For gods sake , over engineer with treated pine . It's so cheap and works just fine . Buy a slab and some 4 inch nails.
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cauncy said..
A quick sketch, you engineer will charge you 4/500$$ for something similar

Amazing. This is exactly what i planed to do. Would retain some of the exposed rafter, and would be easier to make decent job of the plaster at the ed of the job. I had thought I would use 70x35 - I didn't think of it as adding strength to the rafters.

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Shifu said..
Trying to determine whether my rafters are hardwood or cypress pine. I chiseled some paint off and here's the result. Chisels easilly and the chips look like other hardwood chips I've seen but...
Edit. Heres a chip.

I reckon it looks like skirt steak with a nice char. I'm not sure you should build a house using meat as the main structural members.

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log man said..

Shifu said..
Trying to determine whether my rafters are hardwood or cypress pine. I chiseled some paint off and here's the result. Chisels easilly and the chips look like other hardwood chips I've seen but...
Edit. Heres a chip.

I reckon it looks like skirt steak with a nice char. I'm not sure you should build a house using meat as the main structural members.

That is one clean lookin barby plate .

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2stubborn2quit said..

sn said..and to really mess with your head - Jarrah is a softwood....

No it is not. Hardwoods are defined by their cellular structure not their hardness. But who gives a rats arse.

Yes to the cell structure bit!

When I did my time as an apprentice wood machinist, the olde schoole tradie teachers at Leederville tech were pretty insistent about Jarrah being classed as a softwood - as defined by the cell structure / not how fast it wore out your cutters and saw blades.

Is it not classed on how long it takes to grow ?

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Imax1 said..
Is it not classed on how long it takes to grow ?

If that is the case my Cbus super fund sure is a Hardwood

On exposed rafters with Gyproc recessed its 100% necessary to use a starter / flush trim against rafter, this allows you to reduce the cutting sizes for an easy fit and you have zero cracking issues of a flush against timber finish

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cauncy said..
On exposed rafters with Gyproc recessed its 100% necessary to use a starter / flush trim against rafter, this allows you to reduce the cutting sizes for an easy fit and you have zero cracking issues of a flush against timber finish

Yep. That's the plan. Thanks!

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cauncy said..
A quick sketch, you engineer will charge you 4/500$$ for something similar

Engineer has approved my project and specified exactly what Cauncy has drawn above. The only addition is some extra connectors between my rafters and the centre beam.

Winter project begins!