Ring the bell school's back in, break it down, stop Header-time

A decent milestone was hit, one that really give a bit of foresight as to what this monumental kitchen remodel has potential to be...


Here is the division between the kitchen proper and the sitting room, load-bearing wall is braced and ready to receive the header













I saved the removed columns and organized them for maximum capacity (mind you, I am not a structural engineer) by using the heartwood at the top where it is only in compression; and keeping the stronger sapwood in tension. The beam on the left will be on the bottom.








Like this.















The first beam in place.














The second beam in place. The beam clamps were necessary to correct a little camber in the upper beam...












The clamps are used to pull the cambered beam into place, then I'll toe-nail the two beams together...












I used cut-nails to join the beams. The rectangular cross section of the nails really holds the alignment tight.













And there you have it, a 7 foot opening.