Create & Manage Wood Post Calcs
Create, edit, and run wood post (axial/column) calculations.
A wood post calc is an axial column check: you define a post member and its geometry, apply one or more axial load cases, and ClearSpan solves the compression DCR and column slenderness for each case. Where a wood beam checks bending, shear, and deflection along a span, a wood post checks axial compression and buckling.
What a wood post calc holds#
| Group | What you set |
|---|---|
| Member | Section, construction type (e.g. single member or built-up studs), species/grade |
| Geometry | Unbraced length / column geometry that drives slenderness |
| Loads | Axial load cases — each a name, P (kips), and load-duration type |
Wood post calcs use the design-shaped model (schema version 2 or later). Legacy or draft single-member forms can't be edited or run with the design tools — recreate them as a current post calc.
Get axial demand from a beam#
A post most often carries a beam's reaction. You can link a post to a supporting wood beam so its axial load cases are derived from that beam's computed reactions:
- Pick a single beam support to use that support's reaction, or
- Omit the support to size the post against the per-case envelope (the heavier reaction per case across both ends).
A linked post re-derives its load cases from the beam's current reactions whenever you run it, so a later beam edit (for example a section change that shifts self-weight) propagates instead of leaving a stale snapshot. The source beam must already be solved — run the beam first. See Link Loads to a Calc.
You can also enter axial demands directly when there's no source beam; entering load cases manually detaches any existing beam link.
Run and read results#
Running a post solves it and reports, per case:
- P (kips) and load-duration type
- Compression DCR
- Whether slenderness was exceeded
- An overall pass result (all cases must have a compression DCR ≤ 1.0 and not exceed slenderness)
The summary also reports the section used, governing axis, and number of studs for built-up members. Expand the section sweep to compare candidate sections at the same loads.
Submitting beams and posts together#
When a client submits work for review, a post linked to a beam must travel with that beam: include the supporting beam in the same submission, or submit the beam first. A beam can't be submitted while it still has linked draft posts left out of the batch. See Submission and the broader Calculation Lifecycle.