zoothorn

@Onoff ok many thanks. I was just wondering if you could rotate the sketch round that's all. Then you see I can ID which beam 1,2,3,4 from my sketch. Its a p'easy project for you- but its far from simple for me having never fixed a joist or a sleeper you see. I need to go back a step: is my sleeper the right one for the job? the brown 10x5 type I put a photo of, softwood afaict.

@Onoff its tricky to visualise as your orientation is opposite to my sketch which is in my head & I can only go by or my head explodes trying to work this out. Your high plinths are on the RHS (mine on the LHS). If we swizzle your sketch round, the joists are as I originally had too.. its suggested by Declan & PeterW to put the joists perpendicular running (front to back as we look at the image, not across left to right). Your thoughts on this appreciated.

@Onoff I like the sketch- thanks. Actually for the top two plinths I don't need upright pillars. The frame will sit on the plinths instead here. This means less wood to use (+ I'm saving going so high too: already the cabin will be perched 'up' a good 1ft). My sketch pg before shows this basic idea, but its suggested just changing the joists 90*/ not doing the 'cantilever' then RHS (bc chaps here said it'll save wood/ preferable, & I can sure up the walky sticky outy bit).

@Onoff I'm not sure what type of sleeper 1st off.. I see 4 types at jewsons. Reclaimed, these ones I show brown 10x5, greener ones 9x5, french oak a bit smaller but hardwood. I only need 1x cut in half to get me up to 15cm above my top plinths. Then how to attatch a beam to these two uprights/ & what guage beam to use (6x3 or two 6x2's doubled-up) I'm not sure on. No I can't see any holes in the base of these bracket things- odd. I guess the lip I can accomodate by cutting a notch in sleeper end. I was hoping there'd be a 'shoe' galvanised bracket thing I fix to plinth.. then plonk sleeper in.

Onoff- can you suggest how I'm best attatching the sleeper pillars (H 85cm) > to the plinths? I've got a period of dry weather coming up so best try & get this base done if I can. 1st thing is these 2x pillars. Ive looked at these 10x5 type in Jewsons/ pic 1, & trawled google info/ pics for "sleeper brackets" but can't find anything. I was hoping to find a bigger version of these pergola pillar 5" brackets/ pic 2. Am I on the right track with this type of sleeper (there are loads of types) & bracket.. or are these completely -not- the right choice?

JSH I want to buy your old ac30! can you/ anyone suggest what plinth brackets to use for the 'full sleeper' upright columns to fix into? my pro chap said something about 'resin bolts'. Sleepers in Jewsons I looked at today are 8ft x 10"x5", nice square ends. look like creosoted softwood.

I actually don't think I need pininterest's help on this one. I did before (esp my balcony design- it would've been perfect for that no doubt) maybe. I have my design, just orientation of joists opposite to sketch my chap kindly whipped up. My Jewsons: have 6x2 tannalised, & also 6x3.. I'm wondering on 6x3's for the outer 4 beams to form my perimeter square (with two extenting out 1m over stream, usefully they're 3.6m long so little waste).. & then the 6x2's as joists? Is this plan adequate support for a "2.5 x 2.5m log cabin" is the Q. Going 'doubling-up' on 6x2's seems quite a faff you see, & if 4" width possibly a bit overkill.. maybe 6x3's would fit the bill.

christ I'll get nothing done then. Onoff that's very honest!! Now look back on track: I've got my plan & will see what "tannalised" timber Jewsons have/ what lengths. Spoke to my chap & mentioned 6x2 advised (on here) for outer beams: he said 'mmm maybe double them up, gotta account for +snow load etc'. Because I've gone for only 4x support pillars (not 8x as would be if 3x pillars along each wall/ orig idea), I need to make sure the four load-bearing perimeter beams are perhaps OTT engineered a bit, like my plinfs are. So with this in mind is the way to go doubling-up of 6x2's, or am I better going a bigger guage for my four perimeter beams?

PeterW- starting to look at timber (specifically if I can get a beam long enough as per my beam no.1) at my jewson site, but 'tanalised' or '150 x 50mm' [I assume 6x2] = no results. Is 'tanalised' treated timber for use in exterior jobs?

Ah ok.. so is it a library of sorts, with a photo basis to it: is that the sort of site design principle of it?

b b but i dont know what it is. is it a cult?

apps & playstores & instagram/ smartphone stuff.. trouble is I think I have a massive aversion to it. pininterest & made up words like it jarr so much it creats such a huge irritation before I start to understand what the dickens it means/ is!! (I loathe smartphones for many reasons, & most especially the word 'app' even this I've no idea what it is, or want to!!). I must be weird. but I much appreciate the ideas.

That's a useful pic. gives me a rough idea. Pininterest? what on earth does that mean?

I'm buying a used typical log cabin affair Declan.. disassembling it there/ rebuilding it here: so you see I can modify a bit here n there.

@Declan52 ah ok I'm on board.. thanks for that sketch. I guess then I can do a proper ~1m walky bit then (& put up ballastrade whatnots in time) if not constrained by the cantilever'd addition. Ok so how about the joists @ 400mm centres, C'tex in between etc below cabin area.. is this the right idea? I'll get C'tex in the roof probably even if only 25mm, & as the back 's unseen I can maybe go 50mm (on the outside.. if I can think how to attatch, & cover/ clad etc: not on the inside as space is priority). Sides & door/ front.. tricky tho.

But that means the cantilever'd extra area (walky bit RHS), over & onwards past beam no.4, won't happen tho.

Hi PeterW- so you'd go joists from beams no.1 to no.2 instead you mean?

This is the idea my chap sketched. This is the base four beams (my shed perimeter walls ontop of these). No.4 is lying flat: ontop of this he suggested joists running from beam no.3 > across beam no.4...... & onward a bit too (as much as I can, for a walky bit this extra bit). The joists [not yet shown] will go in & attatch most critically via joist hangers @ beam 3 (where my series of 'o' zits & '>' arrows are), & to the flat beam no.4. 2x 85cm H full sleeper thickness, for ontop of lower 2x plinths & up. 85cm is the difference in height between lower two plinfs & upper two. Thing is I can't see what beam I can my that's ~3.4m long. The hardwood ones are 2.4m long.

Ah- didn't know that. Ok so difference is, a hammer will tonk the joist out of place, a drill won't much: so how do i clamp a perpendicular joist B to beam A so hammering nails won't send B off kilter?

Yup- will photo a sketch later one light better/ post it up. All these joisty xyz & hangers is all new to me.. I'm only relying on vague recalling of a labouring site job 30 yrs ago I last saw these hangers: what I do recall is the Ex+ strength of the joint they made.

Great help here Declan.. I like those clamps/ good for general woodwork after too, & those twist nails are interesting: guess would save alot of use of a drill driver plus screws too. One thing I do need to get, & carefully choose, if the right hammer. I need one for these twistys then & use for 4" steel nails I'll use tons of for small walkway projects, plus two later stairs projects too. Ive seen the US carpenters' YTclips with theirs which seem so integral to them/ pg1 important, I think its important to get a quality multi-use one for life. thanks-zoot

My pro chap outlined a basic plan for the base- wonder what you think: 2x full sleeper uprights for lower plinths H ~85cm. A beam(A) to lie flat on the upper 2x plinths (parallel to stream) joining these two. Obvuiously resin-bolted steel bracketed to my plinfs. Then a series of joists across (perpendicular & fixed by alu metal hangers to beam(A), @ 400mm centres (IE celotex between).. to rest upon/ fix to another beam(B) joining the sleeper uprights, & joists continue on over twds the stream by 20% (a common figure in his work for cantilevered overhang/ anyway whatever's max I can go for an added side walky bit). Noggins too? Lastly: 2x added 45* inside brace timbers @ the sleeper pillars > beam above, for added rigidity/ to help prevent racking. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's his basic suggested plan, kindly & quickly sketched in 5mins after our hard work. Thinking on whatever base I go with, the main thing of concern to me is the wind channels down the gdn & hits my 'shed' front on, hard: like my extention it'll whack the end of, often at 90*. So alot of pressure will be put on my 'lower side', my 2 sleeper uprights will want to domino one another -backwards- I assume.. if say a storm puts wind at max.

Ok great chaps- I'll be leaving anyway for a week min/ no rush.. its wales after all. Then onto the beam plan. Cheers zoot

Actually its a log cabin actually.. shed pfft! A week? ah ok- thought it was 24hrs.. just had a peep & looking good! its defo set & no slump down at all on the back one. I sort of assumed the tops would just settle alone level (rebar protrudes proventing a level-tamp across).. is that the idea? can I smooth down any unevenness prior to attatching my plate xyz things with something, or is that too late now too?

I know I know.. but its a shed on a 45* slope, & its my 1st build effort using concrete which I don't know the way it behaves. How long until set btw? I need to angle-grind off these rebar ends before I impale myself. cheers- zoot.