I finally looked up the weight of an oak beam I carried last spring

I was helping a buddy frame a pergola out in Hudson back in April, and we had to muscle a 16-foot red oak beam into place. Never really thought about it until I got home and Googled the density of dried red oak (about 45 pounds per cubic foot). Turns out that single beam weighed roughly 475 pounds, which made me realize how stupid we were for not using a telehandler or at least a come-along. Has anyone else ever run the numbers on a lift they did and felt like an idiot afterward?

2 comments

2 Comments

jana_davis901mo ago

Wow, that's wild (and honestly, a little terrifying). Glad you're okay.

rosew371mo ago

Isn't it funny how you think you've planned for everything and then life throws you a curveball like that? I had a similar thing happen last summer when a tree came down on our shed during a storm. We heard the crash at 2am and just sat there in the dark, staring at each other. It took three weeks to get someone out to cut it up and fix the roof.