Figuring a beam for calculation of pass or fail

[LarryG]

So if I have a beam that is 8”X8”X what ever I need and will have 3” wide 5” tall 1.5” deep joist pockets cut into it. How do I figure the size of the beam calculations to see if it passes or not. Is it a 6.5” beam or still figured a 8” beam.

[Don P]

It is a 6.5" wide beam. If notched to that depth from both sides it becomes a 5" wide timber for design. 

Down in the weeds;
1.5" is minimum bearing length for wood on wood in the code. Typically you don't bottom out a tenon so I'd figure on losing another 1/8 to 1/4 on beam width.

[WBENNETT]

It is a 6.5" wide beam. If notched to that depth from both sides it becomes a 5" wide timber for design.

I didn't realize this! So this means if you have 8x12 girts supporting floor joists with 1-inch drop-in housings, the girt needs to be considered 7x12 for load calcs?

[Don P]

Welcome aboard 

If 1" is the max depth of the "damage"...Yup!

[LarryG]

Does this work the same for figuring my posts. Im figuring 8x8 posts for my front wall of my timber frame sawmill shed at 14'2" tall. So my tie beam going into my post is a 1" mortise and my beam for my big opening of the shed is 1" would this be also figured as a 7x7 post. 
Also is 1" mortise enough for the Tie and Beam. 

[Don P]

It would take a sketch... but no, not in the sense of what the column calcs are checking. For a column you are checking for buckling between points of lateral support (the floor, the tie and beam are all lateral supports) Buckling happens between supports. I just assumed these are end connections on that post and there is no bending force on them... that's why a word salad is dangerous and drawings are needed, the drawing in my head is not the drawing in yours. But that is a "basic" answer.

I'll answer that bearing question another way. I've seen stuff shrink and move enough to put my thumb in the joint, my thumb is about an inch wide. The building code says a minimum of 1-1/2" bearing for wood on wood but they are referencing light frame not heavy timber. The NDS says check your bearing area for localized crushing and the wood handbook says to think about after things season in use.

And I've swung the boom right into the roof with a log in the grapple, as has a neighbor unloading his truck, wrecking ball! You're gonna whack it hard in its life at least a time or two. Mill construction is more robust than timberframing. awc.org has a publication, I think "DCA4 Heavy Timber Construction" that shows those methods. I posted a link in one of these threads recently. It might have more ideas. A bolster on the post is in my mind but I don't really know your design.

[LarryG]

Don P
I will work on a drawing of this post it was a 6x6 at first drawing and I'm changing to a 8x8. So I will get back to you on this. 

[LarryG]

I can't figure out how to post a picture again

[Don P]

Click "Reply"
The window I'm typing on now appears. bottom left of this is a blue box that says "Click here to add Photos to post" Click it and it'll take you to the upload window. Does that get you over the hump?