CUTTING
JACK
RAFTERS
After figuring the first one,
it's as easy as measuring, setting
your saw to 45 degrees, and cutting.
Roof framing is, for most carpenters, a
mysterious joining of rafters that-with
a little luck-fit the first time. For some,
it is a nightmare of frustration. Most of
us have no problem with common rafters
or an occasional hip or valley rafter,
but jacks often seem mind-boggling.
The key to understanding all rafters is
to think of them in terms of horizontal
and vertical coordinates (lengths of run
and rise) rather than as the diagonal
lengths they really are. They should also
be visualized in plan and elevation
views. If thought of in these ways, all
rafters are quite