Attaching a beam to post question?

[bcp]

The OP won :laughing:

I think it was a tie.



Bruce

 

[gtrippleb]

Im building a garage using a post and beam foundation.

I have railway ties for my posts and I plan to laminate three 2 x 8's for the beams. Question is how should I attach them to the posts. Ive seen adjustable post bases that will work like these View attachment 378621 but they are $16 each!

Also regular 6x6 post hardware is too big for the 4.5inch width of the laminated beam.

Any advice here or am I left to pay more for the attachment hardware than the beams will cost?

You could attach these beams to your posts like beams are attached to 6x6 posts on decks. Cut 4.5 inches out of one end of the post creating a "L" and then set the 2x8's on the ledge that's created. Then bolt them to the RR Tie with 5/8" or 3/4" bolts that are long enough to go all the way through the 2x8's and RR Tie.

Something like this.

 

[Rock knocker]

I think it was a tie.



Bruce

He had quality, I had quantity

 

[MossRoad]

I really don't know why people come to a DIY forum (or the similar), and then debate when they don't receive the answer they want

Kinda because you give them a kinda jerky answer, fun intended, but doesn't come across in a friendly manner in words. I'm sure face-to-face it would be quite different, but in words without facial expressions, it comes across as complete and utter critisism right off the bat, whether meant that way or not. Looking back at all the posts in this thread, you come across as the agressor right from the start. Perhaps the OP did not know that RR ties are crap for posts for a building. They aren't meant to be buried in the dirt. They are meant to sit on RR balast (rocks), which drains well. Every installation of RR ties in retaining walls, garden step, etc... that I have ever seen buried in direct contact with earth has rotted within 20 years. You hope to build something that lasts longer than that. Use concrete footings with pressure treaed posts meant for that job.

 

[jim44]

I think it was a tie.



Bruce

Would that be a railroad tie?

 

[Danno1]

.



A friend's wife's father used to work for the RR. He built a cabin up in NH back just after WW II. E'thing on that property came fr the RR one way or the other! If I had pics to post you would think "nice cabin", inside and out. It has siding and int walls so you don't actually see RR ties. But if you ever visited you'd know why I dubbed it "The Creosote Palace"!!! It is still standing (and smelling!) 60+ yrs later though.



.

 

[gdicks]

By way of an update, I did eventually complete the ground work for this project and I'm getting ready for Rafters this week. Decided to take the advice of the folks here and pour concrete tube posts. Around here frost is pretty deep so I dug them in 4 feet. I poured the bottom half directly in the ground for lateral stability and used a sonotube form for the top half to finish the look. Came out real nice and will no doubt be a more sturdy structure.

The thing that surprised me was the ease with which the rr tie posts that I had already put in place and compacted around came out with the tractor. Even though I thought I had spent considerable time and effort in compacting the fill around them they were easily pushed over and lifted out. After seeing that Im happy I went with the poured concrete.

Thanks for the help...

 

[muddstopper]

A lot of misconcetions about RR ties. While cresote is still used in the treatment of RR ties, power poles, etc, it is more commonly used as part of a dual treatment. The other part being borax. NS railroad hasnt laid a 100% cresoted tie since about 2005. While some species of wood worked well with cresote, some hardwood, such as white oak, didnt take cresote verywell and just plain didnt last long in certain areas of the country. About 7 years is/was the adverage life span of a cresote tie. Most ties are not changed out because of rot, but instead of wear caused by the ballast. Also, lateral loads will cause the spikes to wallow out their holes and become loose, no longer being able to hold the rail in place. The railroads do not replace all of the ties in a given mile at the same time. With over 3000 ties per mile, it isnt unusual for a railroad to replace about a 1/3 or less of the total number of ties at any given time. Which ties will be replaced are based on a visual inspection which can be very deceiving and subject to the skill of the inspector. (translated to mean, the dumba$$ that cant do any other job right). There are many reusualbe ties replaced every year. Everytie that is removed from a section of track doesnt go to Lowes or Homedepot for landscaping. The old ties are usually sorted with the good ones going to a low traffic density track somewhere and reused. Pretty much the only thing wrong with them is the spike holes got wallowed out allowing loose gage. Flip it over and drive the spikes in the other side and it good for another 7-8 years.

it is also incorrect to suggest that crossties are made from inferior timbers. The railroads dont like having to spend the money to replace bad cross ties. Ties that are split, cracked, full of knots are very rare in a new crosstie. Structually, a crosstie is just as good a timber as timber you would purchase for any other construction purpose, including building a house. A new cross tie would be stronger than your 6x6 pressure treated pine post. And dont forget the word treated when you are considering your pine post, those preservatives aint exactly enviromentaly safe either.

Wish I had a dollar for every cross tie I have installed$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$,

 

[hookdrvr]

Gdicks,

Hopefully the peanut gallery is finished; I look forward to updates on your building. Some good questions about using ties for structure. Myself, and I'm sure others, aren't as intelligent on some of these things as those in other parts of the country. The only dumb question, is the one not asked. Keep the updates coming...................

 

[roadhunter]

They aren't meant to be buried in the dirt. They are meant to sit on RR balast (rocks), which drains well. Every installation of RR ties in retaining walls, garden step, etc... that I have ever seen buried in direct contact with earth has rotted within 20 years. You hope to build something that lasts longer than that. Use concrete footings with pressure treaed posts meant for that job.

Then who do farm and ranch supply stores sell creosote fence posts?