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Looking for a little help on wood I joist ! Haven’t had the opportunity to use them yet and have a job coming up real soon where i’m going to need to ! Does anyone have any good web sites I can visit or video’s they know of that I can get in a hurry ! I have the basics from specification booklets but would like more Help fom you guys would be greatly appreciated!! thanks Steve
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Trial and error?
*How about stopping by a site where you know I-joists are being or have recently been installed, and talk to the framers ?
*Trus Joist MacMillan has tons of info on how to use their product, 1-800-338-0515. Also, there was a great article on framing floors with tji's in FHB #108, May of 97.JonC
*Thanks guys ! Its the error part of it that bums me out pete but I know what you mean! And yes I've thought of whomight be doing them in my area but drew a blank on that and yes I will give T J macmillan a call! appreciate it Steve
*Steve,I learned more about installing them (besides from actually doing so)from the Simpson catalogue. Get one from your supplier if at all possible (I'm sure it is) and study the different applications of the hangers.Some are top-flange, some are face mount. Some require web stiffeners, others have little tabs you can bend over and nail and then you don't need stiffeners (unless the plan calls for them, obviously).I'm telling ya, I learned more about TJIs from Simpson than anybody. The only hard thing about a TJI is cutting it straight, and that's a fairly low-pitched learning curve.Oh, one more thing: TJ MacMillan does have a great hand-out re: what size holes you can put through the web, and where. In general (from memory) - No holes w/in about 1" - 2" of the bottom cord, and no holes within 12" of where the joist passes over a bearing wall. And NEVER notch either top or bottom cord.Go to it, pal!Geo.
*thanks george , i'll look for the simpson catalog at my lumber yard if I don't already have one Steve
*Steve,You'll like them.If you give them a set of drawings and tell them what spec you want to build to, your lumberyard will give you a cad drawing showing everything you need.They should also give you a few posters showing installation details, where and how big holes can be, etc. I'd recommend stapling a cut/drill sheet so it hangs from a joist on each floor you use the TJIs on as a reminder to the subs that follow.George is right regarding Simpson.Personally, I don't like them for rafters. One other bit...run a bead of adhesive inside each hanger before placing the TJI. Helps eliminate the occasional squeek.I've cut them using a site-built jig to guide the plate on the saw. Similar to what you'd use to cut a door bottom. Tack a 2x4 to a piece of half-inch ply, use the 2x4 as a plate guide and cut the ply. For any future cuts, just place the edge of the ply along the proposed cut line. The plate rides on the ply and against the 2x4 while making the cut and eliminates any dips when going from flange to web to flange.
*Thanks mongo, I'll take your advice ! Seems their are many ways to frame with I-joist and after reading up on them I'm becoming more familiar with them ! I'm looking forward to shaking my rookie status with them but just haven't had them speced out before now ! I'm kind of a perfectionist so I like to pick the brains of the experienced and I did also read about the bead of construction adhesive in the joist ! Good idea! Do you think its a good idea to block between joist with I joists at the outside rim when using 1" 1/8 rim joists and also one more joist sandwhiched up to the rim joist on gable ends to add more thickness? Thanks mongo ! You have given me advice in the past on concrete counters , don't know if you remember, which I have just used recently! This breaktime is great ! I've been building since I've been 16 yrs old and I am 38 now so I have a few years under my belt but one thing if any that i've learned is that you never stop learning and there are a thousand ways to kill a cat! I will never be to proud to ask advice regardless of how many years I do this especially from obviously experienced craftsmen like yourself and others which have responded ! My main concern is that my finish product is done right and with Quality ! This is inturn while I will answer questions in which I can offer assistance ! Breaktime is like having a bunch of builders sitting around the jobsite with advice ! Thanks again mongo and guys
*Steve - Just wanted to comment on your question about >"one more joist sandwhiched up to the rim joist on gable ends to add more thickness"I see that done fairly regularly, but don't see much point in it. The rim joist is typically capable of carrying 2,000 PLF. Also - if you ever want to bolt a ledger onto the rim joist for a deck, the extra I-joist will make that much more difficult.
*Good point Ron !! Through bolting would be a problem but lag bolting is still possible but like you said if rim is strong enough why do it !! Thanks for your input Ron! Steve
*My local fire chief says he will not send his men into a burning building if the flooring is supported by I-joists. Says the floor support gives way too fast. Is this true?
*I-joists and fires are a hot topic. (No pun intended) The I-joists manufacturers are quick to point out that their I-joists have passed fire tests in the past. That's true, but some of the assemblies only made it by a few seconds. I personally believe that they would fail faster in a fire. The web in the center is only about 3/8" thick. But there are a lot of variables, too. Like how far are the joists spanning ? How deep are they ? What's the flange size ? Is there a ceiling on the bottom of the I-joists ?There have been some attempts to ban I-joists and/or wood floor and/or roof trusses in some areas. I don't know if any of them have been successful. I guess you have to decide for yourself what you believe.
*Steve, I usually spec lvl's at the point of deck attachment. Jay [email protected]/cad
*As a professional firefighter, I would have to agree with the position of the fire chief who says trusses fail faster under fire loads. The primary reason for truss failure (in my experience) is that there is simply less wood and more surface area to burn before structural failure.That, unfortunately, seems to be the price of engineering efficiency.I don't think it's quite proper to write off all truss-built buildings (I-beam, roof truss, or otherwise) as disposable structures in the event of a fire, but they should command a healthy respect from firefighters.Of course good fire prevention and a sprinkler system makes it a moot point. . .
*Karl - I've noticed that firefighters seem to be calling I-joists "trusses", and lumping them into the same catagory. I'm not trying to pick a fight, just curious why that is.
*Stanley makes a 16" "speedsquare/saw guide" that is made for cutting I-joist. Sells for about $7.00 Scott
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Looking for a little help on wood I joist ! Haven't had the opportunity to use them yet and have a job coming up real soon where i'm going to need to ! Does anyone have any good web sites I can visit or video's they know of that I can get in a hurry ! I have the basics from specification booklets but would like more Help fom you guys would be greatly appreciated!! thanks Steve