I need some TJI joists for construction of a house with a large, open plan, living/dining room. The joists are for the ceiling/second floor. I have the specs for the joists (TJI 210). Unfortunately, here in Israel these joists are not available. Is there any reason that I couldn’t make them myself? I can get OSB (11 mm) from North Amaerica here. It looks easy enough, but am I missing something? Has anyone out there done this? Also, for the same house, the plan calls for the second floor to be cantilevered outside the first floor walls about 24″ in a couple of places (about 12’in length). Is 24″ outside of the first floor walls going to be too much to support the second floor exterior walls and the roof in these places? Thanks for your suggestions.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The code requires installing an approved material to slow the spread of fire between floors and adjacent vertical and horizontal cavities — here are the allowed materials and required locations.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
Look into engineered floor trusses. They can be designed to safely meet you needs.
I've not used TJI, but do know they are engineered product. I think they are a stamped product, and have very specific properties.
DIYing an engineered product wouldn't get past an inspector around my area.
>>>DIYing an engineered product wouldn't get past an inspector around my area.
Ditto.
(Anyone remember Ditto?)
Just to add to my first comment.
My house also has a 2" cantilever of the first floor over the back framed wall of a walkout basement. Each floor truss is marked for the bearing point of the cantilever. All of the trusses were made after the manufacturer came out and made field measurements of the basment framing.
The fellow that designed the trusses and I went through the prints and highlited areas that have higher than normal loads, as well as flooring types throughout the house. This allowed him to design them to avoid me having future problems with tile,stone, or hardwood floors.
I chose floor trusses over TJIs because they allow me to run all my forced air duct work inside the trusses, through chases that are designed around my HVAC contractors plan. Same thing for plumbing. The open webs and preplanning means I won't have a bunch of tradesmen hacking up TJIs.
The real bottom line is that you don't have the equipment to assemble I-joists the way they do at the factory and the osb that you can get probably isn't structurally-rated the same way the osb web in I-joists is. You would be running a relatively high risk of failure at the web/flange intersections, I think.
I think trying to DIY structural materials is nucking futz.
Can you imagine how much it will cost to fix if you screw them up?
oh ya .. WHAT BOSS HOG SAYS!!
If you made a box joist, two panels of osb with a 2 x 4 h and screws, you would have a very strong component. The issue would be screws breaking under flex, use some glue as well. And you would have something very strong that would exceed the strength of an I joint.
Don't try making an I joint, you will never be able to equal the spec of engineered product.
I am intending to do something similar. should be able to drill small holes for some routing of electrical lines and plumbing.
However to put a house on this without testing means no code.
If you find anything out on this let me know...
been there, done that
I made 25 16' I-beams 20 years ago for an outbuilding I constructed. Its easy, and if you use a good quality glue, they'll hold as well as the store-bought items. The biggest caution is to ensure the dado you cut in the stringers is just enough bigger than the web thickness to have a tight fit. Clamp the I-beam in lots of places while its drying and you should be good to go. The other thing to watch for is to biscuit or strap across the stringers (or fully on both sides of the web) where the stringers meet
Oh, by the way, I'm an engineer, and I proved the structural strength to my local inspector by driving a pickup onto an 8 foot span test piece
Art
Building Your Own Beams
Art, I agree. In 1995 I enclosed a patio. The homeowner wanted the existing exterior wall removed to open up the kitchen into the new room. The span was 15 feet. It was a 2 story with brick on the 2nd floor. I framed a wall beside the existing wall and then removed the existing wall downstairs. I shimmed the first 2x6 down from the center to the ends by 1/2 inch to create a crown. I fastened it to the bottom of the 2x12 joist. Using Franklin Tightbond glue, I nailed 11 more 2x6's under the first one one to wind up with a 5 1/2 x 18 inch beam. I has been there for 19 years with no noticable sag and no cracked sheetrock. I knew a guy that built a monster beam by building a 24 inch 2x4 floor truss and applying 2 layers of 3/4 cdx on each side of it with no problems.
I note that the OP claims to be in Israel, and my reply is based upon that detaIl. I would not offer the same answer to someone in the USA.
First off, I have some familiarity with your area. Everyone here needs to know that materials and methods are completely different 'over there.'
That's not necessarily a bad thing; it's just that I strongly urge you to alter your plans to conform to local customs. If nothing else, it makes things easier for everyone involved.
This question also illustrates the contribution competent professionals - architects, engineers, etc. - can make to a project.
Otherwise, you need to visit http://www.apawood.org and download the various specs that they have for TJI's. Included is a publication describing the various performance criteria; you'll need that info so you can test your assemblies and satisfy everyone that your products comply.
Another pair of notes to all:
"Nagar" is Hebrew for 'carpenter.' Nothing else. I used to be 'nagar' to a kibbutz some years back.
Second, just about everything has been brought to Israel at least once. That does not mean that the product is available commercially, or that the local inspectors will understand it. Indeed, there is a very strong bias in favor of using locally produced items; imports can be subject to 'luxury taxes' and other duties that have the effect of tripling the cost. Likewise, the Israeli economy is very much a centrally planned economy; not just anyone can decide to make and market something. (For example, I know one factory that makes 'coatings' because someone else has the monopoly on making 'paint.')
Building something out of wood framing members is swimming against the local tide, where there is a strong preference for 'stone' (masonry) construction. From this I infer the OP wants something that can be assembled very fast - perhaps even overnight, using pre-fab components. Again, this is a quirk in the local legal system, where permit rules are considerably different once the roof is put on. Trust me on these things; any detailed discussion would be beyond the scope of this forum.
E10, Put a cork in it!
OK, fine, steel is wonderful. So is ravioli ... but the OP didn't ask for a recipe. He wants to know about TJI's - and not debate other alternatives.
You're not contributing - you're advertyising. Buy space like everyone else.