Framing Shed Roof Rafters

Use 3 nails for each side.

Framing shed roof rafters.

Skillion shed style roof framing. A rafter is the frame of your roof. Fasten the truss by driving 8d finishing nails at an angle down through the board just above the birdsmouth notch and into the underlying wall plate. Test the rafter assembly by standing it up and lining it up with the edges of the shed floor.

Attach the end rafters to the wall plates of your shed frame. Difference between a rafter and truss. If you plan to have eaves to protect the shed walls make sure you add the extra length when measuring the rafters. The skillion and shed style roofs are framed with a single slope 2 4 or 2 6 or thicker rafters spanning from the low wall to the high wall.

The roof rafters provide integral structural support to the roof. Install the gussets on both sides of all the rafters except for the gable end rafters. You then have rafters running down from this ridge board and resting on the top wall plates. Lower the first rafter truss into place at either the front or back of the shed.

Now build the remaining roof rafters using the original rafter template and the jig on the shed floor. Before you cut your boards you ll need to measure the width of your building and calculate the exact length of each rafter. A stick framed roof uses 2x4 s or 2x6 s or whatever you are framing with but has a ridge board running down the middle ridge line. It rests on top of your wall framing and when done properly serves to keep your shed walls in place while supporting a roof.

If you re framing a gable roof on a new house or building a shed or even a doghouse with a gable roof you ll need to cut a number of roof rafters.