subject: Cutting Rafters Easily And Efficiently [print this page] One of the most time consuming tasks in homebuilding can be the cutting of a roof. In some cases it can take as long to cut and frame the roof as it does to frame the rest of the house. It can also require a lot of space to get the job done. It is in ones best interests to plan ahead during the course of construction to be ready when it comes time to cut the roof.
Whether the roof be an easy gable roof or a complicated roof with multiple hips and valleys you would like to be in a position to cut more than one rafter at a time. Sawhorses become a valuable commodity in the roof cutting section of construction. Cutting 6 or even more rafters is what you need to try for. To reach this there are 1 or 2 options available to the roof cutter.
If you only have one set of horses, nail an eight foot 2x4 flat to the top of them. This will allow you to mark and cut six or more rafters depending on their width.
The second possibility is to use 2 pair of sawhorses. Like the prior option, nail a 2x4 flat overboard of 2 horses. In this example you aren't restricted to an 8 foot 2x4. You may use an eight, ten, 12, maybe a sixteen ' 2x4 dependent on how much room you have got to work in.
The 3rd choice is to make your own sawhorses out of a 2x10. Put legs on it just like a standard sawhorse. Again, your only limitation is what you have available for length of 2x10 and how much room you've got to work.
Another time-saver is to make a rafter pattern. To do that, pick the straightest piece if lumber you'll be able to find from the rafter material. When you have determined the length of your rafter from the plumb cut to the birdsmouth, the depth of the birdsmouth, and the length of the rafter tail, transfer this info to the material. Once you have marked all of this on the 2x, punctiliously and precisely cut the rafter. This will be your pattern for the remainder of the rafters so you need to be precise with your cuts.
The subsequent move is to nail stops to the head of the pattern. Cut 2 pieces of plywood about six" long by two 0.5" wide. Nail one to the head of the 2x about two" from the plumb cut, letting it hang over both edges of the 2x a half in.. Nail the other piece just above the birdsmouth. You currently have a pattern to mark the remainder of your rafters while not having to measure each one of them.
When you're prepared to start cutting the rafters, lay as many boards on the pony as you can and have sufficient room for the saw to slot in between each one. When laying the boards on the horses, have all of the crowns pointing in the same direction ( When looking down a board while flat most boards are bowed one way or the other. The convex side would be the crown ). Take the pattern and lay it on top of each board with the plywood stops resting on the crowned edge and mark them.
You're now prepared to chop rafters. When making your cuts, cut the pencil line. Cut the plumb cut first and then move to the birdsmouth and tail. Dependent on how many rafters you are cutting you could have to slip them back and forth so you aren't reaching over to far to make your cuts with the saw. When cutting the birdsmouth it is alright to over cut it to completely take away the material.
Homebuilding and cutting rafters could be a deadly job. Always exercise caution and safety when framing or employing a skilsaw.
