Posted By: TITMAS
Building wooden water tower - 04/22/07 11:55 PM
We have been offered this job from a builder that we regularly do work for and I want to get some input from you guys as to what you think.
The existing tower was built in the 30's-40's and the base is 16’x16’ and is made from 6x6 posts, 4 of them 75' tall and full 2x8 cross braces, 10 of them on each side.
The tower is lying on its side after having been laid down by a crane to avoid hurricane damage last season. The plan was to just replace the cross braces and install new SS bolts and have a crane erect it but upon closer inspection it has been decided to completely rebuild it with all brand new timbers and hardware but as an exact replica of the old one because its registered with the historical society. The repair aspect was no problem but now tower erecting is new territory for us and we are looking for some input from anyone who has experience with this type of construction. The new timbers are 16' 8x8’s that will be joined end to end with a 3’ scarf joint and 3 through bolts. All the connections and the layout of the posts and cross braces are shown in the plans but it’s the actual building sequence and erecting of the structure that we are not sure about. We would like to avoid having put up staging or rent a crane for 3 weeks but rather build it on its side and have a crane for one day come in and stand it up. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Ill post some pics once I upload them to Flicker.
The existing tower was built in the 30's-40's and the base is 16’x16’ and is made from 6x6 posts, 4 of them 75' tall and full 2x8 cross braces, 10 of them on each side.
The tower is lying on its side after having been laid down by a crane to avoid hurricane damage last season. The plan was to just replace the cross braces and install new SS bolts and have a crane erect it but upon closer inspection it has been decided to completely rebuild it with all brand new timbers and hardware but as an exact replica of the old one because its registered with the historical society. The repair aspect was no problem but now tower erecting is new territory for us and we are looking for some input from anyone who has experience with this type of construction. The new timbers are 16' 8x8’s that will be joined end to end with a 3’ scarf joint and 3 through bolts. All the connections and the layout of the posts and cross braces are shown in the plans but it’s the actual building sequence and erecting of the structure that we are not sure about. We would like to avoid having put up staging or rent a crane for 3 weeks but rather build it on its side and have a crane for one day come in and stand it up. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Ill post some pics once I upload them to Flicker.