#Fast framer gambrel roof framing kit free

When we were through prefabbing the gambrel frames, we stacked all the trusses flat on a level surface with spacer blocks placed between them. We cut ours into 8-to-12 inch lengths and used a punch, mallet and vice-grip pliers to make nailing holes through each piece.)Īfter binding the rafter segments together with doglegs, triangles and metal straps, we finished each truss by nailing a short length of 2-by-6 between its dogleg joints to act as a stiffener (and to serve, later, as an attic joist).

#Fast framer gambrel roof framing kit free

(You can obtain this metal free at most any lumberyard. 1-A and 1-B in the Image Gallery) all joints were also tied together with strap metal, the kind with which bundles of lumber are bound. The doglegs and triangles were attached with 8-penny nails, and (as you can see from Figs.

To assure uniformity, we assembled all our roof trusses on the ground between stakes. Here, all we did was trace the outlines of the truss joints onto pieces of cardboard, cut templates from the cardboard with scissors, and use the templates as patterns for sawing the brackets out of 1/2-inch plywood. Triangles and DoglegsĪfter all the rafters had been cut, we made our plywood brackets (which, because of their shapes, we dubbed “triangles” and “doglegs” (see Image Gallery, Figures 1-A and 1-B). Next, we sawed the pieces of the first truss to length, set them down between the stakes again, and (after carefully checking their fit) used these original 2-by-6’s as patterns with which to mark and cut the rafters for the remaining trusses. Then we laid four 2-by-6 beams out flat in their proper positions and - using a string line - marked the correct lengths and angles to cut them. First, we made a full-size layout of our gambrel on smooth, level ground and drove stakes into the earth to mark the locations of the four rafters in each truss. Layout and CuttingĪt this point, we measured and cut our truss lumber. In the end, we settled on a roof plan that looked good, made efficient use of materials, and allowed for porch and eave overhangs. Next we sat down and made scale drawings of several gambrel roof designs, each one employing a different combination of side slopes. These plywood brackets were just what Jim and I needed to give our roofing trusses adequate rigidity. I say “straps” but, actually, they were nothing more than wooden brackets nailed to the sides of two connecting beams to hold them (the beams) together. Then I remembered reading about a system of plywood straps that someone had used in building a geodesic dome. Initially, though, I had no idea how I could connect the pieces of each truss together so that they’d be held rigidly in the proper configuration. I’d planned to start by making a dozen or so gambrel-shaped frames or trusses out of 2-by-6 lumber. Here, briefly, is how the trusses (and the gambrel roof formed from them) went together: Research and Planning What I ultimately devised was an easy-to-work-with system of lightweight trusses that could be built flat on the ground, then erected atop the cabin and covered with exterior plywood. Rather than give up, however, I decided to try to simplify the construction of the gambrel I wanted. What I had in mind, in other words, was a fine project for an army of engineers, but one that was probably beyond the capabilities of two non-professionals (such as Jim - my building partner - and myself). Some background reading soon taught me, however, that a conventional barn-sized gambrel is a nightmare of purlin beams, ridge beams and dovetail joints. And besides that, I like the looks of gambrel roofs. Not only would the gambrel’s steep side pitch give the cabin ample upstairs room, I reasoned, but the double-sloping design would make more efficient use of roofing materials than a giant A frame ever could. A couple years ago, when I was building my 15-by-20 foot log cabin in far northern Washington, I decided to top the building with a gambrel (rather than a more conventional gable or A-frame) roof.