”. Unlike their chinked and daubed North American
counterparts, houses of Norway were constructed in the meddrag
method. This eliminated the need for mortar and wood chinking.
Many historians claim the reason meddrag didn’t catch hold
amongst Scandinavian-born immigrants (Fins, Swedes, and
Norwegians all used the scribed technique) was that they didn’t
have the carpentry skills to execute such a detail. Yes, that’s
likely true, but I’d add a further twist. Norwegians had
softwoods to work with, while their northeastern Iowa
counterparts dealt almost exclusively with hardwoods. Unlike
pine, oak is really difficult to shape. In Minnesota and
Wisconsin (roughly corresponding with the geographic
distribution of softwood forests) there exist numerous examples
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