CCC Project Manual BUILDING MATERIALS

Transcription

1 CCC Project Manual BUILDING MATERIALS

2 Units of Measure and Conversions In this manual, you may see some shorthand notations for units of measure means 12 inches 10 means 10 feet 12 inches equals 1 foot 60 lbs. means 60 pounds Lumber Finished Vs. Rough Cut Finished Lumber: When you go to Lowe s or Home Depot, almost all of the lumber you will see is finished lumber. Finished lumber is smooth to the touch. This wood has been planed at the sawmill, which alters the dimensions of original board. For example, when you buy finished 2x4, you re actually buying a board that measures about 1 ½ by 3 ½. Rough Cut: This is lumber that has not undergone the finishing step at the sawmill. As the name implies, rough cut boards are very rough to the touch and have visible saw marks from the mill. Rough cut boards come in TRUE dimensions, so a rough cut 2x4 actually does measure 2 inches by 4 inches. 99% of CCC projects will use finished lumber rather than rough cut because rough cut wood is harder to work with and rots more quickly. Rough cut material is recommended only for structures such as outhouses, sheds, dog houses, or chicken coups. When you go to the store and ask for lumber, the default assumption is that you mean finished lumber. Name of Actual Size of Finished Board Lumber (approx.) Common uses 1x4 ¾ x 3 ½ Purlins 1x6 ¾ x 5 ½ Purlins 1x10 ¾ x 9 ½ Decking 1x12 ¾ x 11 ½ Decking 5 / 4 x6 1 x 5 ½ Decking 2x4 1 ½ x 3 ½ Rails 2x6 1 ½ x 5 ½ Framing, Decking, Rails 2x8 1 ½ x 7 ½ Framing 2x10 1 ½ x 9 ½ Step Stringers 2x12 1 ½ x 11 ½ Step Stringers 4x4 3 ½ x 3 ½ Posts 4x6 3 ½ x 5 ½ Posts 6x6 5 ½ x 5 ½ Posts, Beams The Tree it Comes From The lumber you will use for most structures is #2 grade southern yellow pine. Oak is suitable for outhouses, sheds, chicken coups, and anything that isn t carrying a load (something people walk on). Oak is a very HARD wood and difficult to work with. Spruce can be used for interior trim and framing. Never use poplar for anything but firewood! It rots too fast. Pressure-Treated Lumber (The Best Stuff) All exterior construction projects should use pressure-treated wood, especially for any wood that comes in contact with the ground. Most treated lumber has a life span of 30 to 40 years. Pressure-treated wood should NEVER be burned! 34 - MATERIALS & TOOLS

3 Do not paint or stain treated wood until a year has passed. It must go through a full four-season cycle before you can paint/stain it! All treated lumber is finished, but not all finished lumber is treated (e.g. wall studs). Board Dimensions Boards come in different dimensions, such as a 2x4 or a 1x6. The first number describes how thick a board is. The second number describes how wide a board is. (Again, keep in mind that, when dealing with finished lumber these are not TRUE dimensions.) Most boards are sold in lengths of 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 foot lengths. You will often hear boards described with three numbers. For example, a 2x4x8 means that the board is 2 inches thick (actual 1 ½ for finished), 4 inches wide (actual 3 ½ for finished), and 8 feet long. Culled Lumber Lumber companies often have piles of culled lumber. These are boards that are warped, bowed, or otherwise flawed. Since most construction companies or do-it-yourselfers can t use such wood, culled lumber is usually sold at a discounted price or donated. For CCC s purposes, culled lumber can be very useful. MATERIALS & TOOLS - 35

4 Hardware Nails Wood nails are measured according to their length. This is usually expressed by the letter "d" which is called penny. Sizes run from 2d nails ( 2 penny nails ) to 60d nails ( 60 penny nails ). When nailing a board 1 ½ thick or greater to another board (i.e. framing), you should use 16d ( 16 penny ) nails. When nailing a board less than 1 ½ thick (i.e. decking), you can use 8d or 10d. Galvanized Nails are made to withstand the elements and should be used for ALL exterior projects. Coated Sinker Nails do not withstand the elements and should only be used for interior projects. Some nails have deformations such as rings, spirals or barbs drive into wood fibers to hold fast. When using nails with deformations or coatings, remember that these are more difficult to drive and to remove. For all intents and purposes, the hot dipped galvanized common nail should be used most often for outdoor projects. Carriage Bolts (aka Carriage Screws) ALWAYS use galvanized carriage bolts for loadbearing construction projects! Bolts provide much more strength and stability than nails or screws can offer. Use 6 long x ½ diameter carriage bolts (unless you are using a bolt to penetrate a post and two 2x6s, in which case you would need an 8 long bolt). Bolts also require a washer (½ diameter) and hex nut (½ diameter) to complete a secure connection. A carriage bolt has a round head or hex head with no slots. There is a small square shoulder just under the head which, when countersunk into the wood, keeps the bolt from turning as the nut is tightened. Carriage bolts have blunt tips (not to be confused with Lag Screws, which have pointed tips). Joist Hangers When attaching the load-bearing framing members of a structure (i.e. joists), it is simply not enough to use nails alone to hold them in place. Joists will come detached over time if nails are all that s holding them in place. Joist hangers should also be used for greater structural support. They are sold in different sizes, depending on the dimensions of your joist (2x6, 2x6, 2x10, etc.). Make sure you use joist hangers for the dimensions they were intended for. You must also purchase the appropriate joist hanger nails for the hangers you use. These nails are short and fat, and come in 5 lb. boxes. You should buy N8 or N10 nails. Usually sold next to joist hangers. You can also use regular 8d galvanized nails for the wings of joist hangers. For steps, you can use skew or sloped joist hangers, which allow you to change the degree of slope for the hanger 36 - MATERIALS & TOOLS

5 Tapcons These pieces of hardware are used to anchor wood structures to masonry, concrete, or bricks. Tapcon fasteners come in two diameters, ¼ and 3/16". Tapcon length should be 2 to 2 ¾ when fastening most framing boards (2x6, 2x8, etc.) to masonry. Tapcons have different kinds of heads, like a Phillips head or a hex head. Always use Tapcons with hex heads. When attaching a Tapcon, you will need to drill a pilot hole first with a masonry bit. For ¼ diameter tapcons, use a 3/16 masonry bit. For 3/16 diameter tapcons, use a 5/32 masonry bit. (You can often find masonry bits sold right next to Tapcons at the store, and sometimes a package of Tapcons will include a masonry bit.) Tapcons are usually blue. 4x4 Post Base These pieces of hardware are used to anchor posts that are sitting on top of a structure. Galvanized deck screws should be used to fasten the post base to wood structures. Screws and Tapcons should be used for concrete. Fastener Strengths Structures are only as strong as the materials they are made of and how well they are put together. Different fasteners have different strengths and may offer more or less stability and support. In case you re not sure of what to use in a certain application, here are some rough estimates of fastener strengths. Footers 16d nails: These offer a sheer strength of 400 lbs. Carriage bolts: These offer a sheer strength of lbs! Joist hangers: Each of these can increase sheer strength by ten times. Cap Blocks Masonry blocks that measure 4 x8 x16 or 4 x12 x16. Use SOLID cap blocks. Don t use 2x8x16 cap blocks for footers not enough support! These are used to provide support for posts, which in turn, hold up structures like porches, ramps, etc. (Not to be confused with pier blocks which are more expensive) Concrete Mix CCC uses concrete mix for backfilling post holes, which gives porches, ramps, steps, and handrails increased stability. Concrete is not to be confused with mortar (an adhesive used for bricks), coatings (which are used to weatherproof and protect masonry), or patches (which are used to fill cracks and holes in masonry). It is doubtful that you will ever use any other masonry product other than concrete mix. Two of the most common brand names in concrete mix are Quikrete and Sacrete. MATERIALS & TOOLS - 37

6 Tool Picture Guide Carpenter s Pencil Caulk Gun Chalk Line Crow Bar (aka wrecking bar ) Electrical Adapter Extension Cord Grass Clippers Hammer (claw) Hand Pruners Hedge Clippers Hoe Ladder (extension) Ladder (step) Lawn Mower Level Linoleum Knife Blade Mattock Mop Paint Brush Paint Scraper Pliers Post Hole Diggers Post Level Power Circular Saw Power Drill Drill Bits - auger tips Drill Bits - spade tips Power Jig Saw Power Miter Saw Power Reciprocating Saw 38 - MATERIALS & TOOLS

7 Tool Picture Guide Power Sander (orbital) Pruning Shears Pry Bar (aka flat bar ) Putty Knives Rake (gravel) Rake (leaf) Roller Roller Pads Roller Tray Sanding Block Saw (hack) Saw (lumber) Saw (tree) Saw Horse Screwdriver (flathead) Screwdriver (Phillips) Shovel (flat) Shovel (round) Sounding Rod Square (speed) Square (framing Tape Measure Tin snips Utility Knife Vice Grips Weed Eater Wood Chisel Wood Rasp Wrench Set (crescent) Wrench Set (socket MATERIALS & TOOLS - 39

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