Where to get 4x8x24

[coleman]

I am starting a 14x24 cabin in Eastern TN.  I am wondering where i can get the 4x8x24 pieces that the little house plans kit calls for.  I have been to a few local supply yards and they said the longest they could get is 16'.

[optionguru]

There should be instructions included how to build that beam out of regular dimensional lumber.  You use 2x8's with 1/2" plywood spacers I believe.

[glenn kangiser]

You could also splice over a post,

Welcome to the forum.  Looking forward to seeing your progress,

[John_C]

Where in TN are you?  Here is a source in N GA  about 15 or 20 miles from the TN state line

http://www.sissonloghomes.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=444

Try some of the log home manufacturers in your area, they often have rough sawn and s4s timbers in larger/longer sizes than the lumberyards that cater to the stick built folks.

[MountainDon]

I'm going to be doing the same house, but will be using built-up beams like this...

http://www.countryplans.com/builtupbeam.html

I'm also changing to fewer posts, 8 ft apart, with a larger 6x12 beam on top. John's recommendation as to beam size.

[PEG688]

Ask about the price and availablty on LSL , LVL , or gluelam stock . They should be able to get you a "proper " sized beam in one of those .

G/L PEG

[rdpecken]

We built ours like John's link mentioned above...


The beams consist of two 2x8's on the outside, with an 8" wide piece of half-inch plywood sandwiched between. All the pieces are glued together with construction adhesive and nailed with a bunch of 3-1/2" nails.

We carefully measured the distance between each of the piers. Then, while in Mesa, we pre-cut the boards such that the joints would be seperated by at least 4 feet for the 2x8s and the 1/2" plywood joints were at least 2 feet from any of the other joints. In addition, we made almost all of the joints rest on top of a pier. That wasn't possible in one case, but that shouldn't matter, as the beams were engineered to be strong enough regardless of where the joints fell.

Total length of each beam is 24'-6".
We put the extra 6" in to compensate for the possiblilty of the piers not being exactly square.

[desdawg]

rdpecken, that looks like a lot of bags of dry mix. Where are you building at? Those Junipers look real familiar. But I guess if you have seen one Juniper, you have seen them all.

[coleman]

Thanks for all the information.  This will definitely come in handy when i am ready to build.

[rdpecken]

Hi DesDawg... Sorry for the delay in replying.  We were on vacation, in Nebraska, where there is no internet (well maybe some...).
Anyway, yes that was a lot of bags of cement.  Being the cheap person I am, we mixed all of them by hand, in a five gallon bucket.  That got old after a while...

We are building about 15 miles northwest of Seligman Arizona, in the Sierra Verde Ranch parcels. Yep, the Junipers all look the same, and it is beautiful there.  I don't think I've heard where you are building either, although I know you live somewhere in central Arizona. Thanks for the query... Randy P.