I’m planning a loft in my daughter’s bedroom,using a 12.5 foot beam, 10″ x 4″, with two posts positioned so the longest span is 6 feet. My question is: How does one go about RAISING the beam up onto the posts? This sucker is heavy!
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Several methods come to mind, but need to know if you have clear space above it (genie hoist or rig up an A-frame and come-along). No space above, get it up on some scaffolding and jack it into place, or get a helper.
Address a posting to Frenchy.
Or, get the Taunton book, Working Alone.
I've put up much bigger wood than that alone...where there's a will, there's a way!
Be careful though and always consider worst case failures of your rigging.
I've raised some hellacious beams alone using a pair of wall jacks. I'll try to resize a photo to post of my son jacking one into place. I put a 5+1/8x18x23' glulam in alone in the same house a couple years ago. Piece of cake. Hardest part was cutting a hole in the wall so the lumber truck could tip it onto my 3" ABS pipe rollers so I could get it where I wanted it before I installed it.
okay, this could take a couple trys, been a while since I used infranview...
we used a lift called a Duct Jack it is used in a lot of commerical construction, We rented it at our local tool rental. $30.00/week. The beams we raised were 3-1/2" x 14" x 20' LSL. It works very well.
Tim
Prepare a notch seat for one end and lift one end up and in. Then same at other end. you are only lifting one end at a time that way. This barely qualifies as heavy, though I wouldn't want it dropping on my toes. My floor joists are 4x10 x 14'. I set them as green timbers this way, one end at a time.
Excellence is its own reward!
i raised a120kg 8*4 with 1/2" steel fitch plate 8' a couple of months ago.
used a car trolley jack in the middle and a helper at one end to keep it steady.
you jack it up , prop it up, raise the jack and start again.
much easier than all that humping it around.
aleks