Load Bearing Wood Beam

The first step is the same for sawn and engineered wood materials.

Load bearing wood beam.

It is important to remember though that while the beam carries the load of the ceiling above all that load is then transferred at the ends to vertical post structures created by a. If it s a load bearing wall the inspector may help size the beam or recommend that you have a structural engineer or architect size it. If you re unsure ask a building contractor or your local building inspector for advice. A two 2 by 6 standard beam has actual dimensions of 1 5 by 5 5 inches which would give a section modulus of 1 5 x 5 5 x 5 5 6 7 6 which is not enough for this example.

The decision was made to install a beam that would span the entire kitchen without posts and be recessed in the ceiling. The span of a beam is dependent on a few variables. This header must carry x pounds per lineal foot. The species of lumber size of lumber and the load it carries.

The formula for the section modulus is beam width times beam depth squared divided by 6. A dense wood that bears weight on the ends of those fiber bundles like a stump does can achieve the load carrying capacity of structural steel. A load bearing wall almost always has ceiling or floor framing running perpendicular to it. A 2 by 8 beam would be sufficient.

Fewer posts on upper level decks are typically more desirable to the occupants and this drives the use of larger framing materials for longer spans. Add up all the loads acting on a header or beam and then translate this load into terms of how much load each lineal foot of header or beam will feel. This translation is the key to any structural sizing. The client had an existing wood beam with two posts connected to his kitchen island and didn t like seeing the posts.

You can also use the wood beam calculator from the american wood council website to determine maximum rafter and joist lengths. Wood gets its strength from its longitudinal cellulose fibers. If the wall is load bearing you will need to carry the weight of the level above by other means such as constructing a beam or buying a special laminated beam. Use the span tables below to determine allowable lengths of joists and rafters based on size and standard design loads.

Anything 5 and above we always at least double cripple. When loads are borne perpendicular to the grain of the wood the load bearing capacity of the wood is at its least. In beam speak you say. Two 2 by 4 beams together would not be enough.

Beam span maximums are based on a maximum anticipated live load. Replacing a load bearing beam with a flush beam was our mission last week.