Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Straightening a warped 4" x 6" beam???

Got a 4 x 6 x 18' wood beam that I want to use to support a run of 2x6 rafters mid span on a lean-to I'm building. The beam is pretty twisted. I've got 8' useable feet. I need about 11'.

I was thinking I could bolt it to the concrete driveway at each end (maybe shim the low corner to over-twist it a bit) then water it down, let it sit in the weather, water it some more, tighten it down, etc. See if I can straighten it over the course of a week or two. Anyone ever tried this?


The other option would be bolt her to the drive way at each end. Tighten 'er down till she's straight, then cut some relief cuts with a chain saw (maybe 1-2" deep) and fill the relief cuts with epoxy.

Maybe I should just buy a new straight one. Problem is, local store does not have any 12 footers.

Any thoughts?


Jordan

Nail a couple 12' 2x6s together.


Mike

too cheap to go buy a strait one?

Bingo!

If you get it straight, it will likely return to its twisted shape. The stress is in the wood.
A 12' pressure treated 4x6 is likely worth about $30.
I'd not put a bunch of labor into it.

Maybe after the election and a Trump victory Rob will have enough disposable income to buy a straight beam.

Otherwise I'd laminate a couple of 2x6.

When you've got uneven stress in a dry beam, you're not going to get rid of it. You either need to use it to your advantage if you can (like placing a crowning member in a position of advantage), or use adhesives to reconstruct it so that the stresses are equalized (cut, rearrange, and laminate). Cutting through the fibers, perpendicularly I presume, will only result in seriously compromised strength. Epoxy is not a strength material by itself. I'd buy new material or make (laminate) your own.

I don't know what kind of material (wood) your beam is, but two or three 2x6s or 8s glued and screwed together, especially if they're top grade doug fir or similar material, might easily improve on what you have.

Redundant thread.
This post belonged in the bent dick disease thread couple weeks ago.

lol

ps
I've never seen a warped I-beam.

What about planing the twisted part of the beam square and then glue boards onto the planed part and then just plane beam to the dimensions desired.
I worked in a laminated beam plant for over 40 years and that was one of the ways we would straighten out the occasional twisted beam. Usually cheaper than remaking it.
I hope I explained it the way I meant to.

Ken

pps

I'm sorry to hear about your stick of kindling wood...
Got a chain saw?

Maybe you can sell it to a liberal and go buy a new one.

Libs prefer everything bent and twisted.

For 3 more usable feet it would probably not be tough to do some layout, a few minutes of adz work and a touch up with a power planer to get rid of the twist. Just need to figure out how much will be left once straight, say 3x5 inches, and determine if that will carry the load at 11 feet. May only need a flat top and flat spots where it bears at the ends. Have to decide what your needs are, a lean-to may not require perfection.

Best answer...

i would take 2 2x6's, a sheet of 3/8's OSB, some 20P spikes and a couple of tubes of liquid nails and make a lammy. a LOT stronger than a 4x6 and would never warp.

the 4x6 you have that is twisted is probably or possibly a boxed heart, in order to get that much volume from a smaller diameter log.

if there's one in town, procuring one that is straight for the entire 12ft, then cutting one end or the other (or half from each end), is by far the simplest solution. but there's nothing wrong with jacklegging if one enjoys it.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I was so fixated on using a beam I forgot I can just nail some 2 x 6s together and make by own beam.

The only way to straighten it is to mill it straight (e.g. with a jointer), but it will nolonger be 4x6. You need a different piece of wood or you could build up a site laminated beam as suggested above.

I have.

I've warped a couple, myself.
Usually, stupidity was involved!