The development of the Canadian technology of modular assembly of houses has expanded the ideas of domestic architects about frame construction. The similarity of the climate makes it possible to almost completely copy this technique in Russian conditions, but its individual components are often used. In particular, I-beams find their application in a wide variety of projects. It is not difficult to make this structural element with your own hands, so many homebuilders refuse such materials of factory origin.
I-beam characteristics
Technical and operational qualities and dimensional parameters of a traditional I-beam are calculated for inclusion in the construction of an OSB-slab floor. This is the interfloor overlap of the house orattic space, which is durable and highly thermally insulated. Actually, the beams perform the function of stiffeners, providing a load-bearing function. The I-beam itself has a T-shaped profile, but modified elements with other sectional configurations are also used for floors. As a rule, do-it-yourself wooden I-beams for ceilings are made from monolithic bars up to 5 m long. The height of the beam depends on the design load on the structure and varies from 140 mm to 410 mm on average. The thickness of the intermediate column of the I-beam is no more than 10 mm, and the bar has the parameters of 64x38 mm in accordance with the standard.
Product material
So, the design will consist of elements of two types - the supporting part (beam) and the intermediate rack (OSB-plate). To this it is worth adding the adhesive composition, which will fasten the parts of the beam. The most responsible choice concerns the beam, since almost the entire load of the floor will fall on it. Experts recommend not saving on it and buying profiled rather than glued blanks. The difference lies in the quality of processing and the environmental friendliness of the material. Is it possible to assemble a wooden I-beam from planks? It is physically easier to make such an arrangement with your own hands than from a solid bar. However, in principle, it is worth using an I-beam board only in cases where a minimum load on the beam is expected. For example, when installing roof truss trusses.
As for the OSB-plate for the rack, then inIn this case, there are much more options for replacement, since the structural responsibility of this part is not so high. Moreover, in some cases, multilayer plywood is a more worthy solution both in terms of strength and ease of installation. The fact is that it is easier to assemble an I-beam wooden beam with your own hands if a rigid central part is used. It does not flex on its own and does not require special support for insurance purposes.
The choice of adhesive is easier as there are many high quality building compounds available on the market specifically for the structural bonding of wood elements. The choice should take into account the presence of ECO marking, which will indicate environmental safety and sufficient adhesiveness of the mixture.
Preparing items for assembly
Initially, the beam is marked with an exact definition of its parameters. On the basis of the layout scheme, the final refinement of the parts of the structure on the carpentry tool should be carried out. It is optimal to use a wood lathe for such purposes, but you can get by with a circular saw with an electric jigsaw and a grinding tool. In the manufacture of wooden I-beams with their own hands, in part of the timber, an excess array can be sampled. It is produced strictly along the center line of the workpiece, maintaining the contour with a special marking device or a guide bar.
I-beam assembly
Twotimber by the time of assembly must be finalized to the optimal parameters suitable for mounting the rack. The latter is recessed into the prepared grooves on both sides (top and bottom) and fixed to the adhesive base. Here it is important to answer the question of how to make an I-beam wooden beam with your own hands with a minimum number of gaps and protrusions? As for the first, in principle, the presence of voids at the interfaces depends on the quality of the primary processing of the material. The smoother the surfaces in the slots, the more likely the rack is to be tightly mounted. With performances, the situation is easier. On the one hand, they can be knocked out with a mallet until the glue has dried, thereby adjusting the edges of the structure. If the presence of a protrusion is due to errors in the calculations, then the situation is corrected only by abrasive coarse-grained material, followed by fine grinding.
I-Beam Quality Evaluation
Initially, the material for the beam must go through troubleshooting with rejection. Especially the timber should not have flaws like knots, cracks, signs of warping, cuts and chips. Even if the defect does not affect the structural properties of the beam, the openness of the structure in the future may cause biological damage to the wood. But these are not all the conditions for the manufacture of high-quality I-beams. With your own hands, the wooden structure must also be cleaned during the assembly process, removing small abrasive particles on the surface that can damage the surface of the element. Machining also causes damage, therefore, after each operation, the appearance should be checkedproducts. At the final stage, the beam is measured and the compliance of its parameters with the requirements is determined.
General tips for making a wooden I-beam
There are still no rigid frameworks in the creation of this design, since the spheres and directions of its use differ. And yet, experienced builders give some universal recommendations to those who want to make a high-quality I-beam wooden beam with their own hands:
- Marking operations should preferably be performed using modern laser levels - especially when it comes to designing large floors.
- The use of rigid and dense materials is not always appropriate, as they make structures heavier, which limits the use of the beam in both floor and truss trusses.
- It is advisable to treat with flame retardants or antiseptics after assembly. This will create a continuous protective coating.
- After successfully manufacturing a beam according to individual parameters, it is worth saving its characteristics in templates in case a similar design is needed.
Conclusion
The functions of an I-beam in different structural parts of the building frame can also be performed by an ordinary solid beam, but its use is not always practical and profitable. The fact is that at the same cost you can make an I-beam wooden beam with your own hands, but its use is technologicallymore justified. It is due to the combination with a thin OSB sheet that an optimal design is formed that combines reliability, resistance to dynamic loads and low weight. By varying the dimensions of the individual parts of the I-beam and the assembly configuration, you can get the optimal frame strength element for a variety of tasks.
