Wooden timber today is increasingly used for the construction of baths, cottages and houses. This is due to the fact that a material with a large cross section becomes better and can compete with a log. When building walls, secure fastening is of particular importance.
The use of profiled timber provides savings in effort and time, ease of assembly of the structure. This technology has little difference from a log cabin. But installation and finishing are much easier and faster, while this material is more affordable in many regions. The connection of the beam to each other is one of the most important stages, on which the strength of the structure directly depends.
Highlights
When erecting walls, the task of docking occurs in two cases: when building up (interlacing) the material along the length and connecting the corners of the building. The joining of the beam in the corners is of the greatest importance. During its implementation, the reliability of the house, its size, design and quality of the wall are laid.
There are two types of joins: without a remainder and with a remainder. Lastis based on the fact that the butt extends to a specified length beyond the place of the corner fastening. A kind of wooden corner insulation, especially noticeable during the wind, is the main advantage of this method. In addition, thanks to this execution, an original design is created that has its connoisseurs.
Under the interlacing without residue means the location of the ends on the same level with the plane of the wall. The main advantage lies in saving building materials and reducing the size of the building.
For any type of product, the connection rules are common, it can be profiled or glued timber 150x150, dried or with natural moisture. During the installation of a log house, the same method should not be used. Different elements of the structure have their own fastening method. When purchasing materials, it is worth remembering that samples for good insulation should have different sizes, in particular, cross-sectional parameters.
Tools
In order to connect the beam to each other with your own hands, a mechanized conventional tool that many people have is quite suitable:
- Set of chisels. In stores, despite the extensive selection, it is not always possible to find a tool with the necessary parameters. You can solve the problem by ordering it from a blacksmith or making it yourself.
- Chain saw with electric or petrol drive. In its absence, it is possible to use a circular hand saw with an electric type drive, but the device must have a maximumdepth of cut not less than half a tree.
- Axe, mallet, hammer.
Cutting corners used to be done with a single axe, but it took a lot of effort and time. Thanks to modern tools, time spent on work is reduced and work is simplified.
Types of beam connection
Rectangular grooving is the most well-known joining method. This type of interlacing has three varieties, the simplest of which is a one-way connection method. In this case, a rectangular small groove is cut on the side. The two products to be joined must have identical groove dimensions. Their size corresponds to the width of the material used, the depth is half the height. The sides of the beams during the joining of the groove into the groove must be on a single plane without protrusions. The length of the remainder is determined by the distance from the beginning of the groove to the end of the beam.
Another option is a two-way plexus type. The groove must be sawn at two edges opposite each other. Its depth should be equal to ¼ of the height of the beam itself. This assembly of the beam ensures high-quality installation.
Four-sided bonding is the cutting of a groove on each side. In this case, the upper and lower grooves should have a depth of ¼ of the height of the bar. The maximum density of the connection of the bars is provided by this method.
Docking on main tenons, special dowels and butt jointing are considered the most popular options for joining without residue. The last oneis the easiest, but unreliable. The end of the bar in this case rests against the side of the other (they then change places). Metal staples are used to fasten the timber or nails. With this installation, the pressure of the end face is poorly controlled, which affects the quality of the subsequent processing and ensuring the perpendicular arrangement of the nodal elements. This method is justified in the construction of small outbuildings.
The “half-wood” option is more reliable, it uses an overlay of bars, in which a cut is made at their ends with a length corresponding to the width of this material. The ends of the bars are thus wedged into each other. With the help of fasteners, the connection point is strengthened.
Root spikes
This technique is based on creating spikes and nests suitable for them. A spike is cut in the center of the end on the edge of one element for connection. Its length is equal to the width of the material. On the other bar, respectively, a groove is formed with a size suitable for the spike. During docking, a spike is driven into the groove with force. Most often, in order to warm the corners, flax-jute material is laid before fixing.
The dovetail connection is one of the options for such a docking. The spike being made in this case has a trapezoidal shape that expands outward. The groove has a similar shape. Such a joint is more reliable and dense.
Non-root spike for fastening
Unlike the root version, it has a vertical arrangement. Such a spikeconnection is on the inner wall surface. A transverse suitable groove is formed on the lateral plane of another beam. The connection of the timber to each other consists in docking with a spike.
Extended dowels for timber connection
The method consisting in a combination of fastenings on spikes and butt has become especially widespread. At the end of one beam in this embodiment, a groove for the key is produced. A similar element is formed on the side of another beam in the transverse line. Each beam rests on the next one. A wood dowel is inserted along the entire length of the grooves. It is a square, the side of which is one third of the total width. The key is mounted in such a way that one part is in one bar, and the other is in the other. It can be inserted horizontally and vertically, the latter is more common due to ease of manufacture.
Using pins
In the corners of the building, to increase the quality of the connection, an addition is used in the form of reinforcement with pins, they are called pins. They are installed inside the bars, due to which the mechanical load is reduced and the probability of deformation changes during drying disappears. Reinforcement or a metal pipe can act as a dowel, wooden options are also used.
The connection of the beam to each other on the main spikes more often than others has a hardening with dowels. For such a joint, a hole is cut in a vertical direction with a diameter slightly exceeding the size of the reinforcement. The pin is inserted into the hole.
The size of the dowel is selected in the range from 20 to 50 mm. The need to connect two rows determines the required length.
Half-wood fastening
Often when building a house there is a need to increase the length, this problem can be solved by various methods of longitudinal fixing. The docking method with indigenous longitudinal spikes and the combination with the name “half-tree” have become most widespread, fastening with an oblique lock does not lag behind them. When creating corners, the first two options do not differ from similar methods, with the exception of the sequential arrangement of the beams themselves.
Longitudinal fastening using a dowel (half-tree) is a high-quality and simple way. The implementation of the process is quite convenient. The joint of the bars is placed horizontally and several holes are drilled with a drill. Round pins made of wood with a diameter of up to 25 mm are inserted into the hole. Glue can be used to process the docking site. Wood dowel with further gluing is also used for fastening with root spikes.
The connection with the help of an oblique lock is difficult to implement. A bevel is made at the end, while a groove is formed on one wooden element, and a spike on the other.
Warm gusset
When connecting the bars, attention should be paid to the insulation of the joints. Due to inaccuracies in the grooves, loose joints in the bonding points, thermalprotection is reduced. To avoid this, you can apply a warm corner. To create it, a heat insulator is placed in the form of flax fibers or tow at the joints between the beams. This should be done during the installation of a warm corner.
There are many methods that allow you to make wall corners, join a 150x150 beam during its build-up. The main factor that determines the quality of all work is proper installation. The choice of the necessary method depends on the type of construction and operating conditions.
