Workshop: Setting the Beam

The crew from Patriot Erectors is showing up this afternoon to deliver and set the beam for my Workshop, and I have a few things to tidy up before the site is ready for them.  On the South end where the beam is to bear on the concrete wall, there is a sill plate and a post obstructing where it needs to sit.  On the North end, I still have to trim one of the doubled 2x12 headers that carries the landing and stair trimmers.  They are scheduled to arrive at 2PM, so I have my work cut out for me.

The first task at hand is to remove this post that transfers the load from a doubled truss which carries a bearing wall that carries the second-floor ceiling joists... down through the concrete wall to the footing.  You can see it here in the stud bay left of the black refrigerant lines.

After shoring up both sides of the bay with new studs and carefully removing a portion of a defective stud, I cut out the post and replaced it with a header and a pair of jack studs

Closeup of the 4x6 beam set snugly to replace the old post

It is getting to be 11 AM and I still need to cut the sill plate and trim the header on the stairway.  I'm not sure whether to cut a section out of the sill out or notch it, or what tools to use either way.  The reciprocating saw would puncture the moisture barrier, and there's not enough room for my router or circular saw.  When doing heavy framing, most people don't think of the lowly Dremel, but by 12 noon I have a notch cut in the sill plate for a beam pocket.

A hand chisel finishes the job, but now it is 1PM and I only have an hour to trim the stair header and clean up

With the stair header trimmed, the crew from Patriot Erectors showed up right on time to deliver and set the beam

They borrowed my 4' spirit level and shop vac to plumb and set the column (and wanted to steal my laser level)

The beam set in position