Custom Queen Post Plate

What a queen post plate joins

A queen post plate joins three timbers where a queen post meets the top chord of a queen post truss: the top chord, or rafter, the queen post that runs up plumb to its underside, and the strut that comes up into the corner between them. It is our strut plate with a third leg. A bar runs along the top chord and one leg down the strut, as on a strut plate, and the third comes down the queen post, with bolts through each, so one plate holds the whole joint.

The top chord runs through, and the queen post is cut along its underside. Seated in the corner, the strut is mitered with two cuts, one against the queen post and one on the top chord; set either and the designer works out the other and draws them both, so you can see the joint before it's cut. Or set the strut a little way down the post, on it alone, or out on the top chord alone. At the opening, every centerline meets in one point. You set where the queen post meets the top chord along the bar, centered or toward either end. For a strut with no queen post beside it, use the custom strut plate.

Sizes this designer makes

• Timbers: 2 1/2" to 15 1/2", entered as measured, in 1/8" steps: the top chord's width, the strut's width, and the queen post's width.
• Angles: the top chord's pitch and the strut's angle, each 3/12 to 24/12, or 15° to 65°.
• The strut's seat: in the corner, with a miter cut against the queen post and one on the top chord, or on either one alone.
• Plate: 8" to 48" along the top chord, and up to 36" down the strut and down the queen post. The bar and each leg are 2" wide or more, up to their timber's size.
• Queen post position: centered on the bar, or moved up to a quarter of its length toward either end.
• Bolts: 1/4" to 3/4", in one row or two. You set how many go in the top chord, in the strut, and in the queen post.
• Ends: square, clipped, rounded, or pointed, with sharp or rounded inside corners.

The designer opens on the shape of our catalog Y4 plate on surfaced 6x6 timbers, the top chord at 6/12 and the strut at 45°, with a second leg 14" down a 6x6 queen post, the bar and both legs 4" wide, every centerline meeting in one point: a bar 19" long with six 5/8" bolts in the top chord, two in the strut, and three in the queen post, square ends, in 1/4" steel. Change any of it.

Where the bolts go

The first question is how far the bolts sit from the ends and edges of your timbers, and from each other. Minimum distances, 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 queen post, the ends to watch are the strut's, where it's cut into the corner, and the queen post's top, under the top chord: the post's highest bolt sits an end distance below it. Full design value distances doubles the end distance to 7 diameters and spaces bolts 4 apart, so plates come out larger or with fewer bolts. No minimum distances puts each bolt where you set it. Wood that close to a bolt can split, so have your engineer check that layout. The bolt spacing and edge distance guide explains the numbers.

How it's priced

By 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 quote form instead.

Questions

How many do I need for a truss?

A queen post truss has two queen posts, one each side. Plated on the front only, it takes two plates; front and back, four. The plate flips over to fit the other queen post and the other side, so they're all the same plate. The designer opens at two.

Which thickness should I choose?

3/16" 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.

The basics

• A36 steel plate, laser cut in our ISO 9001 shop in Texas.
• Holes are cut 1/16" larger than the bolt you choose. Bolts aren't included.
• Enter your timbers' real size, not their name. How to measure a timber.
• Bare steel, or matte black powder coat added in the cart.
• Ships free in the lower 48 states.
• No published load ratings. Ask your engineer, and see what to give them.