Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [engineering]

121 questions
82
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12 answers

Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from an engineering/structural standpoint?

Is there a case where nails are better than screws, from a structural standpoint? For instance: Say you used screws instead of nails on a backyard deck, when the design specifically called for nails. Would the result be inferior? Could it fail…
Chris W. Rea
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9 answers

How much load can a (wood) board support, if it is supported only at the ends?

How much load can a board support, if it is supported only at the ends? At the moment my specific problem is hanging a tire swing between two trees, and depending on which trees I choose they could be 10, 12, or 14 feet apart (center to center). If…
evil otto
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32
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10 answers

How do I stop a creek from eroding my steep embankment?

Behind my house there is a very steep bank/slope that leads down to a decent-sized, slow moving creek about 10 - 12 ft wide. Unfortunately it meanders right behind my property at the base of this steep embankment: When we bought our house almost…
hotmeatballsoup
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7 answers

What is the optimal configuration of a cross brace on a wooden gate?

I'm building a wooden gate for my deck, and I want to put in a cross brace to reduce sagging. I want to install the brace so that it transfers the load from the top unhinged corner, to the bottom hinged corner. I'm just not sure what the best way…
Tester101
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11
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6 answers

I want to build an all metal, self-designed building. Are metal frame and joists really that infeasible?

I have been putting together plans for my dream house. First an architect friend of mine said she might help, but right now she's got too much business and she hasn't even had time to look at a drawing. Then lumber prices were sky high and someone…
BSD
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4 answers

Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck?

I am building a bridge across a small stream. I have 3 hemlock planks that are 24 feet long, and are 6 inches by 4 inches in dimension. The hemlock planks are positioned so that the 6 inch sides are vertical, and the 4 inch sides are horizontal. The…
Richard Price
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6 answers

How do I know whether a bookcase will rack/sag/twist if hung using butt hinges as a (non-secret) "door"?

I want to take a bookcase and install it as a door, to hold near 100kg max of heavy food items (but probably less than that most of the time). The bookcase itself is 36kg. The bookcase carcass and central panel use 3 cm solid pine and the bookcase…
not-so-secret-bookcase-door
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7
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5 answers

Repairing a notched floor joist

Situation I was running some new gas pipe and I notched one floor joist and drilled a hole in another. I have now learned that this is not appropriate. This was in the forbidden zone of the middle 1/3rd of the joist. The joist is 7 inches tall and…
Peter
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6
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4 answers

How strong are bolts compared to welding and what qualities to look for in foundations?

I'm planning on building a home climbing wall, made from a mild steel subframe. It will probably be around 10 feet tall approx. I was thinking along the lines of using mild steel angle, cutting to size, drilling bolt holes then joining the peices…
Dave
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6
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4 answers

How can I calculate the load capacity of a platform?

I'm planning to build a very basic bed frame, but I'm not sure what size lumber to use. I was thinking of building the entire thing from 2x4s (legs would be 4x4), but I'm not sure if this will be adequate. Some other ideas: 2x6 Perimeter with…
Tester101
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5
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2 answers

My new AC is under performing and guzzling too much juice, can anyone help?

My company mainly focuses on small refrigeration units and walk-ins. Although we do offer service and/or Replacements on air conditioning systems, it’s only 1/3rd of the whole show so, I’d be a liar if I said that I don’t rely on my technicians in …
www.TEGdelivers.com
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What is the cheapest way to stiffen a tube/pipe?

I have some steel tubes (18 mm OD) which I wish to use as horizontal members in a storage rack (a bit like shelves). However, the tube flex and bend quite a bit when I put heavier boxes on them. The tubes flex about 40 mm over a 1000 mm span.…
Ken
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5
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6 answers

Elegant way to jack two materials apart, applying spreading pressure to pin them in place?

I have a tall cabinet acting as a room divider. Since it's not against a wall, it could fall. Screwing into the floor or the wall is not feasible, but the top of the cabinet is 5 inches from a concrete beam. If I could apply "reverse clamping"…
zx81
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1 answer

How much weight should a deck of a given area support?

How much weight should a deck of a given area support, either according to building codes or convention? In my local (Massachusetts) building code, I found the answer for floors (40 lbs/ft2 live load), but I'm not sure if that is the same for decks.…
Vebjorn Ljosa
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4 answers

Air conditioning on a shoestring budget

Without purchasing expensive air-con units, or solar panels - and the associated moutings and electrical paraphernalia, is it possible to create a temperature difference of 10-20 °C using materials one can purchase for less than $1000? Say you have…
qftme
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