Abstract:
A pre-fabricated post frame panel having top and bottom boards extending the full width of the panel and outer jack studs inset 1/16 of an inch inside the outer ends of the top and bottom boards.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a pre-fabricated post frame panel used in the construction of post frame buildings. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    Pole buildings are economical buildings used for agricultural, commercial, industrial and residential uses. Typically they are constructed of self-supporting heavy timber frames. While historically these buildings have been built from scratch, efforts have been made to decrease the cost of these building structures by pre-fabricating trusses or other portions of these buildings. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,216 incorporated pre-fabricated front, back and side wall structures. The wooden frame building structure was constructed using almost exclusively pre-fabricated wooden structural components. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,503 discloses a basic wall-framing unit typically consisting of a rectangle formed of two vertical and two horizontal 2″×4″ lumber with the verticals being spaced apart by two feet on centers. Further disclosed is a plurality of wall framing units combined at the building site to provide a wall of any desired length. The framing units are generally secured together with truss plates to provide a means for rapid construction. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,699 B2 discloses a post frame building utilizing columns composed of upper and lower sections laminated from standard dimensional lumber. The lower sections of the columns are set into the ground and the upper sections are joined to the lower sections by means of a staggered slip joint. The pre-fabricated girt panels are applied to the columns prior to truss mounting.  FIG. 7  shows a pre-fabricated girt panel with two parallel vertical members joined with an array of horizontal members configured at right angles to the vertical members. The vertical and horizontal members are joined by use of truss plates. It is an object of the current invention to provide a pre-fabricated post frame panel that will both decrease the cost of construction and at the same time increase the strength of the pole buildings utilizing the panels of the current invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The unique pre-fabricated post frame panel of the current invention has significant advantages over other panels. In constructing the panel there is less onsite cutting, the need for fewer saw blades, less injuries related to lumber cutting onsite, less mistakes on the job and more productivity, and less bracing of posts to the ground. In addition there is less diagonal truss bracing needed, less waste on the job, less clean up and debris removal costs, less confusion as to which boards are supposed to be used for which purpose, less marking of poles to establish girt and head placement, less time in leveling posts and re-straightening of posts and less time shooting grades. 
         [0009]    The panels used are either eave panels, gable panels or roof panels. The eave panels are designed to withstand up to an eighty-foot truss with a thirty-pound snow load and when fastened properly can withstand ninety to one hundred twenty mile per hour winds, depending on the panel width. Each panel has a 1/16 of an inch inset in the jack studs from the ends of the top and bottom so that the eave and other panels do not grow in size as the building gets longer. The top and bottom boards are sized the full width of the panels so they connect with each other so that the panels do not contact each other anywhere else than at the top and the bottom boards. It is necessary that all of the panels are true and square so that the post automatically becomes level by pulling it straight with the panels. The panels of the present invention have a unique header system built into it designed to support any truss that may happen to fall between the posts. The panel system is designed for a two, three or four-foot on-center truss system so typically the trusses fall in the center of the panel header but will also fall off-center of the truss on a six-foot post base. There is a truss built directly into the panel to shorten the span of the header from eight-foot down to four-foot on the eight-foot panel or three-foot on the six-foot panel. The panels of the present invention are also designed with a treated bottom board or plastic extruded board for ground contact. Another advantage of the eave panels is that they are designed to be universal and may be interchanged among buildings. 
         [0010]    Gable panels are also designed with a top and bottom board extending out the full size of the panel with no header system built into the panel. The header system is not necessary in the gable panel because it is not a weight-bearing panel. There is a 1/16-inch discrepancy in the panel size also built into the design so the gable walls do not grow in size as the building gets wider. The bottom board is also a treated or plastic extruded board for ground contact. 
         [0011]    The roof panels are designed to lay flat on top of two-foot or four-foot on-center trusses. The roof panel of the present invention is also designed with top and bottom boards extending to the full width of the panel. Roof panels can be used for all new or retrofit roofing systems where sheet metal or plywood is utilized. Roof panels utilized in this way would always have long lags that fasten directly through the panels into the rafter system of the building. These panels are also designed to extend past the building for a twelve to twenty-four inch overhang. 
         [0012]    Continuous gable panels are designed to reduce time and eliminate a gable truss. These panels are continuous in the bottom board to the top of the gable built with the top and bottom boards that extend out to the edge of the panel. This panel also has a two by ten header system built into it to carry the weight of the end roof panel and to complete the framing area where the overhang of a building would typically be. This board is placed at whatever pitch the building requires. The jack studs consist of two by fours also with girts built between them at two-foot on-centers. As with the other panels there is a 1/16-inch inset of the jack studs built into the design so that the roof does not grow in size as the building gets longer. 
         [0013]    The specifics of the present invention are that the pre-fabricated post frame panel comprises a top board having a top side and a bottom side, and a bottom board having a top side and a bottom side. There are at least two jack studs each having an outer side and an inner side and a plurality of girts rigidly connected to the jack studs. There is a plurality of girts rigidly connected to the jack studs. The top and bottom boards each have a first and second outer end and extend the full width of the panel from the first outer end to the second outer end. The jack studs are rigidly connected perpendicular to the top and bottom boards. The two jack studs on the outside of each panel are each set inside from the first and second outer ends of the top and bottom boards. The jack studs are set in from 1/32 to 3/32 of an inch, preferably 1/16 of an inch from the outer end of the top and bottom boards. The panels have a plurality of truss plates pressed to rigidly connect the girts to the jack studs and the jack studs to the top and bottom boards. The bottom board is preferably treated to be water resistant. A preferable eave panel further includes two diagonal braces extending from the rigid connection of at least one of the girts to the inner side of each of the two jack studs to the middle of the bottom side of the top board. A further preferred embodiment of the present invention is where the width of the panel is 1/16 of an inch shorter than nominal to compensate for wood growth. Thus a four-foot panel would be three-foot eleven and 15/16 inches wide. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the eave panel of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the roof panel of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a blow up perspective view of the inset of the jack stud attached to the bottom member of the eave panel. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the eave panel of the present invention. There are two jack studs  10  that are rigidly attached to the bottom member  14  and the top member  16  by the truss plates  18 . Note as shown on  FIG. 1  and as better shown on  FIG. 3 , the jack stud  10  is attached to the bottom member  14  approximately 1/16 of an inch inside of the bottom member&#39;s first  34  and second  36  outer ends. This inset  38  is necessary so that the sequencing of panels comes out with an accurate reputable measurement. The girts  12  are attached by truss plate  18  to the jack studs  10  and are parallel to the top member  16  and bottom member  14  and perpendicular to the jack studs  10 . For the eave panel as shown in  FIG. 1 , the diagonal braces  20  are attached to the jack studs  10  and the top girt  40  with truss plates  18  and are further attached to the bottom side  24  of the top member  16  with a truss plate  18  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The three truss plates  18  attached to the diagonal braces  20  shown in  FIG. 1  are typically 8″×8″, wherein the other truss plates  18  are typically 3″×6″. Both the top member  16  and the bottom member  14  extend the full width of the panel, the top member  16  from its first outer end  30  to its second outer end  32  and the bottom member  14  from its first outer end  34  until its second outer end  36 . Note in  FIG. 1  that the top side  22  and bottom side  24  of the top member  16  and the top side  23  and bottom side  25  of the bottom member  14  are depicted. The jack studs  10  are attached to the bottom side  24  of the top member  16  and the top side  23  of the bottom member  14 . 
         [0018]    The roof panel is shown in  FIG. 2  and is similar to the eave panel shown in  FIG. 1  except that the diagonal bracing  20  is not included in the roof panel and the top member  10   16  and bottom member  14  of the eave panel shown in  FIG. 1  are typically 2″×10″ and 2″×8″ respectively, instead of 2″×4″ for the top member  16  and bottom member  14  of the roof panel. 
         [0019]    The length of the top member  16  and the bottom member  14  forms the width of the panel. The length of the top member and the bottom member is sized 1/16 of an inch less than the nominal width of the panel. This is necessary for the panels when assembled due to wood growth. 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  shows the inset  38  of the jack stud  10  from the second outer end  36  of the bottom member  14 . The jack stud  10  is rigidly connected perpendicular to the bottom member top side  23  by use of the truss plate  18 . The advantage of this inset  38  is that the jack stud outer side  26  is not in contact with the jack stud outer side  26  of other jack studs  10  on different panels and instead the bottom member  14  second outer end  36  is in contact with another panel&#39;s bottom member  14  first outer end  34  and said top member&#39;s first outer end  30  is in contact with another panel&#39;s top member second outer end  32 . The outer ends are shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . This allows for a more accurate assemblage of the panels utilized in constructing the building.