Tips on joining bearers?

[Downramp]

Hi guys

Great resource you've got here. I'm building the foundations of a hut at the moment and am struggling to find a robust way to join my bearers over the stumps.

The stumps I'm using are 90x90mm treated pine, with 190x45mm bearers sitting directly on top. Butt joints look like the simplest way to go, but I'm leery about only having 45mm of contact on each bearer. Wouldn't mind notching the posts and bolting the bearers on, but they're in the ground now. :doh:

Any suggestions?

[rat52]

A half lap joint would be best with a nail plate both sides.

I can't do diagrams on this (yet) so I can only describe it as a L on it's side.

[OBBob]

I agree with the Rat but in addition you'll find that even very large beams normally only have a spec of about 30mm bearing, so you should be fine. That said if it was mine I'd probably over engineer it and laminate another 190 x 45 over the joint.

[MrFixIt]

Hi guys

Great resource you've got here. I'm building the foundations of a hut at the moment and am struggling to find a robust way to join my bearers over the stumps.
Any suggestions?
Providing there is sufficient length in the bearers, if it were me, I would just bolt the bearers together above the stump. This will give each bearer a little more "support" and utilise the full size (top) of the stump.

If you wanted a little more structual strength you could bolt these bearers togther through a steel plate (the type used when building pergolas) and bolt that plate to the stump.

[Ben (TM)]

Take a look at this thread (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=41477)

[echnidna]

Butting them is ok though you should gangnail them if you go that way ,
I'd be inclined to overlap them and nail the joists together through the sides.

[MrFixIt]

Hi

Take a look at this thread (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=41477)
Please note that the "SCARF" pdf file is the correct scarf joint. The other image shows a half lap joint done wertically.

You can do your bearers either way, though a proper scarf joint in wide bearers is a pain to do and gains you nothing except a NICE looking joint!

The scarf joint is done where the beams are in a "visual" position.

Are you after "pretty" or do you want a functional bearer?

Sure you could do a half lap joint either horizontal or vertical, but you gain nothing except additional work. Bolting the two bearers side to side on TOP of the stump is the easiest and strongest support you'll get with your current timber and (if necessary) you can also install ant caps.

Otherwise notch out 45mm of the stump and use a vertical half lap joint on the bearers sitting in the notch.

[Downramp]

Thanks for the feedback guys. The bearers aren't exposed, so I'm just going for functional - and a couple of butt joints with a steel overlap plate sounds like it'll do the job.

Cheers

[Yonnee]

I'm not to quick with computer pictures, so I'll try and describe what we (my builder mate & I) did with my own deck.

I had the same delima in building my decking frame. The bearers are sitting on concrete stumps, but there's no reason why it wouldn't work for timber stumps. The problem I had was figuring out how to utilise the retaining spike in the stump without it being straight through the middle of a vertical cut. So the bearer's ends are cut at around a 22* angle, we then drilled a hole vertically through the cuts. The first bearer was placed over the spike, cut face up (this sat it on approximately 2/3 - 3/4 of the stump), the second bearer was then mated up (cut side down) to the first bearer and the spike hammered out over the side and down (the top of the second bearer was slotted to accomodate the spike). This only has the second bearer sitting on 1/4 - 1/3 of the stump, but it's also sitting on the angled cut of the first bearer. I also coach screwed plates to the side of each join.

Hope this makes sense.

Cheers.