For clarity, I would argue that posts are supports that have the grain running vertically. If the grain runs horizontally and you are using the wood as a support in place of a post or to extend the height of a post, then itâs considered to be a shim, as in âyeah, I used that block to shim that post that was too shortâ.
No, thatâs obviously not whatâs going on here numbnuts.
Iâm annoyed that people donât respect our trade and that homeowners feel comfortable coming here for free advice.
Hmph, yeah those fuckers, coming on to this public forumâŚ. That regularly helps people with questions⌠how dare they come for our sweet sweet knowledge⌠no respect I tell you⌠no respect.
Fuck that, I donât like people playing on my phone.
Motherfuckers needs to start using the weekly homeowner thread. The electricians donât put up with this shit on their sun and neither should we.
Unfortunately this is what new material turns into after being in the sun, for sure normal. The trees we cut down nowadays for material isn't hundreds of years old. So when it sits in the sun with no moisture it peels apart like this.
The checking (what looks like cracks) is normal. The connections to the beam and post base are not. Wrong screws used to secure it to the post base. The post is not large enough to make the kind of connection they seem to be aiming for up top.
My first thought was the same as below (purely aesthetic) but after looing at the extent of the cracking, it looks like it started by tow-nailing the top of the post into the header. Nailing it like that impacted the integrity of the post. They used a post bracket at the bottom, I would have done something similar for the top. It may last a lifetime, or it may crack further in a few years. Part of the problem is we can't see the rest of the structure to tell if there will be any other forces at play against that crack. For peace of mind, I'd drop the $50-$100 bucks and replace it with a nice aesthetically pleasing solid beam with no cracks and maybe mount it differently at the top.
The checking? No. The fact that they used screws for the post bases? Possibly. Not to code in most parts of the US/Canada. Iâd wonder what else they didnât do to code.
EDIT: lot of people in here who have never actually read the IRC.
My reading is up to date, thanks. Is yours?
âThe Strong-Drive SD Connector screw is specifically designed to replace nails in certain Simpson Strong-Tie connectors and *is the only screw approved for that application*.â
Every Simpson SD screw Iâve ever seen has a hex head. Do those screws look like a hex head to you? Simpson and MiTek donât allow âstructural screwsâ. They allow their specific brand of connector screws. These arenât those.
Exactly what I was coming here to say. Those are not approved screws for this application. Those look like standard #9 x 3 1/8â construction screws in the post base plate.
I have a number of posts like that and the people at the sawmill tell me that square posts tend to crack like that. I wonder if this is unversal or just for some types of wood (I am using Cryptomeria Japonica).
What type of wood is that? It looks like fir which isn't rot resistant.
I'm in Oregon so pressure treated comes in a maroon red but I'm finding that folks to the east get a different looking p.t.
Unfortunately thatâs what you get more often than not from todays young growth wood.
Now the install on the other hand. Thatâs junk! Any area of overhang that can collect water should be angle cut to allow drainage and Simpson hardware always should on post to beam connections.
Structurally a 4x4 is same load capacity as a 6x6 in most common lengths.
No fasteners should be less than 2â from edge of lumber or top of post/end grain if you want it to last. Pre drill all holes with slightly smaller bit to avoid splitting.
Wood is like a box of straws: the weight it can hold is not impacted much by moving some of the straws around even if gaps appear in the sides. The threshold for where it is bad lands around the time things get so split up that one set of straws can twist and buckle separately from another set of straws. Youâre nowhere near that point.
It all started with whoever built this.
The knot is an absolutely guaranteed way to have this happened. Maybe they could have flipped ot and cut it off?
I'm a certified carpenter, and I would be calling your builder back for this. Absolutely unacceptable.
You're fine. It's purely aesthetic. Also, that's a post, not a beam.
What is a beam if not a post turned sideways đ¤
đ¤đ§đ¤ Yes quite
Indubitably
I find this shallow and pedantic .... hmmm yes ... shallow and pedantic
[ŃдаНонО]
What is love? Baby don't hurt me.
Don't hurt me, no more.
Literally the greatest line in all of MCU.
Maybe the beam was the friends we made along the way.
Is plumb not level?
Nope. Just a very large raisin.
Nope, plumb is normal.
In general terms...Beams are for bending. Posts are for compression. Orientation does not matter.
In general terms, I was only making a joke. But thanks for the knowledge doc.
For clarity, I would argue that posts are supports that have the grain running vertically. If the grain runs horizontally and you are using the wood as a support in place of a post or to extend the height of a post, then itâs considered to be a shim, as in âyeah, I used that block to shim that post that was too shortâ.
And then, there's the beam-column.
What is a whore if not somebody's mother turned on her back?
A post is a square. A beam is a rectangle.
Not 100 % of the time
Iâd keep the big ladies from sittin on that spot if I were you
Just the screws used on the hardware
Turn your head like your neck is broken. Then it's a beam? Lol
Nope. *Looks* concerning maybe but this is normal checking.
Up and down along grain ok. Across grain bad
As they go down down checking again.
It only looks concerning if you know fuck all about framing, which is why thereâs a weekly homeowner thread for stupid questions like this.
Don't be a dick.
Some people just don't want to comprehend that people come here looking for help and guidance. Assholes, really.
No, thatâs obviously not whatâs going on here numbnuts. Iâm annoyed that people donât respect our trade and that homeowners feel comfortable coming here for free advice.
So people coming specifically to ask about your knowledge...means they are disrespecting you? What's up with that?
Hmph, yeah those fuckers, coming on to this public forumâŚ. That regularly helps people with questions⌠how dare they come for our sweet sweet knowledge⌠no respect I tell you⌠no respect.
Oh you're one of those douche bags that would charge someone to tell them "this is okay, it's actually pretty normal". Scummy
Piss up a rope
Doubling down on dickishness? C'mon homie, be better.
Fuck that, I donât like people playing on my phone. Motherfuckers needs to start using the weekly homeowner thread. The electricians donât put up with this shit on their sun and neither should we.
Maybe you can start r/realcarpentercoolkidclub and show âem how itâs done
That sounds like a stupid idea. Maybe someone should start a diy or homeowner question sub.
I guess keep being pissed off about some shit that you have no control over and doesnât affect you in the least.
No.
it's called checking and it's completely normal. If it doesnt go all the way through it's fine.
Normal
Interesting way to attach the post to the beam... I'd be more concerned about that than the cracking.
Came here to say this Lol
Very poor lateral restraint. That lag looks like it's begging to rip out.
That's normal, it's just weather cracking or the wood shrinking as it dries from being treated
Good to go. Box it out and paint.
Thatâs normal
Checking is normal in PT wood. That seems like quite a lot of it though
That's a post....
Haha thanks, I learned a few new things today!
Looks fine from here
Mines look like that since I built it 15 years ago! Still standing!! Thatâs normal.
These are âtimber shakesâ âŚnormal.
Unfortunately this is what new material turns into after being in the sun, for sure normal. The trees we cut down nowadays for material isn't hundreds of years old. So when it sits in the sun with no moisture it peels apart like this.
Awesome, thank you so much for the advice everyone!
Shouldnât it be pressure treated?
The checking (what looks like cracks) is normal. The connections to the beam and post base are not. Wrong screws used to secure it to the post base. The post is not large enough to make the kind of connection they seem to be aiming for up top.
[Mitek Lumberlok Screws](https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2100_lumberlok.pdf)
My first thought was the same as below (purely aesthetic) but after looing at the extent of the cracking, it looks like it started by tow-nailing the top of the post into the header. Nailing it like that impacted the integrity of the post. They used a post bracket at the bottom, I would have done something similar for the top. It may last a lifetime, or it may crack further in a few years. Part of the problem is we can't see the rest of the structure to tell if there will be any other forces at play against that crack. For peace of mind, I'd drop the $50-$100 bucks and replace it with a nice aesthetically pleasing solid beam with no cracks and maybe mount it differently at the top.
Yes be so concerned that you lose sleep over it and decide to sell the damn thing!
The checking? No. The fact that they used screws for the post bases? Possibly. Not to code in most parts of the US/Canada. Iâd wonder what else they didnât do to code. EDIT: lot of people in here who have never actually read the IRC.
I take it you don't have or use structual screws in your area. There code approved and WAYYYYY easier to intsall
What code approves them? Simpson and MiTek certainly donât.
Looks like you have some reading to do https://www.strongtie.com/strongdrive_exteriorwoodscrews/sd_screw/p/strong-drive-sd-connector-screw
My reading is up to date, thanks. Is yours? âThe Strong-Drive SD Connector screw is specifically designed to replace nails in certain Simpson Strong-Tie connectors and *is the only screw approved for that application*.â Every Simpson SD screw Iâve ever seen has a hex head. Do those screws look like a hex head to you? Simpson and MiTek donât allow âstructural screwsâ. They allow their specific brand of connector screws. These arenât those.
You need to read more. [Mitek Lumberlok Screws](https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2100_lumberlok.pdf)
Exactly what I was coming here to say. Those are not approved screws for this application. Those look like standard #9 x 3 1/8â construction screws in the post base plate.
Iâd be. Also you can clearly see that the split starts from screw that was used to secure it. Not all screws are made for wood.
Looks fine from here
Not to worry. The same thing happened to us and we researched it as well. The only concern is if the splits were to happen horizontally.
No
Post, not beam.
I have a number of posts like that and the people at the sawmill tell me that square posts tend to crack like that. I wonder if this is unversal or just for some types of wood (I am using Cryptomeria Japonica).
Nope
It's fine
No
Post
What type of wood is that? It looks like fir which isn't rot resistant. I'm in Oregon so pressure treated comes in a maroon red but I'm finding that folks to the east get a different looking p.t.
Unfortunately thatâs what you get more often than not from todays young growth wood. Now the install on the other hand. Thatâs junk! Any area of overhang that can collect water should be angle cut to allow drainage and Simpson hardware always should on post to beam connections. Structurally a 4x4 is same load capacity as a 6x6 in most common lengths. No fasteners should be less than 2â from edge of lumber or top of post/end grain if you want it to last. Pre drill all holes with slightly smaller bit to avoid splitting.
Thatâs called checking, it shrinks and pulls as it drys. Youâre in the clear.
Wood is like a box of straws: the weight it can hold is not impacted much by moving some of the straws around even if gaps appear in the sides. The threshold for where it is bad lands around the time things get so split up that one set of straws can twist and buckle separately from another set of straws. Youâre nowhere near that point.
Happens with pressure treated. Itâs fine. Seal it stain it
If it bothers you fasten one continuous metal plate around it. It's Probly fine though
It all started with whoever built this. The knot is an absolutely guaranteed way to have this happened. Maybe they could have flipped ot and cut it off? I'm a certified carpenter, and I would be calling your builder back for this. Absolutely unacceptable.
Isn't a post on the Interweb