Notching Beams

[Michael Roback]

I wrote regarding an electrical issue I had where I had to notch the face of a beam maybe 3/8" or slightly less to accomodate a piece of romex. I notched the beam maybe from the center of the face down to the bottom edge. One fellow wrote that this is not a good idea. because it involved the bottom edge. I wrote him back to ask more but wonder what the rule of thumb is for notching beams. My understanding is that it is not a problem as long as the notch is less that 1/6" thickiness of the beam. The beam is maybe

4X6 or so. Do I have a problem? My only other option was to drill up and through the beam and I didn't want to do that or nail romex on the face of the beam, bury in drywall and do an immediate 90 degree bend which I really did not want to do.

[RB]

The best way to penetrate any beam is to drill a small horizontal hole exactly in the center of the beam. Removing any material at the top or bottom extreme is the worst thing you can do since the top and bottom extremes are where the most tension (bottom) or compression (top) is found.

RB

Michael Roback wrote:

[Tom Baker]

WWPA (Western wood Products Association) has a PDF of Notching standards.

Tom Baker