Pocket - Handrailing And Stair Construction

A pocket is often referred to as the part of the building that another building component slides into. The picture below provides you with an excellent example of a beam used for a stair landing, that slides into a pocket. On the other side of the plywood is a post that's going to hold up the wood beam.

Pockets can also be referred to as building hangers or channels. Out of all the stairs I built, the most common use I had for pockets, usually had to do with a stair landing beam, like the one used in picture above.

Avoid Making Your Beam Pockets To Tight

If you notice the picture above has between an eighth of an inch and a quarter of an inch space between the plywood and the stair landing beam. There's a simple reason for this.

Since I was the person installing this wood beam and I wasn't interested in handling it more than once, I allowed a little more room around the perimeter of the pocket. This usually allows for irregular cuts that aren't perfectly Straight or a beam that is larger than normal.

You can also use this tip for other channels and pockets used by stair builders and other construction workers. Whenever I'm going to install the wood beam into a pocket, I always give myself a little more room, just in case I run into any problems like the ones mentioned above.

Remember, I'm not talking about installing a beam with a half-inch gap on each side, either. Lumber imperfections and difficult framing operations are no excuse for sloppy workmanship.

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