49
votes
Accepted
I want to build an all metal, self-designed building. Are metal frame and joists really that infeasible?
You're probably thinking of the wrong sort of metal
When most people think of "metal buildings", they think of I-beams, columns, and open-web joists, as found in large-scale construction. ...
- 81.8k
28
votes
I want to build an all metal, self-designed building. Are metal frame and joists really that infeasible?
There are loads of pre-designed steel building shells out there. Use one.
These are offered by commercial building companies for farm and industrial buildings. They have gotten a family of designs pre-...
26
votes
Accepted
How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?
This is often a complex legal situation due to regulations that affect (in many parts of the world) what you can do in or near a body or stream of water even if the land next to it or around it ...
- 203k
24
votes
How do I know whether a bookcase will rack/sag/twist if hung using butt hinges as a (non-secret) "door"?
Do you really think that will work?
Imagine you took the same model of bookcase, and screwed it to the wall edge-on* by driving screws through one sidewall of the bookcase into a vertical stud/...
23
votes
Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck?
From conventional Hemlock Span tables it seems your 4x6s are only good for about 10' span at 40LBS live load. Your load is much higher when the trucks out in the middle of the bridge.
I think this ...
- 2,295
21
votes
Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck?
For a good answer you'd have to do the engineering calculations but maybe just do a sanity check before digging into that.
You could think about this. A single 4x6 standing on edge is not that much ...
- 25k
17
votes
How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?
Legal issues aside (that's not our pigeon here), a reliable way is dry mix sand bagging:-
Pick a low quality concrete sans water, place it at your leisure and let the rain /moisture make it go off. ...
- 415
16
votes
My new AC is under performing and guzzling too much juice, can anyone help?
I absolutely applaud your exploration of new HVAC tech.
Right now, the industry (Carrier, Lennox etc.) are very much like the auto industry in 1980. They're still shoveling the same old products even ...
14
votes
How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?
As mentioned in another answer, there may be legal issues since the creek is a waterway. In the US, you would have Federal and probably state laws involved (many other countries have similar laws ...
- 24.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Repairing a notched floor joist
Good on you for leveling up your knowledge and learning where not to drill or saw on joists. On that same note, here's an excellent summary from BuildingAdvisor titled Guide to Notching and Boring ...
- 565
13
votes
I want to build an all metal, self-designed building. Are metal frame and joists really that infeasible?
Background: My father was a structural engineer in the steel building industry and did exactly what you are asking for - calculate the statics of buildings and other large constructions, dimension ...
- 330
11
votes
I want to build an all metal, self-designed building. Are metal frame and joists really that infeasible?
Prefab metal shed.
These are popular and durable. They are used on farms and workyards everywhere.
Many, many sizes and shapes are available. Quonset huts many decades old are still in service. ...
- 6,593
9
votes
Why are basement walls subject to tensile forces?
All walls experience tensile stress. This is not a force trying to pull the wall apart as such. The stress comes from lateral forces that can arise from two sources.
Firstly, a simple lateral force ...
- 1,296
9
votes
Structural engineering? single family 2 story home with post tension cable slab concrete beams.1st FL bathrm to add new shower beam cut, add plumbing
You need to ask your question to an actual structural engineer that can look at your structure design and give you professional guidance. This may very well require a consultation payment contract.
...
- 64.1k
8
votes
How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?
Been there , done that; my creek ( Plum Creek, Highland IN) was 30ft. width and embankment was 40 ft. high. I "coated" it with railroad ties, bricks, and many cuttings of trees and bushes. To reach my ...
- 8,271
7
votes
How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?
What I’ve seen commonly done is either large rocks or large chunks of concrete dumped to protect the area eroding.
You say it is slow moving, so I’m betting the erosion primarily happens during/...
- 7,600
7
votes
Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck?
Note this answer is only based on basic engineering knowledge and not on experience in building bridges or using wood as structural elements. There are probably more things to consider using wood as ...
- 171
7
votes
Elegant way to jack two materials apart, applying spreading pressure to pin them in place?
Power Wedge with Wing Nut
Build a power wedge from some wooden wedges, a bolt and a wing nut.
It will be strong, simple to tighten, and seismically safe when the bottom wedge is fastened to the top of ...
- 15.8k
7
votes
How do I know whether a bookcase will rack/sag/twist if hung using butt hinges as a (non-secret) "door"?
My recommendation, even though you don't intend to go whole hog on this, would be to look at the plans folks have drawn up for bookcase doors. That way you'll find solutions which have actually been ...
- 27.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Steel beams for 22' interior clear span
Just a heads up, spanning 22' while being limited to 4-6" floor depth is extremely cost prohibitive. Deeper is always cheaper, but it sounds like you don't have the space to make this work as planned.
...
- 4,789
6
votes
Freestanding Shelves Stability
Take a lesson from the flat-pack furniture designers and cover the entire back and sides from the top shelf to the bottom shelf (attached to the shelves not the posts) with thin, cheap sheet goods.
...
- 10.9k
5
votes
Correct placement for 1,200 lb pizza oven on wooden box I built
It will be fine in terms of the weight... the 4x4s in the center will easily handle the load. I'm a bit concerned about the OSB though. Personally if it isn't too late I'd really suggest 3/4" CDX ...
- 858
5
votes
Overkill from my Structural Engineer, can you check his drawings?
The structural engineer sized that as a W6x25 steel beam because he wanted it flush in the 2x8 floor system as it is only 6.38" deep. If you changed it to a LVL, you would need a 3 ply 11-7/8" LVL, ...
- 4,789
5
votes
Repairing a notched floor joist
These are larger than 2x6 joists. That plays in your favor. A notch in a 2x6 is disastrous. The beams look OK for now. The cracks are horizontal so they're not concerning. Those can be caused by the ...
- 24.2k
5
votes
Repairing a notched floor joist
You’re lucky, sort of...
First, the joists are 1 5/8” x 7 1/2” not 1 1/2” x 7 1/4” if the house was built in the 1940’s.
Second, the joists are not Redwood (thank goodness) they’re Douglas fir.
...
- 23.1k
5
votes
How do I know whether a bookcase will rack/sag/twist if hung using butt hinges as a (non-secret) "door"?
I'd suggest that you get (or use) an actual door, and not an inexpensive hollow-core "cardboard" one - an actual solid wood door - and hang your bookcase on it.
Mount some brackets at the ...
- 6,283
4
votes
What is the optimal configuration of a cross brace on a wooden gate?
Over time a wooden gate will tend to sag. So you need a cross brace.
If you are building the cross brace using wood, the cross brace should be in compression. So the cross brace will go from the ...
- 51
4
votes
Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from an engineering/structural standpoint?
I read through the answers provided here. I thought it would be good to provide some actual engineering information from an engineer on the topic. He references a chart that gives test info ...
- 41
4
votes
Overkill from my Structural Engineer, can you check his drawings?
Presumably you engaged this person for their professional expertise, so can you indicate why you feel you are qualified to override them? Or is your question based on aesthetics or practicality? If it ...
- 351
4
votes
Accepted
Fix wobbly storage shelf
Most things we build are rectangular, and rectangular structures are prone to racking, which is illustrated in this drawing of a deck, but the same problem affects your rectangular shelves:
As you ...
- 25k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible