Lally columns are adjustable steel columns used to support building elements. They can be adjusted by unscrewing the top plate or using telescopic internal elements. They are cheap and efficient for temporary support during construction or structural work. The term comes from John Lally who used concrete-filled steel cylinders as supports in the late 1800s. They should not be used to lift structures.
A lally column is a height-adjustable thin-walled steel column, typically of cylindrical cross-section, used to support building elements. This type of column can be adjusted to meet height requirements by means of a top plate that can be unscrewed or thanks to a telescopic arrangement of the internal elements. Lally columns are generally used as temporary supports during the construction of permanent structural elements although they can be left in place as supplementary columns. Columns are usually fitted with head and foot plates to distribute loads and prevent the cylinder from jamming in the supported timber.
When constructing new buildings and particularly when older buildings need some type of structural work, it is often necessary to install temporary supports under floors or beams. One of the cheapest, fastest and most efficient ways to get this temporary support is the lally column. These columns consist of hollow steel tubes that have a wide base plate at the bottom and a height-adjustable mechanism at the top. These mechanisms are usually a twist-off section fitted with a butt plate or a series of telescoping internal members which can be pulled out of the outer tube and locked into place when the desired height has been reached. A lally column is also cheap enough to cut the outer tube and re-weld the foot plate if the column is too long.
The term lally column was initially applied to hollow steel columns that were cut to size on site and then filled with concrete to form permanent supports. The first recorded use of this method of support was in the late 1800s when one John Lally used concrete filled steel cylinders as supports. Often misnamed lollipop columns, these supports are intended as temporary measures although they are sometimes employed on a permanent basis. Lally columns are available in a wide selection of sizes, the smallest ones being about 12 inches (30cm) long and the giant ones 12 feet (3.6m) or more common in some building industries. The average adjustment range for a lally column is approximately 7-7-1/2 feet (about 2m).
The lally column is often used to support sagging basements and crawl space floor joists while new posts or columns are being installed. One point to note when using this type of temporary support is that the lally column should not be used to lift structures. To lift the structure it is necessary to use a suitable jack, so as to be able to position the pre-adjusted lally column under it.
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