Ridge Beam Question

[CREATIVE1]

Other than providing support that is directly under the beam going directly to the ground, is there any other way to support a ridge beam so it can be "cut" into two shorter sections?  I'm specifically talking about the Victoria.  A 12" x 6" ridge beam is REALLY heavy when it's 30 feet long. 

[PEG688]

A hammer truss might work but would requirer proper engineering , sizing , etc . It would be a PITA to get approved in other words.

But if you had no inspections , and it was built beefie enought it would work.

 




Link : http://www.vermonttimberworks.com/home/working_pages/framing_styles/

I just googled hammer beams used in timber framing , there are other things to look at.

But for ease of building the one piece beam is the easiest , ONCE you get the beam up in place.

Rent a boom truck , small crane , etc . Look "locally" if your building out in the country / on a island etc . Generally a local will know of a farmer , logger etc who may have the right piece of equipment to get your "pick" done. 

[MikeT]

You are right when you comment that a beam that size is heavy.  On my Victoria's Cottage, I brought a crane in and had both beams lifted into place.  The $200 for the crane plus the hired help on the ground in putting it in place was more than worth it.  Safer and easier. 

But your question concerns other ways of supporting a large beam other than mid span posts.  I will leave that to others who have more engineering experience than I.  But one other thought, have you considered going with a ridge board and using collar ties instead?  For a DIY effort, the tradeoff in headroom in a loft might be worth it.   

I know that hand packing beams of the size you are speaking is a huge effort.  It involves lots of intermediate rigging and incremental progress as you raise one side up a foot and rest it on something, and then the same to the other side.  All the way 20 feet high!

Are you sure you cannot get a small boom crane in there?  My place is on a steep slope with two sharply angled cutbacks, so with all my deliveries (lumber, concrete, etc), the big rigs and their certified (!)  drivers manage by driving forward then reverse, then forward again.  Then they do the same thing to get back down.

mt

[CREATIVE1]

Our problem is the quarter mile road going in.  It is going to make building this kinda difficult. Big delivery trucks will have to be offloaded.

I'm not absolutely sure I can't get a small crane in.  I guess we'll deal with that down the road.  It has also been suggested that we might be able to build the beam in place, don't know if that's an option.

As for collar ties, I think I already have that going on, but really close to the peak. I don't mind those if they can be spaced about 4 feet apart (something beefier that 2 inch lumber) and are exposed as a decorative element.  In other words, looks like timber frame, nothing fake.

I like the hammer trusses in the earlier post, but we have major government interference in the building process so I'm trying not to be too creative.  We still have the two story, 45 foot pole barn to turn into a Japanese modern haven. 

[Redoverfarm]

CREATIVE1 Is there any large trees near your site.  A friend of mine used cables from tree to tree and pulleys to lift his beams and then pulled them to their location with the pulleys (from one tree to the other over the locations). Managed to place several with this approach.

[CREATIVE1]

An interesting thought.  Most of the trees are alders (some sitka spruce and douglas fir) on a steep grade that goes up to 200 feet starting about ten feet behind the house, but there could be a possibility.  Will have to look when we're on the site 3,000 miles away right now.

The more ideas, the more possibility of a solution.