Power Tools & Carpentry Skills : Common Rafter Layout

Posted on October 16th, 2009 by admin

Common rafter layouts use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the length of the rafters needed for building a roof at a given pitch. Calculate rafter lengths and design a workable rafter layout for a certain roof pitch with instructions from an experienced builder in this free video on carpentry.

Expert: Robert Markey
Bio: Robert Markey earned his B.S. in Physics from M.I.T in 1969 and his M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts in 1982.
Filmmaker: EquilibrioFilms Erik

Duration : 0:3:12


[youtube TeR1cAmDAoA]

25 Responses

  1. prestonporras Says:

    thankx that helped …
    thankx that helped a lot

  2. nickgaster Says:

    excellent demo, to …
    excellent demo, to the point!!

  3. brenz311 Says:

    commercials on …
    commercials on Youtube are getting ridiculous….

  4. UnderstandingCuresMe Says:

    The dimensions of …
    The dimensions of this house with a 72 inch rafter would be 54.4 inches to the mid-point , including the ridge subtraction, and 47.135 inches in height which would give you a 9 on 12 slope for a 72 inch rafter. So total width of the structure wold be 110.3 inches or 9 feet 2 inches. Nice play house. Too bad he didn’t mention how many rafters he needed and their spacing on center. But by the looks of the 2 x 10 or 2 x 12, I would assume is spaced every 4 feet for a play house.

  5. junglemuffin Says:

    all hes doing is …
    all hes doing is showing you how to cut the rafter after youve gotten the length.

    you would take the ridge off before u calculate the rafter length .

    -_-

  6. DARKnDODGY Says:

    yea man..they all …
    yea man..they all got mad skills…

  7. GuSxMan666 Says:

    haha yeah eh? I …
    haha yeah eh? I heard so… he was a carpenter? so was noah.

  8. halibutty Says:

    Actually trusses …
    Actually trusses for storage are designed and used all the time. Their design has to be engineered of course but it comes out like a gable with pony walls built on top of the joists, what a time saver.

  9. cobrapowersave Says:

    never took off half …
    never took off half the tickness of the ridge

  10. rhblakeman Says:

    Trusses tend to …
    Trusses tend to lift in winter, consider that when you are deciding to go hand joists and rafters, or trusses. Trusses are mainly made for speed and they can go long spans with lighter (cheaper) lumber. I like trusses for shops and garages but my preference is rafter and joist roof. Added benefit to rafter and joist is greater ability to hold weight so you can use the attic for storage but the joists need to be able to support the extra weight. Trusses are a no-no for storage.

  11. DARKnDODGY Says:

    hey same job as …
    hey same job as jesus…cool…

  12. coops331 Says:

    cowboy
    cowboy

  13. andybarnes20 Says:

    two word ” quick …
    two word ” quick square” lol and a
    reckoner

  14. andybarnes20 Says:

    ye but would it be …
    ye but would it be right plumb cut and the right bird mouth in the right place lol

  15. andybarnes20 Says:

    i`am a carpenter …
    i`am a carpenter that is help for but speed is the thing but u don`t wot your about it good go on my son lol

  16. holyisYeshua Says:

    You are doing ok.
    You are doing ok.

  17. arrowsoutandup Says:

    Yes please go …
    Yes please go faster in this instructional video. If you leave out all the instruction in it, you could have had “6″ rafters cut out by now!

  18. obifongkenobi Says:

    I’m a DIY’er. I …
    I’m a DIY’er. I have a framing square and the stair stops. Didn’t quite know how they worked til i saw this. thanks..still gotta read up about that bird mouth. of course if i go with trusses, not relevant.

  19. superchippy Says:

    if anyone knows …
    if anyone knows anything about picthing roofs, they should tell you go by a ready reckoner

  20. bbajando Says:

    this was very …
    this was very helpfull thanks.
    how many inches of rafter length should i add for my depth in the birds mouth cut.

  21. brokenndreams11 Says:

    brutal too slow lol …
    brutal too slow lol
    iam 18 and id have 6 rafters cut out by now
    if you have questions please feel free to ask me

  22. itsyesme Says:

    IT`ll take him all …
    IT`ll take him all fuk`n day!! C`mon MAN
    your not buliding the HARBOUR BRIDGE!!

  23. maggoli67 Says:

    Very helpful series …
    Very helpful series. Been starting to get into woodworking (ie i have tools and a book, but not much time yet;).

  24. jcdock Says:

    Great video. I love …
    Great video. I love your voice could listen to your videos all day.

  25. 7649460 Says:

    my rafter needs …
    my rafter needs laying out!

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