Archive for October, 2010
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30 October 2010
Curved Beam Rafters
The rafters were the brain exercise on this curved roof, as the birdsmouths and end cuts changed on each one. Every rafter had to be calculated precisely and custom cut to ensure they would properly fit the angles of the curve.
At each end of the deck, two posts topped with a “pillow block” cut to the angle of the beam were installed to accommodate the curve.
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19 October 2010
Curved Beam For Deck Roof
Two different radiuses were used to create the elegant arch for this curved deck roof beam. The centre of the beam was layed out with a 12′ radius, and the ends were layed out using a 32′ radius.
The beam was cut with a chain saw inserted into a specially fabricated base plate to hold the chain square. We cut 1/8″ from the line with the chain saw and finished the beam precisely to the line with a belt sander.
This photo shows the cut beam being sanded on saw horses outside the shop.
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15 October 2010
Laminating Curved Beam
Part of the remodel we are doing in Nelson calls for a covered deck with a curved roof. Using a solid timber to create this beam would have required an enormous old growth tree and lots of cut off waste, so we used a different strategy to mitigate waste and achieve the complex curve.
We created the beam using three layers of 12″ x 1 3/4″ LVLs (Laminated Veneer Lumber). We were able to use seven shorter sections pieced together to reduce the amount of waste during cutting. Screws and LePage Green Series (low VOC) subfloor & deck adhesive were used to laminate the sections together.
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10 October 2010
Nelson Remodel
The owners of this home fell in love with the lot and the view of Kootenay Lake when they bought the property. They also knew that the house definitely needed some changes to suit their needs.
This photo shows the house partway through the demolition. In a large renovation project like this, opening up the walls right to the original framing is a good idea to ensure proper insulation, wiring and plumbing. We also wanted to check for any rot in the walls and make sure that the previous framing was structurally sound.
In this house, the plumbing in the walls was faulty and needed to be fixed, and no insulation was found. So these things were taken into account as we began the renovation according to the remodel plans.
