Ripping 18' long 2x6...

[Stuart Welsh]

I'm building custom beams out of rough cedar for my kitchen ceiling and want to maintain a 3 3/4" thickness. 4x6 cedar is basically a true 4x6 so a bit too thick. Even so, given these beams are retrofit and will not be carried by anything substantial at the wall ends I feel they will be too heavy. Tripled up 2x6 will yield a 5" thick beam so I want to rip the two outer boards down to 1" each.

My first thought was to take the boards to a mill and have them done on a large saw in one pass. But then the DIY'er in me started thinking about how I might do this on my Unisaw. Of course the cut will require at least two passes but given that the cut side will not be visible on the finished beam I won't have to stress out about blade marks should the cut not be perfect. The real issue is a good in and out feed strategy including positioning my saw to allow the board room to stick out of my 20' wide shop before and after it enters the blade. That seems like a lot of time cobbling together sturdy and level support to prevent the board from binding in the blade.

Thoughts? Am I wacky or not?

Here is a detail and rationale of the beam for those who question the build up of 3 2x6's. Given I will be able to hide the joints with a detail I'm not worried about the joint becoming visible. As the picture below shows the beam will capture a smaller strip of lumber attached to the existing ceiling framing. The beams will run perpendicular to the joists so this smaller strip will attach to every joist with reliable fasteners. The beam will then be nailed through the side into the mounting strip. The design of the beam will allow me to: Save weight, incorporate a chase for wiring if needed, and allow fastening to the ceiling in more locations with smaller nails and thus easier to hide. Oh and for the curious as to why the 3 3/4 thickness…The room width is such that 3 3/4" beams will lay out perfectly within the room when spaced 16" apart.

Beam Detail.jpg

[Matt Day]

Instead of ripping you could use a planer.

[Joseph Montroy]

Or rip it on a bandsaw.

[Stuart Welsh]

Instead of ripping you could use a planer.

Or rip it on a bandsaw.

Thanks guys...

Ya know, I get these questions in my head and as soon as I hit "Post" answers come to me before I have a single reply. Both solutions occurred to me as soon as I walked into my shop.

Resawing on the band saw would certainly get me acclimated to that process, which I have no experience on. I did recently upgrade my 14" Delta with a resaw extension, Carter guides, tension release etc but the given I'd be resawing 32 2x6 ranging in length from 14' to 18' the process would likely take forever….once I got the hang of wrestling such long stock.

The planer seems more workable with those lengths and quantity given I've got a Jet 15" with Helix head. It'd sure be a workout on the blades and probably a couple empties of the dust collection bin but quicker and more accurate.

What I'm doing now is going back to the drawing board and investigating what spacing I might end up with using full thickness wood. I think I may be able to work it out but I'm not sure I like the look of the 5" three full thickness boards achieve. There is a mill in the area that will thin them down using a large industrial drum sander at the rate of $60 an hour. They can't tell me how long it would take though…..Hmmmm$$$.

[Matt Day]

You've got the tools for the job (planer), why consider paying someone?

Your planer isn't going to flinch at this job either. It will do it all day and want more.

[Joseph Montroy]

Especially with the helical head in it...That's a no brainer!

[Bill Adamsen]

Jointing and planing would be a reasonable solution. That's how I achieved the columns in the photos (Douglass fir and Eastern hemlock) How do you intend to glue? How will you do the clamping? Takes a fair number of clamps for something that long - though I suppose there are other approaches using large rubber bands (bicycle inner tubes or surgical tubes) or simply weights. Or glue and nail/screw.

[scott vroom]

Do I understand correctly that you are installing ~4 x 6 exposed ceiling beams at 16" OC throughout your kitchen? My first thought is it's going to look way too busy....not a good architectural design IMO. At a minimum I'd double the spacing. Unless you're in the habit of recording live music in the kitchen and need the sound baffles

[Edward Oleen]

If you are going to "Do It Yourself", single-handed, I think you are in for a real tough time. 18ft of 2x6 is heavy, and, worse than that, it is very unwieldy. It's not just the weight, it is the distribution of the weight. If you lift it at the center, you have to remember that you have 9ft of lumber on each side of you: hard to get swinging, and hard to STOP swinging.

You either need a couple of alert helpers, or... You don't happen to be Charles Atlas, in disguise, by any chance, are you?

My SERIOUS suggestion is not to risk life and limb and shop, but to farm the job out to a place with the machinery and the EXPERIENCED PEOPLE to do the job.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I've seen what can happen when things go wrong.

And by the way, I think that what you are doing is not so much ripping as re-sawing...

[Steve Wilde]

Do you have a track saw? It would take moving the time ac a few times but you said the cut side won't be seen... That would be my first choice

[scott vroom]

If you are going to "Do It Yourself", single-handed, I think you are in for a real tough time. 18ft of 2x6 is heavy, and, worse than that, it is very unwieldy. It's not just the weight, it is the distribution of the weight. If you lift it at the center, you have to remember that you have 9ft of lumber on each side of you: hard to get swinging, and hard to STOP swinging.

You either need a couple of alert helpers, or... You don't happen to be Charles Atlas, in disguise, by any chance, are you?

My SERIOUS suggestion is not to risk life and limb and shop, but to farm the job out to a place with the machinery and the EXPERIENCED PEOPLE to do the job.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I've seen what can happen when things go wrong.

Yep....an 18' 4x6 cedar timber weighs about 80 lbs. In addition to the unwieldy issue, you're adding considerable dead load to your ceiling structure @16" spacing....can it handle it without additional support?

[Stuart Welsh]

Do I understand correctly that you are installing ~4 x 6 exposed ceiling beams at 16" OC throughout your kitchen? My first thought is it's going to look way too busy....not a good architectural design IMO. At a minimum I'd double the spacing. Unless you're in the habit of recording live music in the kitchen and need the sound baffles

You are somewhat correct Scott, but rather than 16" OC there will be 16" between each beam so about 19 3/4" OC. Having said that I would have gone closer 12-15" OC were it not the concern of adding too much weight to the joists above which carry a bedroom.

As for architectural design that all has to be in context. While the typical American home may not look right with such spacing there are many homes elsewhere in the world where this is common place. Our home's interior is being transformed from what one might call Texas Hill Country to Spanish (or Mexican) Colonial. My wife and I have been traveling to a town in the Spanish Colonial part of Central Mexico for almost 10 years. Visiting 2-3 times a year we have fallen in love with the Architecture and Design of the area and recognize that it will blend with our home's Architecture and Design. Proper Architectural Design has to consider function as well as form. In the homes of this style many if not most ceilings have beams averaging 4 x 6 and spaced between 8 and 16" apart. This is because construction there is all masonry, wood plays only a small part of the building envelope. Full masonry walls are topped with closely spaced beams, then tile or brick are laid across the beams and another layer of masonry completes the ceiling which then becomes the floor of the next level be it enclosed space or a rooftop patio. Take a look at the gallery link I have provided and you will see what I mean. I have rented and stayed in all of the homes pictured other than one, and all but two of the 14 homes I've rented have had ceilings featuring closely spaced beams. It really is beautiful and adds a wonderful feature to what is typically an overlooked design or decor option in a dwelling. I hope you enjoy the gallery!

http://gstu.smugmug.com/Architecture...8446962_Mms437

[Andrew Joiner]

But then the DIY'er in me started thinking about how I might do this on my Unisaw. Of course the cut will require at least two passes but given that the cut side will not be visible on the finished beam I won't have to stress out about blade marks should the cut not be perfect. The real issue is a good in and out feed strategy including positioning my saw to allow the board room to stick out of my 20' wide shop before and after it enters the blade. That seems like a lot of time cobbling together sturdy and level support to prevent the board from binding in the blade.


Beam Detail.jpg

I rip 14' long stock on my table saw, but I have a 30' long shop and solid infeed and outfeed tables.

To keep it simple why not use full 1 1/2" thick stock? You could reduce your top block to 3/4" or rabbet the the top edges to fit your block in the drawing.

[James Tibbetts]

If I am understanding this correctly, the beams are a purely decorative addition. As such, had you considered 1" stock? It could fairly easily be mitered at the corners to hid the joints, or a number of other methods. Much lower cost, significant weight reduction and far easier handling would be the minimum benefits

[Stuart Welsh]

If you are going to "Do It Yourself", single-handed, I think you are in for a real tough time. 18ft of 2x6 is heavy, and, worse than that, it is very unwieldy. It's not just the weight, it is the distribution of the weight. If you lift it at the center, you have to remember that you have 9ft of lumber on each side of you: hard to get swinging, and hard to STOP swinging.

You either need a couple of alert helpers, or... You don't happen to be Charles Atlas, in disguise, by any chance, are you?

My SERIOUS suggestion is not to risk life and limb and shop, but to farm the job out to a place with the machinery and the EXPERIENCED PEOPLE to do the job.

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I've seen what can happen when things go wrong.

And by the way, I think that what you are doing is not so much ripping as re-sawing...

All good points and something I was going to add to the discussion.