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Can I use 2x6 as a beam?

A 2x6 is really 1.5" x 5.5" not 2" x 6" as the name suggests. So a built-up beam made from two 2x6's is actually just 3 inches wide. If you're supposed to use a 4x6 timber, you might not be able to substitute a built-up beam made from two 2x6's.

diy.stackexchange.com - How do I mate two 2x6s together to make a 4x6 beam?

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You must laminate them together (somehow).

Imagine a stack of sheets of paper, each sheet 5.5" x 10 feet, the full stack is 3.5" high. Is that as strong as a 4x6? No, because each sheet of paper will simply bend individually (independently). So will a pack of six 1x6’s or a stack of two 2x6‘s. That's what makes the 4x6 stronger than six 1x6‘s. Howver you may notice that a 500 sheet pack of copy paper in its package has some resistance to bowing out that the unwrapped stack does not. That is because the package holds it bound in a stack. The sheets are not free to slide past one another, so they can't bow as easily. That's what lamination is all about. It keeps the individual 1x6's or 2x6's from spreading or sliding past each other, making them more rigid. Even the aforementioned stack of paper could do alright if it were glued together effectively. The most effective way is to use glue, obviously. I am cautious of gluing to new wood, especially treated wood, because it is so wet internally, and in my experience that makes glue ineffective. I like my lumber dried a year per inch (so 9 months on two-by's, which are 1.5" thick). By the way, four-by's are 3.5" thick so you have 1/2" of thickness to make up if that dimension is critical.

However you can also lam with bolts or screws.

Now if you want to make it extraordinarily strong, steel is freakishly strong when kept on edge. Consider a laminate of

two-by

1/16" steel sheet

3/16" plywood

1/16" steel sheet

two-by

All tightly bolted together in a stack (gluing wood to steel won't provide very good adhesion). This plays to the strength of both materials, the stiff but not particularly strong wood forces the strong but wet-noodle steel into its strongest shape. And also keeps weight down since the stiffener is wood, not steel.

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How far can you spend a 2 by 8 floor joist?

Max. Live Load 30 lbs/ft2 (1436 N/m2) Maximum Span (ft - in) Nominal Size (inches) Joist Spacing Center to Center (inches) Lumber Grade 2 x 8 12 15' - 7"" 16 14' - 1"" 24 11' - 6"" 10 more rows

engineeringtoolbox.com - Maximum Floor Joist Span - The Engineering ToolBox

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