Manufacturing
Feature Gable Trusses
Concept & Design
Key measurements required: roof pitch; height position of truss’ bottom chord from the peak, i.e. drop down to 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or encompass the full gable.
Design options: arched or straight bottom chord and/ or web components. King post flush to bottom cord or extended. Single or dual king post.
Placement: attached to gable end or brought forward to the backside of the fascia.
Scale: Choose material size complementary to other, pre-existing features of the house.
Material Preference: Full Sawn Rough Texture or Smooth (dressed lumber).
Construction Tip
Ensure there is sufficient backing above the soffit material to secure installation.
Eave Braces
Concept & Design
Key measurements required: soffit width (distance from the wall to the back of the fascia). Length of the back leg relative to top beam. Pitch of the brace (22.5-45 degree angle typ.)
Design options: Scalloped front and mitered returns on diagonal brace or straight cut
Placement: 3-5 on end gables. One in middle; center left, center right; bottom left, bottom right.
Scale: Choose material size complementary to other, pre-existing features of the house.
Material Preference: Full Sawn Rough Texture or Smooth (dressed lumber).
Construction Tip
Ensure there is sufficient backing in the wall and above the soffit material to secure installation.
Corbels
Concept & Design
Key measurements required: these are mostly decorative. Size is derived from context.
Design options: most are made from large solid pieces of wood, have rather unique shapes, varying from project to project.
Placement: On bearing posts, soffits, arches, lookouts, etc.
Scale: Gauge material and corbel size in proportion to other, pre-existing features of the house.
Material Preference: Mostly manufactured out of large full-sawn timbers or by laminating multiple layers together.
Construction Tip
Be sure to seal end grain immediately. Encourages uniform climatization of the material which prevents
end checking.
Knee Braces
Concept & Design
Key measurements required: In narrow settings, between posts, avoid encroaching on the walking space. Minimum 50% of the opening should remain unoccupied, i.e. on a 5’ opening, the combined offset from the 2 braces should not exceed 30”. For lager openings, scale brace size in proportion to other main features of the structure.
Design options: Rectangular knee braces are stronger and tend to look more attractive than squares. A reduced width relative to the post; provides definition, accentuates the post and adds visual interest.
Placement: Primarily under load bearing beams for lateral stability.
Scale: Complement existing architectural features.
Material Preference: Use of rough sawn lumber will appear more robust whereas dressed lumber can be used to present a finer finish.
Construction Tip
For added strength, notch the brace ½”-1” into the post and beam. Seal endgrain immediately to prevent checking.
Rafter Tails
Concept & Design
Key measurements required: Often seen on historic buildings, in garden structures and on backyard pergolas.
Overhangs should be long enough so a piece of the straight part of the rafter is visible outside the beam. Otherwise the detail tends to look encroached, choppy or gets lost. Excessive overhang past the beam or a wall can make a roof or canopy appear top heavy.
Design options: your options are numerous. Start with a quick on-line image search. Narrow down your choice from there; modify final shape to personal preference.
Placement: Spacing and frequency usually determined by structural requirements, visual effect, function or all of the above.
Scale: See above.
Material Preference: Using sawn lumber provides a more robust effect whereas dressed lumber can give a finer finish.
Construction Tip
When dealing with multiple sizes of lumber for the same structure, decide on the shape of your design, then scale it in direct proportion to the different widths of lumber being used. For example, on a set of 2x8 rafters and 2x10 beams, the scale is 4:5 thus a 20% difference in magnitude. When manufacturing multiple rafters with the same shape, it is best to make a template first. This way you only have to measure once and it allows you to trace the identical design onto each rafter tail.
Custom Cutting
- 48 hour turnaround typ.
- Tolerance */- 1/8”
- Book in advance
- Call for details
Construction Tip
Bandsaw cuts are quite smooth. A light sand with 50 grit paper will rapidly remove any fuzz. The remaining texture is oten seen as an architectural feature. Planing the wood will cause you to loose the remaining texture and may diminish the desired visual effect
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