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What Are The Typical Dimensions of a Post Base?

Asked by Sara on February 26, 2015

I am doing a design project for my course and I was wondering whether you could tell me what typical dimensions of the POST BASE WITH STEEL BOOT?

post-bases-steel-boot

Post Base with a Steel Boot

Types of Post Bases

Answered by Doug Friant

Dear Sara,

The base size depends on the size of the column. All of our steel connections are custom fabricated to our specifications particular to a given job.

For instance. If the job calls for 8×8 S4S timber, the finished size of the post will be 7 ½” x 7 ½”. The base boot might be a ¼” bigger to allow the post room to slip into it – 7 ¾ x 7 ¾. The height depends on uplift and lateral loads. Typically, it might be 8”. The base itself would be 3/8” or ½” plate typically.

6 comments
  1. Lee Gustafson says:

    do you also size the anchor bolts? Lee

    • Sandy Connolly says:

      Of course. We engineer each project to confirm the size needed for the steel joinery as well as the timbers.

  2. Ronald Chiesa says:

    I plan on building a one level ranch home on a eight inch reinforced slab foundation in Iowa. I have access to an old post and beam barn that the owner just wants removed. The house will measure thirty (30) x sixty (60) foot. Is it possible to purchase plans from you if I supply you with a sample blueprint of the house or do you have some plans of ranch builds that I could choose from? I would also need truss plates and other steel hardware for the framing. Thank you

    • Doug Friant says:

      Hi Ronald,

      We don’t have stock plans that we sell. Generally, we only supply shop drawings and steel plates for projects for which we are providing the timber. Occasionally we will draw architectural plans when we are slow, but that is pretty rare.

      Best of luck with your project!

      Doug

  3. I am a newbie and I want to know the size of the column that is normally preferred by the engineers to build a commercial building with two floors.

    • Doug Friant says:

      Hi Mark – there is no set column size for commercial buildings. It all depends on the loads that they are supporting. In if heavy public floor loads are involved, the columns may be steel. Or, we might design large timer posts, like 12×12’s or 10×10’s. For lighter loads 8×8’s might be used. Doug

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