DIY Shed AsktheBuilder Joist Hanger Secret Tips

[@askthebuilder]

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[@jpdst29]

Easiest way is to take some scrap wood and screw it to the top of the joist on both sides with a couple inches overhanging. Then you can set a joist between the rim joists. The overhanging scraps of wood will hold it flush to the top and you are free to install your joist hangers. Joists will be flush every time. Unscrew the scraps of wood and proceed to do the same with the next joist.

[@farmerken3551]

I did that and discovered that the select structural 2x10's I had as floor joists varies in height by enough to require me to shave several of them. Best to end nail the joists in place when flush with the rim board and install the joist hangers after the joists are already flush with the top.

[@hyperkoala1758]

@@farmerken3551 Dude! End nailing! I helped build barns and houses in my teens but never used hangers. Was building a shed with my 14 year old recently and hated using hangers. Wish I had thought of end nailing then applying the hangers. Genius!

[@askthebuilder]

Maybe not the easiest way! Thanks! You might want to do two things: 1. Subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com 2. Start watching my LIVE streaming videos! Lots of fun and you get to ask me questions in real time. Be sure to turn on NOTIFICATIONS about when I go LIVE.

[@boots7859]

@@hyperkoala1758 End nailing is much less support than the hangers.

[@Blue_Collar_JR]

This is our current method me & my coworkers use. We build decks. Than we add out joist hangers afterwards.

[@RedWest2010]

guide blocks... GUIDE BLOCKS!!! Thank you. My son and I are taking on a loft floor job as DIYers and it's all new. But trying to level the 2x8 joists to the 16.5" glulam consistently had me concerned. Guide Blocks... simple common sense that saved me a LOT of time and effort. Thank you.

[@askthebuilder]

Yes, that's one way to do it. Remember, I offer DIY phone coaching should you really get faced with a problem. I probably do 20 calls a week. shop.askthebuilder.com/15-minute-phone-or-video-conversation-with-tim/

[@joselsanchezjr4960]

I am looking forward to gaining insight and knowledge into rough carpentry. I appreciate the pearls of wisdom already shared. Thank you for a well made video.

[@askthebuilder]

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[@gerrymartinez6804]

On your through bolts aka carriage bolt holding your beam to post you should angle them one upper left one lower right. I've seen these split before even pre drilling it still can happen. If they are angled this reduces splitting to near zero. I've never had one split yet in over 14 years when angled.

[@askthebuilder]

I've never had a beam split doing it the way you see in the video, for what it's worth.

[@jonathonvince3605]

Last tip is the number 1 thing people mess up. Awesome video

[@le9186]

I love this tip, less 1/8" . Thank you sooooo much. I just love to work on foundation

[@argonthesad]

Just take care not to cut it too short because anymore than two eights and you're outside the hangers safety tolerance.

[@askthebuilder]

Thanks! You might want to do two things: 1. Subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com 2. Start watching my LIVE streaming videos! Lots of fun and you get to ask me questions in real time. Be sure to turn on NOTIFICATIONS about when I go LIVE.

[@kfbob364]

Perhaps a few years framing would help with this. Put the hangers on afterwards. Use a palm Nailer. Put a temp toe nail into the joist.

[@matthemberry]

This would be the way I learned to do it and what I believe to be the “correct way.”

[@uhvoid8433]

My comment above is really similar...we've done your way too👍

[@richmac918]

I've done that as well but the toenails have a tendency to interfere with the joist hangers sometimes to the point that they are tough to put on

[@askthebuilder]

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[@MatthewBester]

I was just about to make a tight fit. Thanks for the advice.

[@askthebuilder]

YW as we say in Morse. Consider clicking the *Thanks* text link under the video to help support the channel.

[@josephmealor1592]

Having to tear apart a deck that was built on top of the dirt so it has rot. Was looking for the best way to REMOVE these hangers. Good install video because that is the next step but these things are a pain to remove!

[@askthebuilder]

pry bar

[@nicholasreeves6460]

even a cats paw to remove the nails are pretty helpful if you're looking to reuse them

[@RiskIt007]

Stagger your carrage bolts at your posts to help it not split. 1/8" short is a good tip..

[@askthebuilder]

Thanks! You might want to do two things: 1. Subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com 2. Start watching my LIVE streaming videos! Lots of fun and you get to ask me questions in real time. Be sure to turn on NOTIFICATIONS about when I go LIVE.

[@buakawfan333]

I got some long leg joist hangers, which I think could have been the wrong choice for a floor, because when I lay the sheeting down, the sheets will rest on the metal strips of the joist hanger that bend over the header joists. So I'm thinking if I put the bottom of the hanger flush to the bottom of the header, the extra 1-2mm of the height of the joists should be flush with the bent metal strips, so the sheeting will have better support and stop it bending at the edges over time. Is this a common problem or should I probably just get different hangers? This my first time doing DIY to this level so I'm learning as I go, expensively!

[@brikshoe6259]

Hangers are sized to the height of the joist (a 2x8 joist hanger is 6 5/8" tall) and should not touch the sheet goods. You have the wrong hangers for your size of joist.

[@askthebuilder]

Get the right hangers. If you want FREE unlimited tips like this each week, subscribe to my newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@johnmancuso3857]

Love the great tips! Always something to learn.

[@thelionandchampion2644]

Just found out that all the rafters on my house were cut short by about two inches. They put in a splice every other rafter about thirteen inches long and at the back of the splice they used just one nail. In some places they put a nail on each side of the splice at the back. Is this structurally sound? They are cut short on the facia end.

[@feralbigdog]

i think i would be adding more nails, maybe adding more plate material with construction adhesive, and a brace at the brace to support the connection more

[@askthebuilder]

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[@skullmonkey17]

Thanks buddy!

[@askthebuilder]

No problem! Click that THANKS button under the video and share some love.

[@abraham3901]

great, thank you.

[@askthebuilder]

You are welcome!

[@aaronespinoza5806]

My man you're the truth lol. Keep making the great videos.

[@richmac918]

I've seen many home improvement shows and videos where they tell you to just set the hangers at the same distance down on the rim joist and it makes me laugh. Anyone that has worked with PT knows that it is crap. Not only does it warp, cup, shrink, and splinter but it varies dimensionally from piece to piece. Guarantee if you set each hanger in the same spot that you'll find some joists below the rim and others above. Makes for one shitty looking deck when you are finished.

[@askthebuilder]

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[@hopeborders8717]

thank you! very helpful!

[@askthebuilder]

YW as we say in Morse.

[@uhvoid8433]

Way easier: Only put the inside piece of the beam on first. Then fasten the joist where you want them nailed from the back of the beam. Then add the last ply of the beam, covering all the nail holes. After that's finished you can put on all your joist hangers. Will be alot quicker and it will be alot more solid

[@askthebuilder]

Yes, that method works too! There are at least five different ways to accomplish the goal.

[@richmac918]

So you're saying face nail the joist to the inside piece of the rim before adding the outside piece of the rim? That's what I tend to do so I can make sure the heights are the same. Then I go back, add the outside rim and then put my joist hangers on last

[@samu3813]

​@@richmac918good luck to the person trying to repair that later or take it apart for replace ment. I guess a wrecking crew with a saw can ho at it and potentially save nothing. Don't we all hate trying to ply something apart only to find out the head of the nail is inside between the beams.😮

[@richmac918]

@@samu3813 Too funny - I worked on deck not long ago where I had to take it apart the builder did just what I said I do and I wanted to kill him. Damn thing was strong but a nightmare to take apart.

[@conglacious]

thanks!

[@askthebuilder]

YW as we say in Morse. Watch my NEW live stream videos! Subscribe to get my FREE newsletter here: www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@jrandall5736]

Seems to me that leaving joist 1/8 short would lead to squeaky floor and or floor system not being as rigid and strong. After all they claim blocking between joist helps strengthen and tie floor system together. If the butt ends of joist aren’t making contact with rim joist or girders it means only the flimsy Joist hanger is tying floor system together. I always cut mine to fit against girders and rim joist. Start in middle of run and work outwards toward each end. Keep checking that you are not pushing out rim joist. Really not complicated

[@askthebuilder]

Dear J.: This is why you should A/B test things you do. In your scenario, if for a host of reasons you miscut each joist by just 1/32 of an inch - this is easy to do - after ten joists go in all of a sudden your floor system has a bulge of over 1/4 inch. Using my method the joist is short just 1/16th inch at each end. This is well within the accepted norms of rough framing. I think you fail to realize the connective power of the subflooring being nailed and glued to the undercarriage. Your *hypothesis* that doing it the way I suggest would create squeaks and a less rigid/strong floor is not supported by any hard data. It's just a feeling you have. Reach out to a local structural engineer with 20+ years of experience for a brief 15-minute discussion (in other words make an investment in your building education) and see what they say about my method. I think you'll benefit from this discussion. Let me know what she/he says.

[@feralbigdog]

no one ever told me about making the cut an 1/8 inch less, there is a lot i never got told

[@askthebuilder]

It's not about being told. It's a matter of you applying critical thinking to situations where you encounter difficulty.

[@Alexander-dt8sk]

@@askthebuilder With respect sir, it's about learning form OTHER people's mistakes.

[@askthebuilder]

@@Alexander-dt8sk With respect, it's about discovering how to be more self-reliant and using God-given critical-thinking skills hidden in the tiny gray cells in one's cranium. But what do I know? I used to eat lunch for 20+ years sitting on upside-down empty drywall mud buckets...

[@Alexander-dt8sk]

@@askthebuilder With respect sir, as a surgeon I can assure you it's about both using god given critical skills AND learning from the mistakes of others.

[@askthebuilder]

@@Alexander-dt8sk This is a good discussion. When you make mistakes as a surgeon, how do you curate these and share them so all the not-so-enlightened younger surgeons don't make them? As you can see, I share my knowledge - won from my own mistakes - here on my KZbin channel. Do you have a blog, a video channel, a book, or ????? Surely you try to cast the widest net possible or does your malpractice insurance carrier frown on this? TNX for the insight and input you provide.

[@davidmcrae5183]

Why not put the joist hanger on the end of the joist FIRST? Then you can adjust up and down as needed to have the top of the joist flush.

[@askthebuilder]

Have you tried holding up the end of a 16-foot-long treated 2x12 doing it the way you describe with one hand, trying to align it, then with the other hand fasten it? I'd love to see a video you create showing what you propose. Record it, upload it to your channel, then come back and share the URL. I'm always open to new ideas and techniques. I want to see all the steps in how you do this. TNX in advance.

[@davidmcrae5183]

@@askthebuilder sure, by yourself would be a real ass kicker. If a person has help, or plans it out to be able to do it that way solo, then that's a different matter. I wasn't saying you did it wrong, I was offering a suggestion on how to accomplish the same thing in a different way.

[@davidmcrae5183]

@@askthebuilder No, I haven't tried. If I was doing a project like that myself I'd plan to have something underneath supporting the weight of a 16 ft treated 2x12.

[@askthebuilder]

@@davidmcrae5183 Go ahead and try your method. Then you'll see why I do it my way.

[@askthebuilder]

@@davidmcrae5183 I get it, David. As I said in my original reply, I'm OPEN to other methods. You gave no context as your depth of experience in your original comment. It would be wise of you from now on to let video creators like myself know that. Realize when you have a helper, she/he is holding up the other end of the joist! ;-)

[@kraven4444]

you're measuring each joist length? shouldn't they all be the same?

[@askthebuilder]

That is such a GREAT question! I commend you for asking it! The answer is they should be all the same, but you'd be assuming the beams are perfectly flat, no cups, that the two beams are in full compression their entire length, and that the two 2x12s are the same thickness their entire length. What is not visible in this video is the string that's stretched on the outer side of the beam. What is paramount in my book is keeping the outer edge of the floor box both square and perfectly straight. If any of the above- listed defects are present and you cut all your joists the same, your outer edge will most likely be squiggly and wiggly. But what do I know? I used to eat lunch for 20+ years sitting on empty overturned drywall mud pails.

[@kraven4444]

@@askthebuilder I'm currently in the middle of building a shed starting with 2x8 floor joists. Of course things aren't perfectly the same everywhere. I'm also hoping to straighten some of it out with the subfloor going on.

[@kraven4444]

@@askthebuilder Also apparently and I haven't tried myself yet, but you can get better quality straighter lumber at a yard vs HomeCheapo

[@askthebuilder]

@@kraven4444 You should reserve hope for those things you can't control like the weather and if you win the lottery. You can control the shed carriage and it should be perfect BEFORE the subfloor goes on.

[@askthebuilder]

@@kraven4444 - Not only straighter but stronger. Look at the grade stamp on lumber at El HomeCheapo. Then ask the traditional lumber yard about their #1 and Select grades.

[@yoyoitsKerry]

I was looking at the bruise on your shin while you were swinging that hammer at yourself

[@askthebuilder]

My leg is made from a blend of titanium and unobtainium. No bruising. Get unlimited FREE tips like this each week by subscribing to my newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@joshtargo6834]

sometimes I attach the hangers slightly low and shim the joist to flush.

[@askthebuilder]

Hmmmm. Not a big fan of shims in structural situations unless they're steel. Like under an I-beam in a foundation pocket. For unlimited free tips each week subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@samu3813]

Don't so that for wood. Better to measure and get it right than to shim, especially if we are talking decking outside.

[@davidhawkins9782]

nice hammer

[@uhvoid8433]

No...you've never had a nice hammer till you have the tb3mc stiletto hammer...it makes his hammer look weak

[@askthebuilder]

Heck yes it is! Watch my NEW live stream videos! Subscribe to get my FREE newsletter here: www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@TC-to9jh]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@askthebuilder]

TNX For unlimited tips like this video, subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.AsktheBuilder.com

[@edwarddongres7866]

No one knows how to install the small 2x4 hangers, two by four hangers

[@askthebuilder]

Ed, would you be kind enough to show the independent data to support your claim? (chortle :-) ) What a silly statement to make, BTW. *No one* is a heck of a big data set of people!

[@edwarddongres7866]

@@askthebuilder Well Ask, I'd be very grateful to see the VDO. So I can say I was wrong, and here's one to show me. Have no problem being wrong I was wrong before :) (I may even "chortle")

[@samu3813]

Unhelpful!

[@muckjones3955]

What did you just do for us ?

[@askthebuilder]

I transferred secret knowledge from my tiny gray cells to yours! Watch my NEW live stream videos! Subscribe to get my FREE newsletter here: www.AsktheBuilder.com