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Pergola material - CEPenworks - 10-04-2019
I am wanting to finally build the pergola over my patio. The posts are already set in the patio so those dimensions cannot change. The link below is what I am using as my design. I was wanting to use cedar and started looking for dimensional cedar in western NY. The pieces labeled C in the plans need to be about 17'2". What I am finding is 16' is as long as I can get. Any one know of any companies in the northeast that source cedar? I did find one in CA but that shipping is probably going to be expensive. If I can't source the 18' what would be the best joint to make the 16' a couple feet longer?
Pergola Plans
RE: Pergola material - fredhargis - 10-04-2019
Not sure how thick those beams need to be, but I think I would glue 2 thinner ones together while overlapping the joints. You'd need to use a good quality Type 1 waterproof glue, and maybe some screws if you can hide them in some fashion (stainless, of course). The joints in each board where the ends meet could be 1/2 lap joints.
RE: Pergola material - brianwelch - 10-04-2019
(10-04-2019, 01:27 PM)fredhargis Wrote: Not sure how thick those beams need to be, but I think I would glue 2 thinner ones together while overlapping the joints. You'd need to use a good quality Type 1 waterproof glue, and maybe some screws if you can hide them in some fashion (stainless, of course). The joints in each board where the ends meet could be 1/2 lap joints.
Or try scarfing (scarphing) 1:10 or 1:12 laps...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarf_joint
RE: Pergola material - R Clark - 10-04-2019
I built a very similar pergola in 2015. I bought 20-footers through Menards, a regional big box chain. I don't know if they have them in your area.
They were special order, but I was very happy with what I got.
I'm surprised that a local lumber yard (a "real" lumber yard that's used by local contractors there) can't get 20-foot cedar lumber for you. They're pricey, but I think the looks of cedar are worth it.
RE: Pergola material - CEPenworks - 10-04-2019
I have a couple more stores to call. The ones I have talked to made calls to suppliers but were not able to source longer than 16'. Interesting one lumber store web site had a link to their cedar supplier. On the supplier web site they listed Lowes as a retailer. I might also try giving Lowes a try. Unfortunately no Menards here.
I was wondering about a scarf joint or a bridle joint. But I am still wondering how to make those cuts with a 16' board. This is all 2x6 lumber with the top boards being 2x4.
RE: Pergola material - CEPenworks - 10-11-2019
I did find a supplier. I think they are using a company called Real Cedar out of CA. The price for 2x6x18' clear cedar was $365. C or better was only $150. I am thinking C or better might be my path forward unless some one can tell me a reason not to use it. My understanding is C or better has some small tight knots. That doesn't sound like it should cause more waste but just have some aesthetics difference. The lead time is about 3 weeks which puts me later in the season than I want this year so I thin I will wait until the spring to place the order. That gives me some time to get all my other decisions like finish and fasteners figured out.
RE: Pergola material - Bill Holt - 10-11-2019
In the Dallas area we have Lee Roy Jordan Lumber and they stock 20' Cedar. Of course shipping from Dallas would be too expensive.
I have a concern; seems to me 17' 2" is a long distance for a 2x8, am I wrong?
RE: Pergola material - mound - 10-11-2019
(10-04-2019, 01:05 PM)CEPenworks Wrote: I am wanting to finally build the pergola over my patio. The posts are already set in the patio so those dimensions cannot change. The link below is what I am using as my design. I was wanting to use cedar and started looking for dimensional cedar in western NY. The pieces labeled C in the plans need to be about 17'2". What I am finding is 16' is as long as I can get. Any one know of any companies in the northeast that source cedar? I did find one in CA but that shipping is probably going to be expensive. If I can't source the 18' what would be the best joint to make the 16' a couple feet longer?
Pergola Plans
84 Lumber (Rochester) might be able to get it for you.. Otherwise, I think a proper scarf joint is probably the way to go.
RE: Pergola material - Howard Pollack - 10-11-2019
The Japanese carpenters made many very sturdy scarf joints in the huge wooden temples they built. You could use one of them.
Howard
RE: Pergola material - hbmcc - 10-11-2019
I am confused. And, my math is not the best..... Doesn't 96" + (9.5" x 2) =115" = 9'-7"? Or, did you expand the base square to more than 8-feet?
Regardless, you can always stack short cross pieces, or use corbels, to carry a shorter beam. If you expanded the size of the screen you have changed the structural criteria. Wood needs to be upsized, as do the overhangs to also account for scale. I would move to smooth (above grade) treated wood. One hazard of home outdoor construction is the niggardly use of wood sizes. Example: a 4x4 supports my porch roof--niggardly--but the finished column is 9 - 10" square. Our brains like mass.
You want to paint cedar, or paper wasps will steal all of your wood; I lost 1/16th of some post surfaces over the coarse of about 4 years before breaking down and using latex paint. The original was stain, and I noticed other stains (colors) had been pilfered for nearby nests.