I'm sorry, Lawrence, you just aren't right. This has been done
for ages to remove bearing walls. It is important that the
carrier beam be sized for the load and that the holding method be
adequate. Why would the beam care if the joists were on top, in
plane, or underneath? It is still a uniformly distributed load.
It would be much lighter for the OP to make a truss. Take the
precut pieces up in the attic and assemble in location. My age is
showing now, but I have seen the hangers done with 2x2 lumber and
nails. I would definitely go with the angle iron approach.
Prepunched is fine, but expensive. A joint of 2x2x1/8 would be
less expensive and you drill your own holes, though the Simpson
twist straps might be adequate. Engineering input is always
preferred.

--
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DanG
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a sophisticated and elegant way to say I LOVE YOU!
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"Lawrence" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Feb 9, 11:53 am, "Ed" wrote:
I don't want to just hang the beam, I want it on top (because I
am
removing a wall below and don't want it to show). The beam
will be
supported with blocking at both ends, so the beam will still
support
the joists. I looked through the simpson site and didn't see
anything
that jumped out at me for this.

The beam will not support anything that is below it. it must be
placed underneath the load for any support to occur. Is this
you own
personal fantasy or did you run this idea past anyone with any
experience like a carpenter?? It sound like you thing these
hangars
are going to support the load. That is wrong headed in my
opinion.

If I have to, I will inset it and use hangers, but that will be
more
work and the 2x6s are old so they are wider then 1.5 inches, so
might
not fit a regular hanger. As for the joist size, the joists
are
already there and they are just in the attic over a relitivly
short
span, so that shouldn't be a problem

Getting a cutoms welded bracket is probably out of my price
range.

You will need a damn strong bracket if you are doing what I
think. You
likely wont' find it on the shelf. If you design the bracket
and
provide drawings you can hire a welder/fabricator cheaper than
you
might think. Where I live metalworkers are everwhere and every
farmer
and mechanic does welding. Everything is negotiable with these
guys
and a lot are out of work.