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  1. #1
    Senior Member HamMike's Avatar
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    Hammock setup from rafters

    I'm goin to set up a spot in my basement to hang my hammock. I have 8 feet of head space with 2x8 rafters. I was thinking of drilling a hole through two rafters, one at the head and one at the foot. Has anyone ever rigged one up like this?

  2. #2
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    For the sake of the house it'd be better to pick up a Simpson strong-tie bracket from the home improvement warehouse. You'd be looking for a gusset plate or something similar that has little metal teeth that you hammer into the side of the joists. They're plenty strong enough to hang from and you won't be compromising the integrity of your floor framing with holes.

    Plenty of people do exactly what you're describing and don't have any problems. You probably wouldn't either, but it's not the best thing you can do to your house.
    .. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville

  3. #3
    Senior Member Harpo63's Avatar
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    got a couple hammocks hung up in my basement that way. However, if hung perpendicular to the rafters, I screwed in the eyebolts near the cross brackets. got another one hung along the same joist.

  4. #4
    Senior Member pedro's Avatar
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    If you can, hang both ends from the same rafter. That way the rafter acts as a compression member.

    If you can, slip a piece of webbing in between the rafter and the subfloor and use it like a treehugger . You probably won't be able to do this.


    If you have to drill holes, do it in the center of the rafter. The top and bottom are the most important parts for structural integrity.
    "Interesting! No, wait, the other thing.....tedious!"- Bender Bending Rodriques

  5. #5
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    Are they old-school lumber joists (2x6 or 2x8s) or are they wooden I-trusses? Different practices apply, depending. If you want to drill a sawn joist, just keep the hole two inches from the top or bottom of the joist and smaller than 1/3 of the height of the lumber. If they're I-joists, you'll have to look up the manufacturer stamped on the wood and check out their guidelines, which are usually available online.
    .. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville

  6. #6
    Senior Member pedro's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by vitamaltz View Post
    If they're I-joists, you'll have to look up the manufacturer stamped on the wood and check out their guidelines, which are usually available online.
    Excellent point!
    "Interesting! No, wait, the other thing.....tedious!"- Bender Bending Rodriques

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    I just noticed that you said 2x8 rafters in your original post, HamMike. I'm being slow on the uptake. Some days it feels like I've been hit in the head with a 2x8.
    .. truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold, for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself. If you flatter yourself that you are all over comfortable, and have been so a long time, then you cannot be said to be comfortable any more. - Herman Melville

  8. #8
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Been hanging from the rafters for a long time now, no problems yet.
    Trust nobody!

  9. #9
    Senior Member HamMike's Avatar
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    Thanx for all the pointers guys much appreciated! I wasn't going to hang perpendicular but I prob will now with all the input.

  10. #10
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    I've been thinking of doing the same thing for a while now. My house is under construction... more accuratly in a holding pattern till spring but I've got the basment capped off. I'm going to build some guset plates out of some scrap plate I have laying around and nail a piece on each side of the joist with a bolt through the bottom to hook the hammock to. My floor joists are 2X10 rough cut hemlock so most mass produced hangers and such wont fit over the joists. Not to worried about strenght though

    I'm looking to be able to get out of mom and dads house when I'm working nights. some times it can be a little noisy to sleep. a hammock in my basment may be just the ticket. I just need to perfect the insulation as it only stays about 40* in there right now.

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