Notching Roof Rafters

Each beam is notched at the bottom called a birdsmouth so that it rests flat on top of each wall.

Notching roof rafters.

At the top where the rafters meet they are either angled to meet at a point or attached to a horizontal ridge beam. I cut rafters out of 2x8s frame this pole barn lean to. Notching roof rafters to headers. Please consult a professional before making any cuts i am not a professional framer or roofer nor do i claim to be.

To cut sloping rafters for a house attached patio roof lay a rafter board so it rests on its edge on both the ledger and the beam parallel to the ledger. This trick worked for me. Then force the rafter s tip snugly against the house wall. Since the webbing in the truss is vertical it is considered by building inspectors to be ok.

If you ve wondered how to frame a lean to roof off a pole barn this video will show you how i did it. Before you start cutting you first need to determine how long your roof rafters need to be and the angles at which you ll cut the top and bottom of the rafter. More truss makers are switching to drop gables where the only notching is on the 2x6 outrigger itself. We are changing our flat roofs to peaked ones.

The new roof will start at the back of the house go up to a peak and then down to rest on the entrance header to the kitchen. If is wasn t for this joint a rafter or roofing joist would only balance on top of the wall plate making fixing difficult not to mention the fact that there wouldn t be any solid connection between the roof and the supporting walls below. Birdsmouth joints cut into roofing rafters and mounted in place on top of the wall plate. Using a block of wood as a ruler mark the ends for cutting.

Measure as precisely as possible down to the 1 4 inch 0 64 cm 1 8 inch 0 32 cm or 1 16 inch 0 16 cm. Use a tape measure to measure the entire width of your building.