Alpo Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 This is from a fiction, but it got me to wonder. They have the ridgepole from the old barn. It's forty feet long. Twenty inches square. 180 years old. They plan to use it as the ridgepole in the house they're building. It is heart pine. The statement is made that it is so hard they could not drive a nail into it. So how do you attach the rafters? I assume that you could drill holes into it. Would it work to drill slightly undersized holes for the nails, and driving the nails into the undersized holes would give it the grip needed? If it's too hard to nail, would that work? Still with the drilling the holes, but instead of driving nails into the holes use screws? If it's too hard to nail, would it be too hard for the screw threads to bite? Maybe that would just be a surface hardening from age, and once you have drilled through the surface you could easily screw into the wood below? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smuteye John SASS#24774 Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 You know when you hit a knot in that old pine whether it's driving a nail, running a drill or cutting it with a saw. It's also a quick way to ruin a perfectly good drill bit or circular saw blade. Those nails ring like a bell and just refuse to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozark Huckleberry Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 Have worked with ipe — too hard to drive a nail into. Predrill, nails would work, screws would hold better. Or use truss ties/plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Kit Cool Gun Garth Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 51 minutes ago, Ozark Huckleberry said: Or use truss ties/plates. Most definitely use hurricane anchors. They're in Louisiana in the story. But you still have to attach the hurricane anchors to the ridgepole. 53 minutes ago, Ozark Huckleberry said: Have worked with ipe For anyone else that read that and thought HUH??? https://www.wood-database.com/ipe/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 You could drill and plate it. Thrulock is another option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozark Huckleberry Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 51 minutes ago, Alpo said: Most definitely use hurricane anchors. They're in Louisiana in the story. But you still have to attach the hurricane anchors to the ridgepole. Your question was how to attach the rafters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 Yeah. Those are called hurricane anchors where I live. During a big storm they will hold your building together better than just toenailing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michigan Slim Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 Around here you run into a lot of houses and barns made with 'native' timber. That means oak and hickory milled on site in the 1800's. Predrill every nail and screw. They won't budge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted November 20, 2021 Share Posted November 20, 2021 No different than reusing oak limber from an old barn or cured bois d'arc. Pre-drill all the holes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted November 21, 2021 Share Posted November 21, 2021 13 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said: No different than reusing oak limber from an old barn or cured bois d'arc. Pre-drill all the holes What he said…only measure twice, drill once. As @Michigan Slim mentioned, old homes built with native timber. My dad got a contract to dismantle an old log cabin that was built in the very early 1800’s. He was then to use a bunch of the logs to frame a home. He used heavy brackets similar to those hurricane brackets above and drilled holes to use lag screws to join logs for the walls and rafters. The owner was not impressed where my dad and his crew mis-measured and there were some exposed holes that needed filling and blending to appear natural. That would was hard! That was the only job my dad did like this one. It took way longer than anticipated and he lost money on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassnetguy50 Posted November 21, 2021 Share Posted November 21, 2021 3 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: What he said…only measure twice, drill once. As @Michigan Slim mentioned, old homes built with native timber. My dad got a contract to dismantle an old log cabin that was built in the very early 1800’s. He was then to use a bunch of the logs to frame a home. He used heavy brackets similar to those hurricane brackets above and drilled holes to use lag screws to join logs for the walls and rafters. The owner was not impressed where my dad and his crew mis-measured and there were some exposed holes that needed filling and blending to appear natural. That would was hard! That was the only job my dad did like this one. It took way longer than anticipated and he lost money on it. Worked with a guy who would use unnecessary plates to cover misdrilled holes so the owners wouldn't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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