Tornado Shelter: Assembling the Walls
The walls are built by stacking courses of beams around the perimeter of the shelter, until 12 courses have been laid.
Each beam connects to the one above and below in a tongue-and-groove fashion, with construction adhesive securing them together. The corners are interlocked in a log cabin manner and then reinforced with long screws.
One of the walls will have an opening for the door which extends from the floor through the eleventh course (one full-length beam will be above the opening).
The walls rest on a layer of 1x6 preservative-treated boards to prevent decay in the first course of beams. The final step is to install the door head and side jambs.
Lumber dimensions can vary slightly, so it is important to check that the shelter remains square and plumb during the construction process. Assure that each row of wall beams is level before adding the next row.
You Will Need
Materials Needed In This Section
- 4 preservative-treated 1x6s, 8 ft. long
- 37 triple beams, 96” long
- 11 triple beams, 28-1/2” long
- 11 triple beams, 24” long
- 3 2x6s, 96” long
- 96 wood screws, 8” long
- Construction adhesive
Tools Needed For This Section
- Hand saw
- Level
- Caulking gun
- Hammer
- Power drill
- Level
Watch the Video
The first minute of the video is for Step 1 - Cutting the Lumber and Step 2 - Constructing the Beams. After 00:01.05 the video covers Step 3 - Assembling the Walls.
Instructions
Click on each image below, in order, for specific instructions.
