Your Quick Guide to Connext

Whether you're building a pergola, gazebo, barn, or front entrance, Connext makes the process easier while delivering unmatched quality and durability. Here's your step-by-step guide to building smarter with Connext:

1. Plan

Start with a clear design plan and know your timber specifications. Build your connector list from our website, where you'll find post-to-beam, post-to-base, diagonal, and multi-beam connectors.

Tip: Check your timber size carefully—is it rough-sawn (nominal) or finished (actual)? Select the connector size that matches your timber's actual dimensions.

Want to save time? Use our pre-existing Plans for ready-to-build gazebos, pergolas, barns, and more. Best of all, these plans include a detailed connector list.

If you need a plan modification or custom plan, we can refer you to a designer familiar with Connext.

Illustration of a wooden carport structure with a sloped roof on a concrete slab.

The Lakeville Carport from Connext

2. Slot Your Timber

Once you have your timber and connectors, it’s time to prepare your wood. Connext requires an approximately .25" wide slot in the wood end grain.

Slot Depth:

  • 2.55" for 3.5" connectors

  • 4.52" for 5.5" and 6" connectors

  • 5.43" for 7.5", 8", 10" and 12" connectors

Refer to our product diagrams for detailed drawings and specifications.

Chainsaw & Chain Selection

Many successful Connext installations use a 3/8" pitch and .050" gauge chain, but pitch and gauge alone do not determine the width of the cut.

Avoid narrow-kerf bar and chain systems, which may produce a slot that is too narrow for the .25" Connext connector fin. We have seen some narrow-kerf setups produce slots closer to .20".

Many chainsaw setups can work well with Connext as long as they produce a ~.25" slot. Examples that have been used successfully by our team and customers include:

  • Stihl MS250

  • 9RXDL ripping chain — 72 links

  • Makita UC405

  • Oregon — 18" bar, low-profile setup

Always make a test cut in scrap timber and confirm that the connector fin fits properly into the slot without being forced.

Connext is continuing to evaluate additional chainsaw, bar and chain combinations and will update this guide as more setups are validated.

For speed, accuracy and repeatability, Connext Slotting Tools are also available.

Image of the Connext Pro Slotter, used to slot and prepare timber for post and beam construction.

Pro Slotter Chainsaw Attachment

Image of the Connext EZ Slotter, used to slot and prepare timber for post and beam construction.

EZ Slotter from Connext (8” Model Shown)

3. Chamfer the Slot Edges

Chamfering the slot edges ensures a precise fit where the connector fin meets the base plate. Connext beams are made from 6061 structural aluminum, a high-strength material formed through extrusion. The extrusion process creates slightly rounded intersections between the fin and base plate to maximize strength.

Routing the slot edges ensures the connector fits seamlessly into the beam, maintaining proper alignment and integrity.

For consistent, precise results, use our Router Plate with a Whiteside 1984 Roundover Bit (⅜ radius). Click here to learn more.

Chamfer slot with a Router Plate from Connext.

4. Create Pin Holes

Choose your preferred method for creating precise pin holes once the connector is inserted into the slot.

Tip: Using a Drill Jig is highly recommended.  Create your own from our product diagrams, or use our Drill Jigs for maximum precision and stability.

  • Method 1: Drill into the wood to mark the aluminum, then remove the connector. Finish drilling through the connector in the field or with a drill press.

  • Method 2: Drill directly through both the wood and aluminum. Work slowly and clear out shavings frequently to avoid overheating the bushings.

  • Method 3: Drill through the wood first, set the timber, and then drill through the aluminum using the existing holes after ensuring the timber is level and plumb.

A woodworking workshop with a drill press secured to a wooden workbench, surrounded by lumber and tools, outdoors with hills in the background.

Precision Drill Jigs from Connext

5. Secure Your Connection

  1. Position your connector and secure it using the included GRK RSS screws (for wood) or GRKCaliburn Concrete Screws (for concrete). For concrete, we recommend using a ¼” x 5½” concrete drill bit to set your screws to base. Each connector includes (4) Caliburn concrete screws. Refer to engineering specifications to determine the appropriate hole locations for screw placement.

  2. Place your timber and hammer in the chamfered pins to lock everything in place.

The examples below show basic connections, but Connext also offers multi-beam and diagonal connectors to meet more complex project needs.

Step-by-step illustrated instructions for erecting a wooden column using base, metal bracket, and screws.

6. Admire Your Work

Step back and appreciate the result: a strong, durable connection that’s both functional and visually stunning.

Collage of images featuring wooden buildings and interior decor, including a rustic wooden barn exterior, a spacious wooden banquet hall, close-up of wood and stone corner, a wooden outdoor structure with a bar, and a quote about the beauty and function of wood in architecture.

Tips to Elevate Your Build

  • Watch the Videos: Explore our YouTube channel for instructional videos and tips.

  • Touch-Up Pins: After hammering, cover scratches on pins with a Rust-Oleum 222644 paint pen for a polished finish.

  • Square Your Timber: Use a SKILSAW SawSquatch Carpentry Chainsaw for clean, square cross-cuts on large timbers. Its factory bar and chain are narrow kerf and are not currently recommended for cutting the Connext connector slot.

  • Clean Your Slots: After slotting, run a 12” square through the cut to remove debris, especially in rough-sawn timber that may hold moisture.

  • Protect Your Tools: Avoid overheating drill jig bushings, as excessive heat can melt the HDPE.

  • Add Lift: Elevate your posts with a 1” HDPE Riser for added height and moisture protection. Recess standard connectors into 10” x 10” or 12” x 12” risers for large beams.