Setting and securing the beams/skids/runner-- whatever you wanna call them.

Last time I went through and notched all of my 6x6 posts to have the beams rest in them. After putting all the posts back on the base brackets, I went and put up my beams to:

1. See if everything is level.
2. See if the notch cut sizes were correct.

Oddly enough, things were looking good. And with that confirmation, I was ready to start tightening things down. 

At first, I went ahead and tightened the base brackets down. I got them pretty tight, but was afraid to crush the washer. Later, after putting my posts in and hammering the upper part of the base bracket to make it snug around the post, I noticed that the bracket started moving on the ½ bolt which sits in the cement. Apparently I needed the brackets to be very tight. I removed the post and re-tightened all the base brackets.

Once all the posts were back on the brackets, I tried to level each one within the bracket as best as I could while also making sure that each sat flat on the base of each bracket. Once all that was done, I drilled pilot holes in the posts and used the special Simpson galvanized screws to secure the Simpson base brackets to the posts.

Attaching the 6x6 support post to the Simpson strong tie bracket.

  

With all the posts leveled and attached, I was ready to put the beams in their place. I put one 2x10 board up at a time. Once I had both boards sitting in the notches, I used a long ½ spade drill bit and drilled 2 holes in each post, diagonally from each other, to attach the beams to the posts.

Using 2 through bolts on a diagonal, we attach the 2x10 beams to the support posts.

I will need to go back and nail the two 2x10’s to each other for each beam. The nails will sit 16” apart and will use 3 nails aligned one on top of the other at each location.

Up next is the floor box, joists and plywood! Now it’s looking like something!!

With everything being ready for the floor box, I decided to use the box we initially built out of 2x4s when we were first trying to figure out where to place the sauna. It came in handy once again as we were able to preview the next step. It also alerted me to one possible sizing mistake.

The sauna I’m building is 12’ wide and 14’ long. The beams run front to back and are 14’ feet even. The floor box will sit flush with the edges of the beams along the 12’ sides and will overhang past the beams along the 14’ sides. Although we hammered the 2x4 mockup box pretty quickly, I think we forgot to calculate for the 1.5” on both sides to accommodate the rim joist thickness :) This was evident when we placed the mockup on our beams and the edges hung over the beams instead of being flush with them :) Ooops! Luckily, we didn’t cut the real 2x10s, so nothing lost. 

Notching 6x6 foundation posts.

After reading about the different techniques of notching posts-- what is apparently called the Rabbit Joint, I tried a few different options myself. Below, this is the technique that worked best for me.

My posts will accept the beams. The beams will sit inside the L notch. My beams are 2 2x10s nailed together. The actual width is 3" and the height is 9.25". Thus, my posts need to be notched 3" horizontally and 9.25" vertically. At least I think that's right measurements :)

To do so, the first post needed to be measured and marked. Once the first post was cut, I used it as a template and traced the cut on to each of the rest of the posts. So, here's how it went.

Notching posts:

1. Draw the cuts

Using a table saw, set the blade height to cut the post.

2. Use a table saw at it's highest setting (10" table saw blade in my case) with the marks on the post facing up and cut along the vertical line- the 9.25" cut.

3. Flip the post 180 degrees and use the cut you just made as the guide to cut on the opposite side. Notice too the lines on the table saw's table. Find a mark that the post seems to follow and use that as a guide on the other posts for cleaner straighter cuts.

4. Flip the post with the horizontal cut mark facing down and make the cut. The blade comes really close to the 3" we need.

5. Make another horizontal cut but instead of at our marked 9.25 inch spot, do it about half way. This will help in chiseling out the pieces since the blade doesn't cut all the way through.

6. With the cuts made, use a chisel to break away the blocks you've cut.

After the cuts have been made, use a pry bar or a long screwdriver to clear out the notch.

7. Finally, chisel and clean the little pieces that didn't get fully cut due to blade size.

Use a chisel to clean up the notch.

And there you have it. A cleanly notched post.



The foundation construction continues now with real Pressure Treated posts.

So, as I found out, the Pressure Treated posts I bought for less were treated to "refusal". In other words, not pressure treated enough to be useful in foundation construction. I went out and bought the real PT posts-- 6x6x10. $100 lighter, at least I had the right posts. For one, they're a lot heavier-- probably due to water/chemical content. Also, when cut, they don't break. Unless cut all the way through, the fibers can't be twist-broken. They need to be cut.

One more change to my design is initially, I was going to have the 6x6 posts at each pier. But to accommodate the height of the posts, I would have had the sauna floor beams sit too high in the air. What I changed is I'll have the highest pier be the location of what the beam sits on. The rest of the piers will have posts to level with the first pier. So, for my highest pier, I used a 4x4 Simpson bracket which will take the (2) 2x10 beams. The rest of the piers will have the notched posts accept the beams. At least that's the plan.

So, now that I had the right posts and lowered my string and re-leveled it again, I was ready to cut my new posts to the new heights.

Using a string level, I was able to find a level plane and match the posts to it.

Once the posts were cut and all level, I got back to notching. I was concerned with that part. I've read online different suggestions on how it's done. Some suggested Sawzall, some chainsaw. I tried a 7.25" circular saw-- but oddly enough, it's cutting depth is like 2.5" or less. The post is at least 5.5"-- that'd leave me with 1/2".

First attempt at notching support posts was unsuccessful.

In the end, I came up with a method that worked best for me.