I have been working with a company that makes a lot of porches using a 2 piece bottom chord (arched) into the king post. Spans typically 9 feet or less.
The king posts are typically 8x8 and the bottom chord 6x12 or 14 but with an arch cut to make 6x9 or so.
I'm sure they use 2 pieces to save on material but neither they nor myself know if this is inherently a bad practice. I keep encouraging them to get some engineering help but unfortunately they have not moved on this suggestion.
Perhaps with some expert advice I can further encourage them to move in that direction.
Regards,
Steve.
