How To Stick Frame Roof Rafters

While most home builders will outsource the construction of roofing trusses the rafter supports of the roof itself learning to frame a roof yourself is one of the true arts of carpentry and a basic primer is covered below.

How to stick frame roof rafters.

Floor beam span tables of residential structural design we will now look at roof rafter and beam design. From one end of the rafter material using a speed square or framing square mark an x in 12 angle on the rafter and cut it measure down y height from the long point of the rafter cut and make a mark. If you re framing a gable roof on a new house or building a shed or even a doghouse with a gable roof you ll need to cut a number of roof rafters. Roof framing rafter layout.

This will the first point of the rafter measurement line using the results of your rafter length calculation measure from this point along the rafter measurement. Let s consider a basic gable wood roof framing design. The roof rafters provide integral structural support to the roof. This example is for a roof with an 8 12 pitch.

Structures such as sheds or barns can be frames with rafters every 24 again make sure to consult local codes. There aren t many differences between rafters and trusses. Stick framing combines roof rafters with ceiling joists. Position the square with both the 8 inch on the outside edge of the tongue and the 12 inch on the blade on the upper edge of the board.

If your project had a rafter length of 8 or less a safe and strong method is to use 2x8 framed 16 on center. Framing a roof is the last step in framing new construction. Here we have a wood framed gable roof. Like wall studs and floor joists rafters and trusses are spaced every 16 or 24 inches from center to center.

There are two common ways of framing the roof of a house. It is always better to have a large rafter rather than be concerned with a sagging roof. With premanufactured trusses or with rafters and ceiling joists commonly called stick framing. The image below shows a cross section of our simple 12 x 13 house from the joist span tables section of this tutorial.

They ll both result in the same quality when the build is finished each supporting the roof with the same strength. Position the square at the end of the rafter board with the tongue on your left and facing away from you. They can be handmade and installed as needed one piece at a time on site. Rafter layout with a framing square.

While truss roofs are the most popular construction style today by some estimates truss roofs outnumber stick frame roofs two to one there are regions of the country where builders. The rafters are usually positioned directly above the wall studs. Continuing on from part 3.