Q.The carpenter that built my deck used joist hangers to hold up the joists along the house and at the end of the deck. Are these steel joist hangers approved, and will they stand the test of time ...

I’ve never worked with metal joist hangers. How long have joist hangers been around? When I hold one in my hand, I question whether it’s strong enough to support the weight that will be ...

Are they safe? Are there any best practices when it comes to using them, both indoors and outdoors on decks? What about the beams that joist hangers are attached to, or the support posts?

Chris Neurath sent this long note that is important enough to run in the Handyman's column: "You may have given bad advice that leads to safety issues when you said not to worry about deck joist ...

Attach the beams for the lower deck section to the two outside posts with special inverted flange joist hangers. Cut and attach the corner posts and square the assembly as shown in steps four and ...

Chris Neurath sent this long note that is important enough to run in the Handyman’s column: “You may have given bad advice that leads to safety issues when you said not to worry about deck ...

This deck was a disaster waiting to happen. The structural integrity of the hangers and fasteners was compromised.

In other words, all of the bolts, screws, nails, joist hangers, framing connectors and so forth that you intend to use must be of the highest quality. Poor-quality electroplated galvanized nails ...

Handyman on Call A warning on rusting deck joist hangers By Peter Hotton Globe Correspondent,January 30, 2013, 6:00 p.m.