nailing in glulam?
noel
living room. The beam will run into the outside wall at a right angle
like a T and on the other end of the beam it will run into a corner like
_____L. I'm actually going to use deck screws, thought it would be
better than nails, especially on the ___L part where I only have one 2x4
to secure it to. My question is, is there any particular pattern one
needs to use, or an area on the ends of the beam that one shouldn't nail
or screw to? I looked at the Anthony power beam pdf, and it didn't say
or show much about nailing or screwing, just drilling holes.
Thanks
Jack
My name is Jack and I've been a carpenter for 25 years. I treat glulams the same way that I
treat a solid wooden beam. Nail it (or screw it) where it needs it.
Just one concern. You say that you only have one 2x4 to attach the glulam to at the "___L". I'm
not quite sure I have a handle on what you are trying to describe. Are you referring to an
inside corner?
If so, you can run the glulam into the wall for foot or so until you come to the first layout
stud past the corner. This will mean chopping down the corner studs and removing the top plate
where the beam will be. Take an inch and a half off the double top plate and notch the rest of
the beam at the top to fit in under the double top plate. This way, you will have the whole beam
bearing on at least a studs width. Bring the notched end of the beam up to the first layout stud
past the corner and nail thru the stud into the beam end and put a 2x4 trimmer under the beam
right up against the layout stud and nail it to the layout stud and toenail it to the beam. Nail
or screw or fasten with Simpson hardware the beam to the double top plate. Renail the
(carefully) chopped down corner studs to the beam.
That's the condensed version taking no account of whether the wall is a bearing wall or not,
how long the span is, what's going on at the other end, or if you know what you are doing.
Don't read me wrong. You may very well know what you are doing, but I don't know that, so I'm
qualifying what I write.
Could you give a more detailed description of the "___L part" and how you envision connecting
the beam at that end?
Jack
noel
how about a top view
| | | | <----wall with one 2x4 at
its end
| | |___| (load bearing)
| |_______________|___|__________________
| |__ glulam __________|___remaining wall ____
| |
| | <-- exterior wall
2x4 buildup column at each end
Jack
The main thing is to get something UNDER the glulam at each end. Depending in the load, a single
2x4 might not cut it. Simply nailing or screwing the glulam *to the side* of the 2x4 is out of
the question. You may be able to bolt it to the side of a 4x4, but that's getting into the realm
of engineering 101.
Jack
Lazenby
. . . you haven't mentioned uplift in addition to down loads????? And how
is the glue-lam beam being loaded? Bearing points, direction of load or
thrust. Any lateral bracing? Or what connectors you are using for nailing
any of the ingredients.
Beams can be very simple things . . . or extremely complex. We don't know
what your is.
Jim
"noel" <nak...@arkansas.net> wrote in message
news:3D1F90F9...@arkansas.net...
noel
interior wall. The unsupported span is about 13'6", total lenght is
about 14'. It is replacing about 7' of standard wall and 6' of opening.
The opening had no header above it, just 2x4 plates and cripples. This
wall isn't a (normally referred to as) load bearing wall in that it
doesn't support any roof structure. It does, however support some of the
ceiling joists over the living room. Spanning this distance was shorter
than spanning the distance from "load bearing wall" to "load bearing
wall". This house is 60 - 70 years old. A trib area of 7' by 14' is what
this beam will carry. Above the living room and ajoining dinning room is
attic space and with the current slope on the roof there isn't much
space for any room of any size except for a kids room or a hobby room.
Be that as it may, I figured for a second floor load, as well as attic
space/sleeping area. I also figured in the weight of a partion wall.
After figuring all this out, I went to the lumber yard where they
told me that all they stock is the 31/8" by 133/4" size and they would
have to order anything smaller, which wouuld take three to four weeks to
get here. This size is atleast twice to 3 times the load capacity of
what is required. The load, being a floor/ceiling load would be uniform
and there are no point loads. The beam will rest on 2x4 buildup with a 3
1/2" bearing at each end. 3' is required. The beam isn't cantilevered,
so I don't know where any uplift would occure. This beam will run
between two "load bearing walls". One is the south exterior wall and the
second is an interior wall that ends as it meets the living room/dinning
room wall (the part of the wall I'm replacing with the beam).
The column for one end of the beam will secure to the end stud of
this interior wall and be braced by remaining portion of the living
room/dinning room wall that extends from the the beam/old wall towards a
third "load bearing wall". The other end of the beam will fit into the
south exterior "load bearing wall". Be this is not new construction, I
haven't seen any brackets or hangers that would be suitable for this job
(looking at a web site).
My concern was putting in nails or screws or even bolts to secure
the beam. On the south exterior wall, I can run a 2x4 along each side of
the column/beam to secure it with and I can run a bolt through the upper
part of the beam as it is not a critical area, as per Anthony's pdf,
then brace it to the exsisting wall studs. The other end, I can secure
the beam to the end stud of the "load bearing wall" with a lag screw in
the same non critical area on that end. I can also run a 2x4 along the
column where the side of the 2x4 will face the end of the beam and drive
nails through the 2x4 into the end of the beam. This was done on a
garage header the I looked at today. Although, the method employed at
one end was different then at the other end.
My concern was that there was no nailing information on the Anthony
web site for this type of beam. It just had information about drilling
holes, or not drilling holes. What I wanted to know was what the right
way was of securing the beam by means of either nails or screws? What I
saw today "in the field" wasn't what I would call the right way. Maybe
it is. This is why I asked here.
Thanks
Jack
My advice would be to nail it (or screw it) with impunity. Treat it like a solid wood beam. When
I started framing in the union, everyone put five nails from the king stud into the end of the
4x12 headers, two near the top, two near the bottom and one on the center of the beam end, which
pattern, BTW, is called a quincunx. You can throw in more nails of course, but be careful not to
split the grain. Stagger the nails and drive at slightly different angles. Beyond ten is
probably overkill and at some point more nails will start to weaken the connection because they
will start to split the 2x4. Drive a couple of toenails into the beam from the framing member
under it. If you use a 4x4, drive six toenails, two from each of the three exposed sides. I
would recommend stripping the sheetrock or plaster off the ceiling where the beam is to go so
that you haver a solid wood to wood connection. Then nail the ceiling joists to the beam.
But you just asked about how to nail a glulam, and again, nail it like you would a solid beam.
You can't hurt those suckers.
Jack
Lazenby
some #5 specialty nails. That way you can securely fasten any
thing-a-ma-jig to your beam, using the appropriate thing-a-ma-bob, without
danger of splitting either the thing-a-ma-jig, your beam or anything else .
. . and you will be sure you have a proper (even 'engineered') connection.
Compared to what the beam cost you, the thing-a-ma-bobs are a good, cheap
investment.news:3D212FA1...@arkansas.net...
benz...@gmail.com
Read carefully on how gluelam is made before carelessly drilling into it.
Notching, and drilling is to be taken with caution as the weaker members are used in the middle of the member where the force is neutral axis are weaker, and the stronger members are used in the top and bottom where the chords would be on a straight truss.
Consult a structural engineer who specialises in wood.