The Ridge Beam

On Thursday, Steve, Mike, and I worked on the ridge beam, which consists of two long, flat boards that have been nailed together.

I hammered in most of the nails holding the boards together while Mike and Steve sawed them down to just the right size.

Once assembled, it was time to hoist the beam into place, which was easier said than done. Mike and Steve crafted a sort of totem pole. While one end of the beam was resting on the roof, the other sat on the floor of the addition. We placed the top of the totem pole under the beam, then slid the pole along the length of the beam to raise it up.

Now, this sounds very easy, but I have to say this was one of the most frightening things I have ever done in my life. For much of the time, I was holding the totem pole, by myself or with Steve, while the beam wobbled several feet above our heads. Moving the totem was tough work, and Steve and Mike quickly realized they needed to widen its base. After a quite a struggle, the beam finally reached its fnal destination!

Once the ridge beam was in place, the guys still needed to work on it, so for easy access, they built this handy stand.