Staging planks out of dimensional lumber
IIIII
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
A while back I read in the magazine(in the new tool section) about a bracket to make an osha approved staging plank out of dimensional lumber. If my memory serves me correctly the bracket went around a 2×10 or 12 and attached a 2×6 perpendicular under the larger 2x. I can’t seem to find this article. Does anyone know what the name of this bracket is?
Replies
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/toolguide/product-finder/t-brace-scaffold-alternative.aspx
Probably will not meet OSHA requirements if stringently applied. OSHA typically requires scaffold graded lumber, or UL approved metal planks. Would this stringer work, and work safely? Yes.
For pump jacks, I've often joined a pair of doug fir 2X12's, side to side, by fastening a 4'X~20" piece of plywood in the middle of the run, flipping them over to remove the impediment. That effectively almost doubles the strength of one 2X12.
My Dad worked wood shingles for a bunch of years in the 50's & 60's. He and his partner cleated two 2x10's then flipped them over and fastened a steel cable virtually end to end strung over (under) a 2x4 in the middle. It was sort of like a big bow.
The thing could hold a good amount of weight, but you only moved it in the morning when you had energy! It was a heavy sucka. IIRC the 2 bys were 20 footers. Thank God somebody invented walkboards.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Great idea. How was the cable fastened to the ends of the two planks?
HVC -
Sorry about the delayed response - it never hit the e-mail that you had responded to me. I found this today, by accident.
I'm not 100% on this, but I think there was a piece of angle iron running across the ends of the two boards and the cable went around it (or through a hole in it, then was fastened back to itself with a cable clamp.
Like I said, it worked pretty well, but it was in little danger of being stolen. Couldn't hardly move it.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
I really would avoid demensional lumber for this application.. You can buy used scaffolding planks for about the price of demensional lumber and they are sooooooo much safer.
Demensional lumber was never designed to be stressed the way scaffolding planks are. Nor are they capable of handling the load that a scaffold plank does..
Can you get by? possibly, heck maybe even probably. But that's sort of like using a hatchet for a hammer.. It will hit the nail and drive it in but at some risk to your head.. <grin>
The product you mention is "T Brace".