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Post and Beam/Pole Barn questions?

Started by edgaines, October 07, 2004, 10:01:42 AM

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edgaines

Am planning to start a 40x80 shop/barn shortly using 6x6 pressure treated SYP. I will drill 12"x4' holes, place a 3"x12" round concrete pad in the bottom of the hole. Timbers will be placed 8' OC, and top plate will be of the same material.
Any suggestion on how to join top plate material so as to make the strength close to being a solid run?
After timbers are set, plumb and square, I will tamp them and place a 2' round, 3" deep "collar" around each.

I plan on using metal plates at each connection from verticle to horizontal beams, and roofing with clear span trusses. Girts will then span the outside of the beams, a sheathed with cypress board and batten.

Am I missing anything here?

Thanks, Ed

beetle

Ed,
If I am reading your post correctly, you are building a traditional pole barn. If I am right, why a 6x6 for the plate?

Here in my part of the country, standard practice for pole barns is to use 2 X something ( generally 2X10s ) One placed on the exterior side of the posts and one on the interior side with the joints staggered to creat your plate for the trusses to sit on. Check with your local building dept for the code in your area.

If you really want a full 6x6 plate that sits on top of the posts then you will have to scarf them. The proper placement of the scarf is important as well as the construction. Do a search on this forum, the topic has been discussed in previous posts.

Another method would be to "build up" your plate using 2X stock with the joints staggered, however, I would not want to be the one trying to place that 80 footer up on top without a crane!
Too many hobbies...not enough time.

Jim_Rogers

As mentioned that type of construction is known as a Pole barn.
There are many sites out there where you can get information on pole barns.
Your ground method is the standard way of doing things. One site recommends back filling the round hole with crushed stone so that the water running into the hole will filter out into the sub soil and not sit in soil against the posts, thereby being wet soil against dry wood causing rot.
At the base of these poles they usually run pressure treated skirt boards from pole to pole, usually two or three layers high to act as a water shield. Of course these run on the outside of the posts.
All the pole barns that I've seen have 2x12" threw bolted onto the sides of the top of the posts for the plates for the truss roof system, as mentioned above. Besides these threw bolts there are also some diagonal braces put in. These braces run from the side of the post up in between the two plates, as there are usually made of the same size material as the posts. These are just toe nailed into the post and threw bolted between the plates, and they are at a 45° angle to the post and plate.

Here is a shot of one but this one has a different type of brace:



As you can see the truss is setting on the plates but also that the post has been cut away to form a notch for the truss to set next too. Then the post is trimmed to the top slope of the roof plane and this helps to prevent the trusses from falling over. The extra tall post top acts like an anchor or stabilizer to help stiffen up the roof trusses and hold them vertical.

Hope this helps.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

TN_man

Ed,
First, welcome to the forum.
On our pole barn we used 2xs on inside and outside of the pole as Beetle described and also flat across the top of them to tie them together and to create a plate that was easy to lay out the truss location on as well as walk on while installing the trusses. This held well enough during a mini-torando (downburst or something) that took 20-30 trees down and just about ripped the barn doors off, that ripped through our hollow.
Also, I would recommend that you get some spacers that go between the trusses during installation. The guy who operated the boom truck recommended them to us. They are a sheet-metal spacer that you can get to be the right distance between trusses depending on your o.c.spacing. You just lay them across the truss and give it a "whack" and then pull the other truss up to it and give it a "whack" and then they are tied together and the right distance apart. I can't remember what he charged us for them ( I want to say .20 cents/piece) but they speed the job way up so that they paid for themselves.
Good luck on your building and may God bless, Jeff
WM LT-20 solar-kiln Case 885 4x4 w/ front end loader  80 acre farm  little time or money

Wudman

I would recommend a shoulder cut in the top of the post and a doubled 2x10 or 2x12 plate to set the trusses on.  Stagger your plate joints on top of your posts.  Using this method, all of the weight is transferred directly to the post.  You don't have to depend on the shear strength of your fasteners.  

As for the 6x6 pressure treated SYP for plates......If you go this way, be sure to get good quality material (tight growth ring material).  With today's technology, 6x6s are being sawn from a lot of small diameter, fast growing trees.  You may get a lot of movement as these 6x6s dry.  

Wudman  
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

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