Connecting bar or how to fasten a bar between them

Despite the increased popularity of brick, fashionable foam block and sandwich panels in recent years, the tree remains the most reliable and solid building material in our country. And this is not only a tribute to tradition.

Wooden buildings are 100% environmentally friendly, durable, have a colorful exterior and fit into any landscape. In addition, Russia "does not complain" about the shortage of wood, and the price for it is not exorbitant.

And therefore, in our article, we decided to answer a very relevant today question that is asked by those who intend to build a “wooden fortress” with their own hands for a long, comfortable and happy life in it. It sounds like this: how does a timber fit and connect with each other?

Of course, for several centuries, our people have gained experience in the construction of log houses. However, slightly different, more modern logs and installation technologies are being used.

Angular and longitudinal methods of joining timber

From the very beginning, you need to stipulate that during the construction of a log house, blanks can be fastened together in corners and longitudinally. As a rule, the corner joint is used when erecting the main lumber walls of the whole structure and when installing partitions. The longitudinal connection of blanks is used when their length is not enough (for example, the wall of a house should be 6 meters long, and the bar is only four meters).

Below, before we consider directly the methods of fastening a timber, we would like to remind you of the main requirements that apply to them:

• the structure box must be airtight from the inside as well as from the outside;
• the whole structure must be stable and reliable;
• heat loss built, of course, minimal.

Angle joining methods

As well as rounded logs, timber can be fastened together in the corners as follows:

• With the remainder. In the case of the "plexus" of the timber with the remainder, only the "burl" technology is used, which in turn has three variations of the connection:

• the simplest one-way - a transverse groove is cut in the upper part of the bar, the width of which is equal to the width of the bar itself;

• double-sided - a more reliable option, since here the grooves are cut not only at the top, but also at the bottom of the workpiece;

Attention! When a two-way connection "in the flush" the depth of the groove should be? the height of the beam.

• The most difficult, but the most effective four-sided connection with the remainder, when the grooves are made from all 4 sides of the beam - the density of fit of the workpieces to each other will be maximum.

• No residue. This type of fastening timber is used less frequently, because its reliability is much lower than in the first case. However, there are quite a few options for joining blanks, the most popular of which are the following:
• In the joint - the material is just put ends to each other and secured with staples or nails. The reliability of this compound will depend on the flatness of the ends and on the density of their installation. This method is suitable only for the construction of light garden buildings, since the most complex structures assembled according to the technology without a butt joint will be subjected to deformations due to loads from the heavy weight of the structure.

• On the dowels - at the ends of the timber, the grooves are cut under the wooden spline, after which these blanks are butt-seated with each other and additionally fixed with dowels. It should be noted, this is the preferred variant of the connection in the case of the construction of a bath, house or other capital buildings.

Note! The key can be mounted not only strictly vertically, but also horizontally, as well as cutting.

• On root spikes, a special spike is cut in one timber and a groove in the second (see figure below). Experts recommend supplementing this method of joining a material from a wooden beam with a bracing attachment and sealing of the butt with jute.

Note! The instruction from the specialized builders prescribes to make the groove a little wider and deeper than the spike, so that during the vertical shrinkage of the building the fixing knots are not damaged.

Longitudinal joining methods

How to connect two bars lengthwise?

To answer this question, we consider three options for bonding the workpieces together in length, which are very popular among our compatriots.

• "Half a Tree". It is a reliable option, because the grooves are cut in half the height of the beam, plus the fastening of the blanks is carried out with nails.

Note! Despite its reliability, the half-tree method does not guarantee a good tightness of the structure. In addition, the angles under the weight of the structure will begin to deform over time.

• Fastening with a longitudinal spike on keys. The mounting technology is similar to the previous variant of joining the workpieces, with the exception of adding keys.
• "Oblique lock". Perhaps the most time-consuming, but also the highest quality method. Below is a template that shows what constitutes a slanting lock. However, in order to create such a mount, it is necessary to have good skills in working with wood, since with poor fit of the slots to each other, the tightness and stability of the structure are greatly reduced.

Tip! Home craftsmen share their experience: regardless of the chosen method of connection, it is advisable to prepare a place for the “docking” in advance. To do this, it would be nice to miss it with a mixture consisting of sand and epoxy resin. Such a bond will be the most durable and tight.

Conclusion

So, we briefly discussed how to connect the timber together in length and how to do it at the corners. The most detailed types of compounds of this building material are painted in GOST 30974-2002. Also in the video in this article you can find additional interesting information on this topic.