Putting the big beam up in the shop

[Brmorgan]

I was feeling extra ambitious today, so I decided to work alone at getting the big 8"X12"X24' beam installed in the shop. I blame the extra large cup of coffee I made this morning.

Here's what I had to start with:

Ugh, what a mess! Hence the need for this project so I can organize a bunch of the less-used stuff out of the way. A lot of this stuff was collected and thrown in here over the winter and I don't really have anyplace else for it right now, so it's a matter of getting things organized. A lot of it was there when I bought the place too. That old canoe was given to me by my uncle before he died of cancer a couple years ago. It's a wide-cedar-strip canvas canoe and was going to be his next project before he took sick. I have everything I need to finish it except time and know-how but I have a couple books and the internet, so I think I can get it done.

The beam will be going up between the two posts at the back quarter of the shop - the one on the right is directly off the tip of the canoe in the previous photo. So, time to get busy moving crap out of the way so I have some room to work. I hate this part of any job.

I decided to just install some short support posts right up beside the main structural posts and set the beam on top of those. I just happened to have two old 6"X8" timbers that came out of the basement of my brother's place:

I found that trailer at the dump a couple weeks ago sans wheels. I then found those wheels and tires a few days later at another one. The bonus is that they're SOLID RUBBER tires, so I should be able to put a pretty immense load on them without having to worry about them calving. It's a nice little trailer though - narrow and perfect for going down the trails. The "box" part even tilts. I'm going to lengthen the tongue a foot or two, give the deck a few inches' lift up from the axle (but not too much) and cut the high parts off so it's more of a flat deck by default. That way I can add stake pockets and have different bunks for carrying logs or lumber, or sides to make it a box trailer, or whatever. I've also considered installing a little 4' crane on the tongue to help me load smaller logs etc., and having a tilt deck should make this a lot easier. I'm talking MAYBE 16" diameter and 10' long. I'd need some sort of an outrigger or support under the crane, but I think I have everything I'd need to build one including a spare little one-ton Chinese winch.

Given that my shop is not built on a concrete slab, it's not exactly the most level and square of structures. At least not to look at! So, I've been mulling over how I could possibly find level for the tops of two posts that are 24' apart. I do have a cheapo laser level but it won't do this. My old chainsaw parts friend told me to use a garden hose full of water - damn if those old timers don't have a trick for everything! This is what I was going to do, until I remembered I had these to work with:

I presume these brackets have something to do with having a concrete floor poured in at some future point? At any rate, there is one on each main post in the building. So, I pulled some heavy twine VERY tightly between the two on the posts in question...

...and shimmed two blocks until they JUST touched the twine, so I could put my 6' level across them.

Not bad at all! That's pretty much margin of error on my block-shimming skillz. Looks like I can more or less use the brackets as my base point on both posts. This makes it easier for both measuring and installation.

 

[Brmorgan]

more pics

Cut the posts to length with the 660 & LP milling chain:

I also had to cut a slot in the base to accommodate the diagonal brace plate, along with a widening at the top to accommodate the nut and bolt that secure the bracket to the post:

The LP semi-chisel milling chain does really well for work like this. It cuts nice and smooth, isn't too grabby, and doesn't want to creep sideways nearly as much as chisel chain.

I pre-drilled three holes in each post to secure them to the main uprights with 8" X 1/2" lag bolts. Don't worry, I will be adding some additional plate brackets for added stability, but these will do for now while there's no load on the beam.

Post #1 is up and plumb! The posts are 7'4" high, which after the 12" beam gives just over 6' of headroom on the new upper level. Not quite as much as I'd like down below once the joists are in, but I can live with it.

I put a couple pipes up in the trusses right tight near the wall to hoist the beam ends from:

 

[Brmorgan]

More again

Now that the posts are up, it's time to get the beam drug into the shop and ready to hoist:

I jacked it up with the 2-ton floor jack one end at a time and slid the trailers underneath.

The quad pulled it in no problem. Getting the trailer unhooked and out of the way was easy; getting the quad back and out was a different story. I got 'er done though.

I drove a 1/2" eye bolt in each end of the beam to hoist it from. I hung a block & tackle from the pipe in the trusses and ran the a cable through it from the beam back down to the winch cable on the quad. I apologize for the dim light in the photo. My camera's onboard flash was a little underpowered for the size of the subject.

The winch lifted the beam without any difficulty - AFTER I added a couple hundred pounds of ballast to the front rack of the quad. Shortly after this photo, I ran out of winch cable and had to re-rig to lift it higher.

After the last photo, my neighbor popped over to see how I was making out. I didn't have much time left to spend on it though, so we didn't make it an awful lot further:

I decided to lift the midpoint it on the engine hoist beam that the previous owners installed. This way, I'll lift beam up until it'll clear the, er, debris piled up along the side of the shop. Once it's raised, I'll tighten the line on the end while loosening the one on the midpoint, which should allow it to pivot fairly horizontally. Once it's up, I can let each end down onto the posts.

More to come on Sunday hopefully.

 

[Andrew96]

Nice job working alone. I thought I was the only one who gets stuck spending twice as long doing projects alone. Many good ideas. I like the quad winch addition. Didn't see that coming.

 

[bobt]

Hi Brad,

Nice work there soo far! Half of the fun on projects like yours when working alone is figuring out how to do it! Make mechanical advantage work for you. Don't forget that a lot of work has been done with a simple five foot steel bar with a sharp point on one end and a bent pry on the other. Haha!

Bob

 

[Ted J]

It's looking good Brad. I'm ususally working alone in most of my projects, so I can relate.

Even though you don't have a concrete floor you could have measured down from the trusses to find your level after you check the level of the trusses.

Keep us updated please.

Ted

 

[Brmorgan]

Got 'er done today!

My neighbor came over this afternoon and we finished installing the beam:

Now the real work of milling and installing the joists and then organizing/moving everything around begins! I don't know where to start on the latter, everything's such a mess now after all this. It'll get there though.

I know the beam looks terribly off-level. In fact it's the back-right corner of the building that's high; whether it was built that way or the frost has heaved it up, I don't know. My 6' level's bubble is just a bit under 1/16" off; I can live with that. It was funny, I was up on the ladder while my neighbor dropped the beam into place with the two winches. He goes, "Errmmm..... Was that supposed to be level?" Made me question myself for a bit, but upon re-checking it, it's all good.

 

[Kicker_92]

Nice job! How deep is the storage area that the beam is supporting, and will you be putting a post in the middle?

If your planning any significant weight up there with no center post, you might want to ask an engineer to run the rough calcs for you. Even though that's a big beam, 24ft is a long span for only 12" depth in that type of loading.

 

[Brmorgan]

Nice job! How deep is the storage area that the beam is supporting, and will you be putting a post in the middle?

If your planning any significant weight up there with no center post, you might want to ask an engineer to run the rough calcs for you. Even though that's a big beam, 24ft is a long span for only 12" depth in that type of loading.

No post for now; it won't be holding that much, just boxes and stuff I want to store out of the way. I don't feel like lugging anything terribly heavy up there!

It's about 10-12 feet deep by 24' wide (from tin to tin; 23' between posts). With some shelving up there I should have some decent storage room.

I'll have to build a railing, too, I guess.

 

[Hddnis]

Nice work! I love big timber and beam type construction. It just has a very solid feel and look.



Mr. HE

 

[820wards]

I was feeling extra ambitious today, so I decided to work alone at getting the big 8"X12"X24' beam installed in the shop. I blame the extra large cup of coffee I made this morning.

Here's what I had to start with:

Ugh, what a mess!



Brad,

I love to see guys with shop projects. I know the feeling... I just spent a couple of days getting my wood shop in order so I can start building my router table-cabinet. That shop is going to be real strong with that beam. I wish my shop was that tall. Should have, could have, didn't....

Nice Job!

Here is a shot of my shop. The lady is a carved Redwood railroad tie that was done about 70yrs. ago by my Dad's neighbor. I thought it would be cool for the shop. It still has a couple of railroad spikes in the wood.

jerry-

 

[RPM]

Brad ... I see lots of storage ... lumber...saw parts...mill parts ....:greenchainsaw:

 

[Brmorgan]

Brad ... I see lots of storage ... lumber...saw parts...mill parts ....:greenchainsaw:

Nah, that doesn't sound like me at all, does it?


Jerry, please take and post some pics of that router table project - that's something I plan on building once I get MY shop organized a bit better. I'm considering building it into a table saw extension wing.

Is that a Ridgid jointer you have? It looks the same as my Ridgid 6", but mine is all orange, not gray. It's a pretty decent machine for what I paid, but I've been having a bit of a problem with it wanting to cut slightly concave recently. I've spent probably 8 hours with the manual, fiddling with the tables and re-setting the knives, but it's still not perfect.

 

[jimdad07]

It's looking good Brad. Way to use your noggin!

 

[820wards]

Nah, that doesn't sound like me at all, does it?


Jerry, please take and post some pics of that router table project - that's something I plan on building once I get MY shop organized a bit better. I'm considering building it into a table saw extension wing.


Brad,

I just started cutting out the pieces for the router table today. I got the plans from WOOD Magazine. I'm building it for two reasons. One is for when I build a larger sewing table for my wife's sewing/quilting room, and the second for me to start making pistol grips and fore-pieces for my TC's and Encore pistols. I have a friend who sent me a CD describing in detail how to use a router table to make these pieces. I'll take some pictures of it when I get it finished. I'm going to try using some Elm I milled for some trim pieces if possible. If you like it, I'll send you my plans. The router table top will be 32" x 48". It will also double as a small assembly table for the wood shop.

Is that a Ridgid jointer you have? It looks the same as my Ridgid 6", but mine is all orange, not gray. It's a pretty decent machine for what I paid, but I've been having a bit of a problem with it wanting to cut slightly concave recently. I've spent probably 8 hours with the manual, fiddling with the tables and re-setting the knives, but it's still not perfect.

You won't believe how I got the 6-1/8" jointer and a 6" belt - 10" disk sander. It came from a foreclosure here in CA where a bunch of young guys were renting this house. Long story short, owner lost house, guys who had tools had to move out quick and left tools. Jerry gets a call to come pick the stuff up because it's on it''s way to the dumps if I don't.

I don't think the jointer was ever used much because it still had the original blades in it and they are still very sharp. The table had a nice coat of rust so I spent about 4 hours cleaning it up and adjusting. It does a great job. Also cleaned up the sander station, installed new belt/disk, replaced some rusted bolts and it works great now. As for adjusting the jointer, I set the blades at .002" above the left table and it seems to be just right.

If your blades are cutting concave surfaces it's probably because the blades are worn. On my 4" I always tried to use the blades out at the end so I would dull them evenly across. I suggest you try a new set of blades. To set my blades level I use a piece of glass on the left table set at zero with a magnet from an old microwave tube on top of the glass to hold it on the table and second magnet right over the blade. It will hold the blades perfectly even with the table surface. Then you can tighten the blades and leave the left table set at zero or as I do. -.002" below blade level.

Hope this helps
jerry-

 

[Brmorgan]

Wow, I thought I got a good deal on mine with $150 off when it was on sale.

Good point about the knives. I've never swapped them out because they still seem to cut fine (other than one tiny nick), but they have been used quite a bit and could be ready to visit the grinder. I did buy a spare set a couple years ago, so they're still sitting on a shelf somewhere downstairs. Might be time to pull 'em out.


To set my knives/saws/etc. I have a magnetic base with a dial indicator on a double-articulating arm. I can get it into pretty much any spot and the magnet holds it solid as a rock. For a straightedge, I have a 12" piece of planer knife steel from work, which has had the cutting edge completely machined off perfectly parallel with the back edge. It's very handy and is perfectly flat and straight, at least as much as I can measure with anything I have here.

 

[820wards]

Wow, I thought I got a good deal on mine with $150 off when it was on sale.

Yea, it was pretty sweet deal.

To set my knives/saws/etc. I have a magnetic base with a dial indicator on a double-articulating arm. I can get it into pretty much any spot and the magnet holds it solid as a rock. For a straightedge, I have a 12" piece of planer knife steel from work, which has had the cutting edge completely machined off perfectly parallel with the back edge. It's very handy and is perfectly flat and straight, at least as much as I can measure with anything I have here.

I have one of those to, but never tired it. This old neighbor where I lived before worked in a shop where he maintained a bunch of equipment. He said he did it the way I explained using the glass because it was quick and because he could see what he was doing better through the glass.

Maybe putting on the new blades will solve the problem.

Going to hit the hay, want to finish cutting all the parts for the router table tomorrow with fresh eyes.

jerry-

 

[Kicker_92]

No post for now; it won't be holding that much, just boxes and stuff I want to store out of the way. I don't feel like lugging anything terribly heavy up there!

It's surprising how much weight even light storage adds up to though. A typical attic load for light storage loads is 10psf live + 15psf dead load. That beam is carrying over 3600lbs, and thats not even counting the beam itself.

Once you have the floor and stuff finished up there, run a string line and check how much the beam is sagging in the center. For that span, if you find it's more than around 3/4" sag, I'd suggest putting in a center post.

 

[Brmorgan]

I think I'd tie it straight into the trusses before I buggered up the floorplan with a post. The entire weight of the beam was hung from two trusses at one point during installation and they didn't even creak - so they should be able to support at least a bit of the weight long-term.

 

[huskyhank]

A knee under each end would cut the span a good bit and not be in the way too much.