What Are All Those Numbers?
The Steel Square, by Gilbert Townsend. American Technical Publishers, 1155 W. 175th,
Homewood, IL 60430. 1947. 172 pages $8.82 postpaid. Dialing for Rafters
Dial-a-Length Rafterule. Craftsman Book Co., 6058 Corte
Del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009. $9.50.
by Paul Hanke
"Rafterule" is a device consisting of
two circular plastic disks with a clear
hairline arm, all of which rotate
around a center rivet. To determine
the lengths of common or hip and
valley rafters, you simply set the red
pointer arrow on the roof pitch (say,
5/12), rotate the hairline to the
building width (28 feet, for example),
and read the rafter length (15'2") on
the appropriate table through a
window in the