Beam has come loose - solution?

[BRATO073]

I have a "wooden beam" down in the crawl space of the vacation house that has "come loose" according to the picture. I don't know how it happened since I didn't own the property when it occurred. As you can see in the pictures, there are 2-3 nails in the gap measuring 3-4 cm. My question is, what is the smoothest and simplest way to fix this myself? Do you think building up with some concrete blocks first to rise from ground level and then using a jack (one or two) to press the bottom part back up to the top again to bring them together would work? Then perhaps it needs to be reinforced with new nails or maybe a large screw since the existing nails obviously haven't held up? How would you have done it?

 

[Screew]

I would probably have tried with a jack and a screw. If that didn't hold, I would have built a support of some sort.

 

[BRATO073]

I would probably try with a jack and screw. If that doesn't hold, I would build up some sort of support.

Thanks for the input!
Yes, screws that hold better might have been preferable.
By building up support, do you mean first using a jack to close the gap and then building up concrete blocks or similar to hold it in place?

 

[Screew]

Thanks for the input! Yes, screws that hold better might have been preferable. By building up support, do you mean first using a jack to close the gap and then building up concrete blocks or something similar to hold against it?

Yep, that's roughly what I had in mind. You could probably also screw in a beam along with it for reinforcement. It should become more rigid, and there's an opportunity to screw in several screws.

 

[BRATO073]

Yep, that's roughly what I was thinking. You can probably attach a board along it as reinforcement too. It should become more rigid, and there's the possibility to use more screws

Thanks!
I'm not exactly a carpenter, as you might have gathered .
But I think I should be able to solve this myself.
Do you think there might be problems when raising the jack, i.e., that the gap might have trouble closing?
Maybe a couple of clamps need to be set up and adjusted in parallel with raising the jack?
I want to be as prepared as possible since the vacation home is 2 hours away .

 

[Huddingebo]

Ugly-resistant PU glue, a bunch of strong clamps, and a bunch of 6mm thick and long screws should do the trick. If it doesn't come together with the clamps, you can assist with a jack.

 

[ARJU]

I would, as you say, use a jack to lift the crack together.

Screw glue with expanding polyurethane glue and a number of M8 French wood screws with washers, there are square washers in thicker materials available at the hardware store, not the usual machine washers in about 1.2mm.

Since my father-in-law always accuses me of overworking things, I had dug a hole and cast a footing as support so he had something to tease me about.

 

[Mazen]

A brace.
https://stallningsprodukter.se/stam...MItLrB-q3b7wIVGBF7Ch0msgWSEAQYASABEgKCwfD_BwE

Alternatively, a beam like 45x120 that you cut slightly too long and hammer into place should close the gap and provide support.
(Place it on a beam that is resting on the plate or a concrete slab)

 

[ARJU]

Don't know what a clamp can generate, 100kg is probably not far off?

A hydraulic jack of a cheaper model 1.5 tons.

It is difficult to judge the dimension of the beams from the pictures, but I suspect it takes more than a couple of hundred kg to break one.

 

[skogstomten]

A regular garage jack will safely lift it up. Possibly glue, nail plates on the sides.

The very best is probably a simple/sturdy support under the beam against the ground. A thicker garden slab or flat stone against the ground, then a wooden rule, a piece of a log, or another suitably long support leg, and then a suitably thick wooden piece/strip to fill in the rest. It seems easy to crawl in and fine-tune afterwards if it settles after a year or so.

 

[Stefan1972]

But the question is how the idea was from the start..........you can't just splice like that without support downwards at least somewhere. Now it just seems to be hanging in the air and then it doesn't support anything, barely itself.

 

[BRATO073]

But the question is how the thought was from the beginning..........you can't splice like that without support underneath at least somewhere. Now it just looks like it's hanging in the air and it doesn't carry anything, barely itself.

But the question is how the thought was from the beginning..........you can't splice like that without support underneath at least somewhere. Now it just looks like it's hanging in the air and it doesn't carry anything, barely itself.

Exactly, that's something to wonder about. Nothing under the splice supporting it. So it's probably the case that a support should be added under the splice. Is that what you meant?
The simplest and cheapest solution that should work is to build a support with some kind of blocks and fine-tune with a beam and a narrower piece of wood? That should hold well, I think?
My biggest concern is whether the gap will close just by lifting it from underneath with a jack.

 

[BRATO073]

Don't know how much force a clamp can generate, 100kg might not be too far off?

A cheaper model hydraulic jack 1.5 tons.

It's difficult to judge the dimensions of the beams from the pictures, but I suspect it would take more than a couple hundred kg to break one.

Yes, do you think a jack is necessary due to the weight? Not just working with clamps?

 

[Stefan1972]

So it's not just the joint......What is that construction? What is it supporting? You can see a beam extending towards the photographer as well, and what is it standing on? The beam to the left, what is it standing on? Everything seems to be just hanging in the air. It's not surprising at all that it has come apart.

If you're going to push that back, you'll need jacks. You probably won't get it back together and up with a clamp. Everything needs to be lifted a few decimeters, it seems...

 

[Fartland]

You can buy a 10t jack at Biltema for 279:-, which should be able to handle pressing up and together that and a bit more.

If I could suggest another solution, it would be a through bolt or threaded rod with a nut and washer on the top and bottom side. Press together, drill, mount, release pressure, keep your fingers crossed.