I am going to build a pergola and use posts 150 x 150 mm, meaning quite thick. Ideally, I would not like to use post shoes that are visible on the sides of the post, but a more "invisible" model. Does anyone know if there are alternatives with a plate (preferably about 150x150 or slightly smaller) that can be screwed into the bottom of the post and can attach to a pier? I imagine the post should be about 5 cm above the pier.
Post shoe for screwing into end grain isn't really a good idea, but the question has come up before and there was at least a picture then. As mentioned, it's not good to screw into end grain, which you have to do if it should be invisible. The screw/threads don't really hold in that direction. Can't they be cast in? https://www.byggahus.se/forum/threads/stolpsko-foer-traepelare.310313/
Last edited:
Depends a bit on how you build the rest of the pergola.
With braces up between the posts and the frame, for example in wrought iron, making it sturdy, you won't have any significant lateral forces.
But if you're not going to have that, each separate post needs to be secured firmly in every direction.
With braces up between the posts and the frame, for example in wrought iron, making it sturdy, you won't have any significant lateral forces.
But if you're not going to have that, each separate post needs to be secured firmly in every direction.
The plan is not to have any diagonal braces except in the corners and then as short as possible. Maybe I should cast footings and put iron in them, but I prefer to avoid that. I know st Eriks has pre-made ones, but they are very heavy to handle.Isakare said:
Run a pergola in steel and weld!
Recess plinth iron? That is, make notches in the posts so that the irons are at the same level as the surface of the post. Putty and then paint over it so it's barely visible. Otherwise, saw away more wood, recess the irons, and then glue back what was sawed off.
The older method was to cast in a substantial round rod and drill a corresponding hole in the post.
The older method was to cast in a substantial round rod and drill a corresponding hole in the post.
No, not post shoe!
I've made that mistake with a pergola, everything wobbles. Sturdy post supports on both sides of the post down into the concrete foundation.
If it's NTR-A, you can also cast the post directly into the concrete. It sounds "ghetto," but I've done it for simpler fences and posts in the garden according to instructions in a book from the '70s. And it works; no rot for 15 years now, and it's very stable. But as mentioned, NTR-A-rated pressure-treated is required for this. Which is the standard for posts in our country. And if it's going to last 50 or 100 years, it might not be a good idea.
I've made that mistake with a pergola, everything wobbles. Sturdy post supports on both sides of the post down into the concrete foundation.
If it's NTR-A, you can also cast the post directly into the concrete. It sounds "ghetto," but I've done it for simpler fences and posts in the garden according to instructions in a book from the '70s. And it works; no rot for 15 years now, and it's very stable. But as mentioned, NTR-A-rated pressure-treated is required for this. Which is the standard for posts in our country. And if it's going to last 50 or 100 years, it might not be a good idea.
It sounds like I'll have to cast and set anchor brackets. I had hoped to avoid that. The only alternative for my 150x150 posts seems to be the giant footings from St Eriks. But maybe that will be easiest after all…Claes Sörmland said:
The alternative is to buy a post anchor with a fixed 4 inches and notch the post 1 inch from each side? Maybe that works. Or will the post be weakened…? I would have preferred to find 5 inches to avoid removing so much, but that doesn't seem to exist…S sepani said:
Last edited: