Dimension versus Dimensional
I design structures. I am an engineer. In this day and age we design buildings so that they don’t fail; don’t fall down, and, in a sense, just barely don’t fall down. Seldom do we `overbuild’. And as such, it’s …
Glulam MBF
So, in another post we looked at `board feet’ (BF), or `board foot measure’ (BFM). Now we’ll look at BF for structural glued laminated timber (glulam), and MBF, or MBFM. From the earlier post, amount of lumber is often described …
Board Foot Measure (BFM)
We had a windstorm recently … some big trees down. After cutting up most of the fallen ones on my property (taking a couple weeks), I started in on one of my neighbor’s. One of `em is a big oak. …
weight of wood (posts)
Yesterday I went to the building supply store to get some pressure-treated 4 x 4 posts. (for more fence … gates, etc.!). I’m always amazed by how `wet’, and heavy, pressure-treated posts are, at the store. I pulled them from …
floor (joist) vibration
Other than a project or two where I looked at vibration from machinery, I never worried too much about vibration in floor / floor framing design. Typically, I never had to. Manufacturers of floor joists (e.g., prefabricated wood I-joists) worry …
Bounce on the Movie Set
was called once to a movie set. It was in an old house, out in the country. There was considerable `bounce’ in the upper story floor, and they wondered if it was `safe’ (… to do their filming). I did …
headers without engineers
( … long post …) Consider a conventionally-framed house facing a remodel project. The house is, for the most part, a simple, two-story `box’, with stick-framed roof and interior bearing wall. The interior bearing wall supports both roof and main …
AITC 119 and EEEE
I was doing some reading in AITC 119 Standard Specifications for Structural Glued Laminated Timbers of Hardwood Species, Section 4.1.6 … “ … modulus of elasticity, E, values herein are the average values … The modulus of elasticity of wood …
Code Based Conventional Roof Framing (SST Course)
I recently viewed a Course on the Simpson Strong-Tie Learning website titled `Code Requirements for Conventionally Framed Roofs. Good stuff! Kudos to Randy (`Author’). Per the Course, `Conventional Framed … ‘ means `Prescriptive’ framing, or, framing that does not require …
Code Based Conventional Roof Framing (SST Course) Read more »
Jamming Jack Studs
The nice thing about a stiff beam is that it won’t sag much. The not-so-nice thing is that it won’t `give’. In new construction, wood framing more or less starts from the ground up; wood members are placed on top …