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Attaching 2x4 to steel girder

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Philly Dude

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have a horizontal steel I beam that I need to attach a 2x4 to in the webbing area of the beam. I have a Hilti DX400 .27 caliber powder actuated gun. I have Hilti 1 7/8" nails that say on the package : for attaching 2x4 to steel up to 1/2" thick. I tried about 12 nails. Most of them just completely bounce off of the steel and bend in half a full 90 degrees. A few stuck in the steel a few millimeters but were easily pulled out by hand. They also bent in half. I tried useing medium charges and heavy charges. I think that maybe the steel is thicker then 1/2". The webbing is about 8" wide on this I beam. I have no access to the other side of the I beam, so I can't just drill thru and run some bolt thru the wood and the beam.

I need to attach wood to this I beam so I have something for my subflooring to catch onto in this one 2' long spot. I can't put any additional framing in this area because there is a waste line running parallel to the beam about 18" away from it.
 
#2 ·
Look for these or similar...if you have a place in your area that repairs flatbed trailers, they will have torx drive screws just made for this stuff.

http://www.screw-products.com/reamer.htm

It has been my experience that power fasteners just don't get it in a lot of applications...and this is one.
 
#3 ·
Drill and tap.

Weld

2 x4 to hold up floor?

How about just "resting" the 2 x 4 (or larger) on the beam ledge and using the nails or screws in the sub-flooring to hold it in place. T it at the end to prevent twisting if needed.

Pictures would help.



.
 
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#4 ·
I have the exact same Hilti gun as you, usually use it for the same purpose, one thing you have to watch, the nails/gun have to be almost perfectly square to the steel or you will get ones that bend and bounce. I have found that if I stand on a ladder where I can get my weight and shoulder into holding the gun it works better that trying to do it holding it with one hand. You might also have a harder-than-usual I-beam, ran into that a couple times.

I also use the self-drilling type of screws Joasis is talking about, but with webs that thick I have found it easier to predrill the hole with a regular drill bit, faster than letting the screw drill the hole.

If it's only a 2 foot spot, you might do as Mickey suggested, buy a tap with matching drill at the hardware of big box, drill and tap for a a couple bolts, put some construction adhesive on it and bolt it to the beam.
 
#5 ·
drill it and put a carriage bolt thru it. i've drilled many and it goes fast with a couple of new bits. It was common here to just glue the wood plate to the steel and bend a couple of nails over to hold it and get some weight on it. I've never heard of any problems with just glue but I always liked thru bolts
 
#6 ·
K2 said:
drill it and put a carriage bolt thru it. i've drilled many and it goes fast with a couple of new bits. It was common here to just glue the wood plate to the steel and bend a couple of nails over to hold it and get some weight on it. I've never heard of any problems with just glue but I always liked thru bolts
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Philly Dude said:
I have a horizontal steel I beam that I need to attach a 2x4 to in the webbing area of the beam. I have a Hilti DX400 .27 caliber powder actuated gun. I have Hilti 1 7/8" nails that say on the package : for attaching 2x4 to steel up to 1/2" thick. I tried about 12 nails. Most of them just completely bounce off of the steel and bend in half a full 90 degrees. A few stuck in the steel a few millimeters but were easily pulled out by hand. They also bent in half. I tried useing medium charges and heavy charges. I think that maybe the steel is thicker then 1/2". The webbing is about 8" wide on this I beam. I have no access to the other side of the I beam, so I can't just drill thru and run some bolt thru the wood and the beam.

I need to attach wood to this I beam so I have something for my subflooring to catch onto in this one 2' long spot. I can't put any additional framing in this area because there is a waste line running parallel to the beam about 18" away from it.
Click to expand...
...
 
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#12 ·
If it's an 8" beam I doubt the web is going to be more than 1/2" thick, more than likely 1/4-3/8". Those self driller's are also available in hex-head which might make it easier if you go that route. When shooting with a gun you have to be dead nut perpendicular with the gun otherwise what's happening to you often occurs. Personally, unless the welding machine and weldor were already at the job, I would stay away from that; especially if the building has a lot of wood in it.
 
#13 ·
Firemike is right about you having to aim square to keep the pin from bending.

You might want to try pre-drilling the wood and some of the steel with a bit that is smaller diameter than the pin. You don't have to drill all the way thru the steel either; just enough to keep the pin from bending.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Thanks for all the quick replies. I have a feeling that the nails are bending because of the gun not being perfectly perpendicular to the steel. It is a real tight spot I'm trying to shot in and this is probably the case. Also I never shot into steel before so I did not know you had to be perfectly square.

I'll definitely post some pics on Friday night.

Thanks again for all the quick replies.

Merry Christmas to all !
 
#15 ·
joasis said:
Look for these or similar...if you have a place in your area that repairs flatbed trailers, they will have torx drive screws just made for this stuff.

http://www.screw-products.com/reamer.htm

It has been my experience that power fasteners just don't get it in a lot of applications...and this is one.
Click to expand...
I just had this exact same condition to work through and the fasteners in the link above worked beautifully. Even though they are "self drilling", I found that an appropriate sized pilot hole helped a lot, and I have a Drill Doctor to keep up with the dulls.
I got there the same way, my Hilti powder actuated just wasn't cutting it.
 
#16 ·
I never had success with the long pins into steel.

You may try shooting some 20g. metal track into the steel with short pins. This track is 3 5/8" wide, and should hold well. The 2x4 slips into the track nicely, and can be attached from the sides w/ screws.

M.
 
#19 ·
I've had people tell me the same basic problem shooting into steel. They had the depth setting turned to 1. If you haven't tried it already use a red shot with the gun set at 3.5. It just might work.
Otherwise I'd just use the above suggested screws.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Got it

Thanks again for all the good responses. A few of you mentioned drilling and tapping holes in the girder. The steel is just too thick and/or hard. I tried a brand new bit and I'd of been there for an hour trying to get thru that sucker.

Solution: I cut a piece of wood to rest on the bottom shelf of the webbing. I cut it with a bevel on the bottom so it would rest perfectly flat. Then I used construction glue to hold it to the beam, as well as some wood blocking to lock it in place.

Here are 3 pics of the problem:
 

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Philly Dude
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