Wooden box for shingle shed base

[Meatyfool]

Hi,

Dimensions for the box are 17 foot by 11 foot, which I intend to make up by 16'8" and 10'8 timbers of 4"x4" (staggered corners, if that makes sense!)

I was thinking to join them with steel thread driven down the length of the post at each corner . I was thinking to washer and nut the exposed end, but I would need to drill a hole into the underside of the timber at the other end of the thread so I can put a washer and nut at the other end to bind the two pieces together. Essentially, I'm recreating the bolt that holds kitchen worktop together on the underside.

That does seem to be a lot of effort.

Could I get away with using metal flat plates at the joints? There is going to be a lot of weight on the box with approx. 3 inches of gravel and a 16' by 10' summerhouse.

And the rear of the box is not going to be embedded in the ground but resting on top (sloping site). I will use rebar to anchor the box to the ground.

Lastly, I've not ordered the timber yet, but suspect that I may have to get the long dimension in two parts and so another joint. A single long piece of timber would be in excess of 30kg and likely too heavy/bulky to work with?

Any better ideas?

Meatyfool..

[Maroochydore]

Not an answer but have you seen this? May give you some extra thoughts: https://www.tuin.co.uk/blog/timber-fram ... og-cabins/

[Meatyfool]

Thanks for the link.

We have already paid for the bearer base as described in the link. We now need to do create a shingle base for it to sit on. This is complicated by the ground being on a slope hence the need for the wooden box.

We could go for raised brick/concrete columns, but thought the shingle pad would be better.

Meatyfool..

[redsturgeon]

The plates should be fine. I there will not be much weight forcing the base to "burst" apart as the weight will mainly just be carried down to the ground. Shingle is not that fluid.

John

[staffordian]

Not an answer to your specific question, but with regard to the construction of the box, I wonder if one or two cross members might be advisable?

4x4 timber isn't that likely to be forced out of shape by the weight of the shingle and the building, but containing the shingle within two or three "cells" might keep it in place better, and cross members might resist any tendency of the longer lengths to warp.

[88V8]

Bit late replying, but I built a shed a few years ago for the wife -hmmm, that doesn't quite read right - on a very sloping site.

It was scratch-built, not a ready-made.
I stood it on 4x4 posts in Metposts. I bolted the posts to the shed underframe. The underframe I made from 6x2".

To brace it against sideways movement, I inserted a couple of diagonal struts underneath, from the bottom of the posts to the opposite top.

The height difference iirc is about 3ft, but the principle will work for any slope.
For a shed your size, I'd allow a post at each corner plus one on each side.
Much cheaper than a solid frame, and one gains an undershed storage area for canes & pots & stuff.

V8