Regular Hip and Valley Rafter Layout

One trouble that many emerging roof cutters have is properly laying out the hip and valley rafters. I
know that when I first started cutting roofs it was a bit of “sore” spot for me and as I’m sure, many
others. It did take some time for me to get the hang of it though, but once I did it all seemed so easy.
Here are some helpful pointers to keep in mind when you are laying out your hip and valley rafters.
So, you’ve completed the layout of the “common rafter” you can now focus your attention on any
regular hip or valley rafters that you have on the roof. The process of stepping off these type rafters are
nearly the same but, with three differences;

Read the full article here: Regular Hip & Valley Layout

Regular Hip/Valley & Jack Rafter Side Cuts

This topic has to be one of the more obscure ones in all of roof framing. I’d say it might even beat dealing with irregular hips and valleys. Funny thing though, I’d also bet that 60 years it wasn’t. With the advent of the adjustable “foot/base/sole” circular saw, knowing this bit of funky information became almost superfluous. Yet every now and then it sure does come in handy. On a regular hip roof when cutting either a hip/valley rafter or jack rafters you set your saw to 45° (by adjusting its sole) and make a cut that either follows an x/12 plumb cut line on a jack or an x/17 plumb line on a hip/val. That’s simple enough to both do and understand. What might not be as easy to understand is that the combination of those two angles (saw blade and plumb line) when cut, forms another angle when the cut is actually made. This angle is the ambiguous “Side Cut Angle” and it’s formed by the fact that the base of the saw always keeps the saw blade “square or perpendicular” to the cutting face. How to find it and most of all, how to use it, will be the focus of the rest of this discussion.

Regular Jack Rafter Side Cuts

Things always change. . . . and that’s a good thing!

• I’ve decided to use this blog as a place to post comments about the articles, techniques and tips I publish on my web site http://www.josephfusco.org. Every time I publish a new article there will be a link to this blog so the reads can post the comments (good or bad). Also the same will apply to the upcoming videos on roof framing as well.

Thanks,

Joe Fusco.