Strength of Rafters/ Wodden Wall Studs

Hey guys, I have a few questions I would appreciate some help answering.

1. The rafters in my garage seem pretty weak, I was going to put some stuff up on them but when I was hanging from them(wanted to see if they could hold my weight as opposed to a canoes) they were making an awful lot of creaking/moaning. So my question is, how do I judge their strength and if they are to weak is there any way I can reinforce them?

2. How strong are wooden wall studs? I am going to be putting some exercise equipment in the back of my garage, and want to put in a chin-up/pull-up bar, either from the wall or the rafters(depending on which is stronger.

However I don't want to pull down the entire garage either, so how much weight can the wall studs hold, and is there a way to strengthen them?

Thanks in advance, if you need anything cleared up just let me know.

 

A few questions -

1. How big are you to make your garage "creak/moan"? - Just a joke.

2. What are the sizes of the rafters/trusses and the spacing?

3. What are the size and spacing of the studs?

Many wood buildings make noises, but they are usually strong enough. Sudden loads are different than the long term loads (code minimums).

Dick

 

Thanks for your help, appreciate it. New to this so bear with me.

1. Thats why I was so surprised, only weigh 170.

2. Not sure how to measure the rafters/trusses?

3. The studs are 2x4 about 10 ft tall. Spaced about a foot apart.

 

Size and spacing of framing members is critical for assessing their strength. If you measure the width and thickness of the joists (are they joists or rafters?), the space between adjacent joists and the span of the joists (distance in feet between supports such as walls or beams) someone will probably be able to help.

Rafters frame the roof and are where the roof sheathing is attached and joists typically support horizontal surfaces like floors and ceilings.

 

Sorry guys, my ignorance is showing itself.

By rafters, I mean the 2x10 boards that run across the garage at the top of the sidewalls.

 

OK - Those would be called joists. The next critical point is determining the spacing and span.

 

Sorry once more, I really should take a construction class once school starts in September.

Joists-

Width- 3 1/2

Thickness- 1 1/2

Spacing- 2 feet

Span- 24 feet and 14 feet(two different areas)

 

Your joists appear to be 2X4s spaced 24" OC. That is realy inadequate for any sort of loading given the span you measured. At 24' I'm surprised they support their own weight. Are you sure there is no intervening support beam?
Are they possibly part of a roof truss system where they are tied to the rafters with other 2X4 framing members forming a web between the roof rafters and the joists?

 

No support beam(from the ground).

There are a number of triangular wood frames going from the joists to the roof.

I assumed the joists were supporting the roof, not the other way around.

 

Starting to make sense now. Your garage has a trussed roof not a traditional rafter and joist framing. To be honest, I don't know how much load can be placed on the bottom chord of a truss.

 

Any idea who would know, or how to find out?

 

In most truss systems (not including attic trusses) the bottom tie is there to keep the truss from spreading out, not to support real load. They'll still support some load like sheetrock or OSB. If you are going to hang anything from them I'd suggest putting a 2x4 on top of the bottom tie so that it spans multiple trusses to distribute the load, then putting hangers in the 2x4 spanner. If the trusses still deflect noticeably when you put a load on them then don’t push them, but they should be able to handle a canoe. A lot of it depends on their condition so I can’t say for sure.