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Old 06-05-2008, 10:20 AM
Brandon Chew Brandon Chew is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Albany, NY
Posts: 284
Re: End bearing requirements
It's hard to evaluate from one photo but I don't like what I see there.

It looks like you have two glu-lams that are end-butted together over a 4x4 post, with a piece of plywood sandwiched between them. Why the plywood is there, I don't know, but it probably serves no structural purpose in that joint; it's taking up space that would be better used to provide more bearing for the beams on the top of the post.

The beams are being held together over the post by toenails from the left one into the right one and by only one nail through a home-made connector plate. The beams were either never installed tightly butted to each other or they have pulled apart. Perhaps the home-made connector plate was added later in an attempt to stop the movement?

The whole joint is sloppy, slip-shod work on what may be a key structural element of the home. Assuming the post was adequate to support the load, the plywood should not be there, the beams should be tightly butted to each other with the joint over the center of the post, and the whole thing should be tied together with connectors and fasteners that are designed for this purpose.

Assuming the 4x4 post is adequate is a big assumption here. The choice of using glu-lams for the girders vs girders built-up from 2x lumber on edge suggest there is either a larger than normal span between support posts or a greater than normal load on the girders from above. Either condition means there is more than normal load being carried by the post.
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