Gary Crays

I have decided to make several "roundwood" post and beam structures, or at least using raw log posts as supports, but I can't figure out how to anchor them to the ground. I live in the mountains of TN and it is very moist here, so I am worried about moisture from concrete or stone seeping up into the logs via concrete piers and I plan on doing a few for porch posts outside. Any suggestions on anchoring?

My ideas were:
1. building a high concrete pier and running at least 3 piece of rebar up through the post a foot or so, but its still sitting on concrete. Maybe putting tar shingles between the concrete and wood? Steel plates between them?
2. Then I saw the 2nd and 3rd pictures below and thought about using knife plates or brackets. I want to do a couple supports that have angles like the 2nd picture, so a bracket of some sort seems necessary, but I know they are incredibly pricey and hard to find. Know where I can find them? And I don't feel like just rebar is strong enough to brace such large posts (12-20" in diameter)
3. My other concern is I have plenty of yellow pines on my property and was going to use those as the beams, but would they be too soft to use as posts, even if I coated them with boat varnish or (god forbid) treat them with nasty stuff? And I didn't know if mixing harder wood for posts and softer wood for beams would work. I might be able to find some Black Locusts, and I know that would solve my problems, but it would be easier to use other wood like Oak, and I would like to eventually be able to show others in my area that we can use local wood. Black locust is getting rather rare here.

Any ideas would be very helpful. I plan on getting Ben Law's book "Roundwood Timber Framing," but from what I have read he doesn't address anchoring in a vey detailed way or concerns of moisture seeping into the posts much.. and I didnt see any info on outside porch supports at all.

I would really like these structures to last a while so anyone with experience working with large wood who has any advice at all would be helpful.

Do you know much about log supports and how to anchor them properly without moisture seeping in like the enclosed photos?

Im new to this site and homesteading in general, so I was told by other homesteaders to get this book. but after looking at their site just now, I can't be spending $30 on a book, even if I need it. If they had a kindle download I would consider buying it. but I just can't justify spending that much money on a paperback nowadays, as it surely will be soiled and destroyed with my current style of living.

I didn't read all the posts but has anyone heard of the P-style? www.thepstyle.com It helps greatly to easily stand up and pee like a man, especially if you wear pants with a zipper. Just insert and go. I am a man, but in the community where I live I see women just pull them out of their pockets wrapped in a cloth or something like that (I think either the website or facebook page might address cleanliness).
It has become such a normal thing in the towns near where I live, no one even notices when a woman goes in the woods. They are very popular, the pstyles. I think about $12 or maybe less. (it is shaped kinda like a shoe-horn)

As for peeing in the garden, an experienced farmer knew that my soil was acidic because I used leaves as compost so he told me to pee directly onto the garden near, but not on, my plants. It is perfect for adding alkalinity to the soil. All the women I know pee in the garden. Also, he suggesting adding eggshells to a gallon jug and peeing in that, and then adding it to the garden after diluting in water (urine being 10-40% of the solution depending on the acidity of your soil). that way you can add it directly to the plants.

If course privacy is not too much of a concern here, as I live in the country and at community gatherings people don't mind seeing a woman pee standing up.. I've really never seen anything I shouldn't anyway when they use the pstyle.

Hope this helps