{"product_id":"custom-heel-plate","title":"Custom Heel Plate","description":"\u003cp\u003eA heel truss plate drawn to the foot of your truss, where the top chord rests on the tie beam. Enter the timbers as measured, give the top chord's pitch as a rise in 12 or in degrees, and set where it lands on the tie beam, with its plumb and seat cuts shown as you go. Then set the plate's legs, the bolts, and the ends. Cut from A36 steel in 3\/16\", 1\/4\", 3\/8\", or 1\/2\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat a heel plate joins\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA heel plate joins the two timbers at the foot of a truss, where the top chord, or rafter, rests on the tie beam, or bottom chord. That's what makes it a heel: the top chord comes down at the roof's pitch and sits on top of the tie beam, cut to bear on it, and the plate bolts the two together. Where they meet the other way, with the top chord running past and the lower timber ending against its side, the joint takes a \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/products\/custom-collar-tie-plate\"\u003ecollar tie plate\u003c\/a\u003e instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne leg of the heel plate runs along the tie beam and the other up the top chord, with bolts through each. You set where the chords' centerlines meet, how far in from the tie beam's end, and the designer draws the top chord's seat cut, where it rests on the tie beam, and its plumb cut at the tie beam's end, so you can see the joint before it's cut. If a catalog pitch fits, our \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/products\/heel-truss-plate-taiga\"\u003eheel truss plate\u003c\/a\u003e is ready-drawn in six collections for 3\" to 12\" timbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSizes this designer makes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTimbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2 1\/2\" to 15 1\/2\", entered as measured, in 1\/8\" steps: the tie beam's height and the top chord's width.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePitch:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3\/12 to 24\/12, or 15° to 65°.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLegs:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8\" to 48\" along the tie beam, and up to 36\" up the top chord. Each leg is 2\" wide or more, up to its timber's size.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBetween the legs:\u003c\/strong\u003e open, as our catalog plates are, or filled.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBolts:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1\/4\" to 3\/4\", in one row or two. You set how many go in the tie beam and in the top chord.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnds:\u003c\/strong\u003e square, clipped, rounded, or pointed, with sharp or rounded inside corners.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe designer opens on our catalog VB4 plate on surfaced 6x6 timbers at a 6\/12 pitch, with five 5\/8\" bolts in the tie beam and three in the top chord, square ends, in 1\/4\" steel. Change any of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhere the bolts go\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first question is how far the bolts sit from the ends and edges of your timbers, and from each other. \u003cstrong\u003eMinimum distances\u003c\/strong\u003e, the default, holds every bolt to the American Wood Council's NDS minimums for softwood: 3 1\/2 bolt diameters from the end of a timber, 1 1\/2 from its edge, and 3 from the next bolt. That's how we lay out our own plates. At a heel, the end to watch is the tie beam's, past the plate. \u003cstrong\u003eFull-strength distances\u003c\/strong\u003e doubles the end distance to 7 diameters and spaces bolts 4 apart, so plates come out larger or with fewer bolts. \u003cstrong\u003eNo minimum distances\u003c\/strong\u003e puts each bolt where you set it. Wood that close to a bolt can split, so have your engineer check that layout. The \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/pages\/bolt-spacing-and-edge-distance\"\u003ebolt spacing and edge distance guide\u003c\/a\u003e explains the numbers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHow it's priced\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy weight: the steel in your plate, less its holes, with shipping in the lower 48 built in. There's no charge for design or setup. The price changes as you change the plate, and the price you see is the price you pay. A plate over $500 goes through the \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/pages\/contact-us#quote\"\u003equote form\u003c\/a\u003e instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuestions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow many do I need for a truss?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach truss has two heels. Plated on the front only, it takes two plates; front and back, four. The plate flips over to fit the other heel and the other side, so they're all the same plate. The designer opens at two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhich thickness should I choose?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3\/16\" is our standard plate and suits most decorative work. 1\/4\" is a third heavier and stiffer, and 3\/8\" and 1\/2\" heavier still. Our plates are architectural hardware, not engineered or load-rated: if a plate is part of how your truss carries load, your engineer decides whether it's suitable and how thick it should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe basics\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eA36 steel plate, laser cut in our ISO 9001 shop in Texas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHoles are cut 1\/16\" larger than the bolt you choose. Bolts aren't included.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eEnter your timbers' real size, not their name. \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/pages\/timber-connector-guide#measuring\"\u003eHow to measure a timber\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBare steel, or matte black powder coat added in the cart.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eShips free in the lower 48 states.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eNo published load ratings. Ask your engineer, and see \u003ca href=\"\/en-ca\/pages\/timber-connector-guide#load-ratings\"\u003ewhat to give them\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Timberplates","offers":[{"title":"3\/16\"","offer_id":67688949874964,"sku":"custom-heel-plate-316","price":9.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1\/4\"","offer_id":67688949907732,"sku":"custom-heel-plate-14","price":14.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"3\/8\"","offer_id":67688949940500,"sku":"custom-heel-plate-38","price":20.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1\/2\"","offer_id":67688949973268,"sku":"custom-heel-plate-12","price":25.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/5985\/files\/render-custom-heel-plate.png?v=1792030231","url":"https:\/\/www.timberplates.com\/en-ca\/products\/custom-heel-plate","provider":"Timberplates","version":"1.0","type":"link"}