Should I Make my Own Glulam Columns?
I’ve been internet chattering back and forth with a gentleman named Chris, who is probably never going to order a Hansen Pole Building, but it is okay – we have thousands of clients a year who are knocking at our doors (figuratively) ready to place their orders.
Total Disclosure – I do not get paid, nor does Hansen Pole Buildings, LLC get any sort of financial compensation in return for my endorsement of a particular product or vendor. If I like a product, I will tell my readers straight up about it. Same goes the other direction.
Here is an excerpt from our most recent discussion:
Chris: “And I was going to make the laminated posts gluing and baking them, I have a local lumber company (not Lowe’s or HD ) they have good treated lumber that can be placed in ground.”
Me: “The most important things to me are people getting great buildings and good value for their investment.
I believe you trust in my judgment. Please do you and me both a favor and buy true glulaminated columns.
Here are just a few reasons….
The 2×6 they use to make them is nearly half again stronger than anything you can buy at the lumber yard;
They use glue which is designed to hold up – even under ground and in wet conditions;
In order to get a true glue bond, the wood must be planed, then glued within 24 hours;
They have the equipment to press them during curing – which keeps them nice and straight;
The time alone you save will more than pay for them.
There are plenty of ways to save money on your new post frame (pole) building kit – building your own glulaminated columns is not one of them. If you want to save both time and money (and end up with a better building), spend a few hours browsing about the nearly 1200 articles I have written and/or the over 600 questions I have answered from my loyal readers.
Have an idea and want to know if it is practical or not? Run it past me…. I’ll give you the straight story, every time.
Unfortunately I didn’t do enough research before building a post frame building. I’m running into a lot of deflection on the gable end of a 48x72x16’ high building. I made my own laminated columns out of 4 ply 2×6 southern yellow pine and liquid nails. Unfortunately none of the glue adhered at all and its down to just a nail lam. Would a guy be better off sistering a couple 2×6 boards on each side of the current posts or trying to change columns out to an actual laminated column for strength?
To be blunt – your problem is you built a very large structure, without having site specific engineer sealed plans. You will now spend more to fix what you have, than what you would have paid an engineer. Your site is what is known as an Exposure C for wind – nothing to stop direct wind exposure in one or more quadrants. This requires roughly 20% stronger of a wind resistant design, than same design wind speed on a protected site.
For extended reading on wind exposure please see:
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/06/wind-exposure-and-confusion/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/06/wind-exposure-and-confusion-part-ii/
https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/06/wind-exposure-and-confusion-part-iii/
Significant grief (and likely expense) could have been avoided had you ordered a Hansen Pole Building to start with.
Moving forward – first a disclaimer, please keep in mind, I went to school to be an architect, not an engineer, so any suggestions I may make, must be reviewed by a Registered Professional Engineer and are not to be construed as me practicing engineering.
Our engineers would typically have specified true glulaminated columns, fabricated from three 2400f (Machine Stress Rated lumber with a fiberstress in bending of 2400) for your endwall columns. 2×6 #2 Southern Pine has an Fb rating of 1000, or 41.67% as strong. A “fix” might be to add two (2) more 2×6 to each set of four currently existing – ideally one on each side. This entire assembly could be connected with Simpson SDWS22800DB timber screws, probably every six inches, from each side, staggered to avoid splitting and alternated so screws from each side are not running into each other.
But wait – there is more (feel like you just entered into an infomercial?)…..
At each endwall column, you will probably need to run a T brace (two 2×4 connected with SDWS16300 screws every 12 inches to form a T), These will need to attach to each set of columns at ceiling height and run through your trusses up tight to top chord of truss at eight feet from each end. Brace should be secured to column – expect four to six SDWS16300 screws, as well high end to truss top chord with Simpson LSTA12 (half on brace other half to top chord) – this will likely take some twisting of LSTA bracket.
This needs to be done to columns on BOTH ends of building, not just one.
This or similar, should greatly reduce your endwall deflection issues.