Partner and Founder, Natural Log Homes, 2002-present
Natural Log Homes has its production facilities in New Zealand, where it uses only FSC Certified sustainably grown and harvested trees for our log homes. US Sales are from River Falls, Wisconsin (715-425-1739 or 651-644-8095). Also see Natural Log Homes.

Inventor, Accelerated Log Building, Inc., 1999-present
US Patents issued: #6,412,241 , #6,564,526 , #7,318,299 , #7,690,162
Canada Patents issued: #2,299,841, #2,582,503

Chief Instructor, Log Home Construction ,1986- present
A list of workshops and schools is below

Author
A partial list of books and articles is below

Editor, Log Building News 1988- 2001, and 2006-present
Newsletter of the International Log Builders Association
PO Box 775, Lumby, British Columbia, V0E 2G0 Canada, phone 250-547-8776

Contributing Editor 1991-1997
Joiner's Quarterly
Fox Maple Press, Steve Chappell, Publisher
West Brownfield, ME 04010

Founder and Owner
Sparwood Log Homes 1983-2002
We built one to four homes each year since 1983. We specialized in unusual joinery styles, extraordinary design, and the highest quality. We have built homes in Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as Russia, Latvia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Consultant and Expert Witness, 1994 to present
References on request. I have provided on-the-job training for many of the best log home companies.

President 1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91, 1992-93, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15
Director 1985 to 1997, 2005 to 2007
International Log Builders Association
PO Box 1641
Montebello, Quebec
phone 819-983-1494
The largest association of professional log home builders and contractors, with members throughout the world.

Chair, Building Codes Committee 1991- present
American and Canadian Log Builders Association, International
Authors of the "Log Building Standards"

ILBA Alternate Delegate, IS-LOG Building Code Committee, 2005-present
International Code Committee (ICC-400)

ILBA Delegate, American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC)
Log inspection standards

Founding Director, 1988-
Rocky Mountain Log Builders Association
PO Box 771253
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477

Member, 1983- present
Great Lakes Logcrafters Association
4301 West Hwy 2
Grand Rapids, MN 55744

Graduate, Mackie School of Log Building, 1983
Prince George, British Columbia
Canada

Classwork towards Ph.D. 1979-1982
Geography
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Master's, ABT 1978-1979
Historical Geography
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6T 1W5

Bachelor of Arts Degree, 1977
Geography Major
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

Log Construction Manual
Published by Deep Stream Press in Sept 2002 and re-printed in 2004 and 2006. Available widely at bookstore and on-line like amazon.com, click here It is the #1 selling log construction book at Amazon and at Schroeder Log Home Supply. Wholesale requests should be directed to Midwest Book Distributors, Amanda Hafics, 877-430-0044

Log Building Construction Manual
Self-published (spiral bound) book on log crafting techniques, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001. Spiral version is now out of print because bound version has been in print since 2002.

"Log Valley Rafters"
Log Building News
Number 30, January 2000, pp. 1-4

"Solving Difficult Problems in Homes with Prows"
Log Building News
Number 22, January 1997, pp. 6-9

"Lessons Learned: Log Selection Rules"
Log Building News
Number 18, August 1995, pp. 10-11

"Log Building in Latvia"
Log Building News
Number 16, October 1994, pp. 1-2

Conference Program Book
1993 International Log Building Conference
Yellowstone National Park

"Old Edge Tools"
Log Building News
Number 12, May 1993, pp. 7-10

"Pilgrimage to Kizhi, Russia"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 23, 1993, pp. 14-18

"Sill Log Options"
Log Building News
Number 10, July 1992, pp. 2-4

"Energy Efficiency of Log Homes"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 21, 1992, pp. 8-12

"Scribe-Fit Log Building, Part 2"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 20, Winter 1992, pp. 28-32

"Log Building, Part 1"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 19, Fall 1991, pp. 8-12

"Selecting the Next Log: A Revolution for Log Building"
Log Building News
Number 6, May 1991, pp. 1-3

"Energy and Log Homes"
Log Building News
Number 4, August 1990, pp. 1-3

"Business Home Truths"
Timber Framers News
Number 15, Feb. 1990, p.3

"Full-Scribe Dovetail Joinery, Part 2"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 14, pp. 26-30
Spring, 1990

"Full-Scribe Dovetail Joinery, Part 1"
Joiners' Quarterly
Number 13, pp. 8-13 Dec., 1989

"Log Building: Business or Lifestyle?"
Log Building News
Number 2, August 1989, pp. .2-3

"Log Building in New Zealand"
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Number 47, June-July 1988, p.100

"Scribe-Fitting a Log House"
Fine Homebuilding
Number 34, August-September 1986, pp. 46-50

This is a partial list only.
Articles about Robert W. Chambers have appeared in Gentleman's Quarterly (GQ), House and Home, Fine Homebuilding, Mother Earth News, Joiner's Quarterly, Lake Superior Magazine, Bob Vila's American Home Magazine, and Wisconsin Trails, as well as numerous newspapers.

More than 30 hands-on workshops and classes taught in the US and Canada, as well as Latvia, Russia, Romania, New Zealand, and Australia. A partial list is below. Workshops I have taught at professional log building conferences are too numerous to list here. I also travel to the building yards of professional builders to provide basic training for new crews, and also expert and specialized training to professional builders in advanced techniques like complex roof systems (log trusses, valley rafters, and more), log selection systems, accelerated log construction methods, advanced notching techniques, and so on. References on request.

Introduction to Log Construction 1 and 2, November, 2007
for the Log Builders Association of New Zealand & Aorkai Polytechnic
at Geraldine, Canterbury
Contact: Graeme Mould
+64-3-693-7468

Accelerated Log Building, April, 2001
for the International Log Builders Association
at Moose Mountain Log Homes, Cochrane, Alberta
Contact: Robert Savignac
800-532-2900

Mitered Log Truss Workshops, August, 2000
Pingree Campus, Colorado State University
Contact: Peter Haney
505 North Grant St.
Fort Collins, Colorado 80521
970-482-1366

Accelerated Log Building, Boulder, CO, July, 2000
Contact: Robert Chambers
421 North Main Street
River Falls, WI 54022

ILBA at Chateau Montebello, March, 2000
Contact: Robert Chambers
421 North Main Street
River Falls, WI 54022

New Zealand School of Log Building February-March, 1999
Contact: Robert Chambers
PO Box 283
River Falls, WI 54022

Pinetop School of Log Building July-August, 1998
Contact: Eric Latocki
PO Box 1647
Whiteriver, Arizona 85941

Rocky Mountain Workshops May and June, 1998
Pingree Campus, Colorado State University
Contact: Peter Haney
505 North Grant St.
Fort Collins, Colorado 80521
970-482-1366

Appalachian Log Homes February to April, 1997
Contact: Tracy Wakefield
PO Box 206
Glenbrook, New South Wales, Australia 2773

Blue Ridge LogCrafters October, 1997
Contact: Tom Bradshaw
PO Box 596
Valle Crucis, North Carolina 28691

Rocky Mountain Workshops May and June, 1997
Pingree Campus, Colorado State University

Rocky Mountain Workshops May, 1996
Pingree Campus, Colorado State University

Rocky Mountain Workshops September, 1995
Pingree Campus, Colorado State University

Dziedrs Log Homes October, 1994
Contact: Karlis Apinis
Bergu Iela 70a
Riga 1056, Latvia

Rocky Mountain Workshops September, 1994
Fort Collins, Colorado

Colorado State University September, 1993
Pingree Campus

Atlantic Challenge Foundation July-August, 1992
Contact: Lance Lee
St. Petersburg, Russia

Wairarapa Summer School January, 1991
Rathkeale College, Masterton, New Zealand
Contacts: Juliet Whetter or Angus McCallum
New Zealand Log Builder's Association
RD 2, Kopauranga, Masterton, New Zealand

Methven Summer School, February, 1991
Methven, Canterbury, New Zealand
Contact: Jackie Hunter
Methven and Mount Hutt Promotion Association

Sinte Gleska Community College, June-July 1990
Contact: Vern Kuper or Leland Bordeaux
PO Box 490
Rosebud Sioux Indian Reserve
Rosebud, South Dakota 57570

New Zealand Log Builders Association
Hanmer Springs, New Zealand January- February 1989
Contact: Jane and Andrew Dixon
Onekaka, RD 2
Takaka, New Zealand

Colorado State University, September 1988
Fort Collins, Pingree Campus

Supervisor, District #4, City of River Falls 1994-1996
Pierce County, Wisconsin
Elected to the County Board

Founder and President, 1993-2000, and 2011-present
The Kinnickinnic River Land Trust
PO Box 87
River Falls, Wisconsin 54022
715-425-5738
A non-profit conservation organization working to protect the water quality and scenic beauty of a watershed.

Founder and President 1995 to 1999
Gathering Waters, Inc.
303 S. Paterson Street
Madison, WI 53703
608-251-9131
The non-profit service center and statewide coalition of Wisconsin conservation land trusts.

Board Member, 1995 to 1999
National Land Trust Council
1319 F Street NW, Suite 501
Washington, DC 20004
Advisory board to the national Land Trust Alliance.

this page posted Spetember 2015