Ridge Board Roof Trusses

These horizontally installed boards give the trusses strength and stability.

Ridge board roof trusses.

Then nail the trusses into the top plate as normal. The difference between them is that a ridge beam is a structural member that bears half of the live and dead loads of the rafters on either side of it but a ridge board is not structural. A ridge beam is a structural member used to support the ends of the rafters at the ridge transferring it s loads to posts or gable end walls. The ridge board must be set as perfectly as possible so take your time and use careful measurements.

It will probably be a tight fit and take a little hammer work to get each one into place. It is often used in simple roof trusses such as in the shed porch and garage. Wondering how to build the structure of your roof. Also called minor rafter because it is smaller than the principal rafter major rafter.

This board forms the bottom member of each rafter and of course the ceiling of the space below. Rafters are made from sloped framing boards of dimensional lumber usually 2x8s or 2x10s connecting the roof peak called the ridge board to the plates of the exterior walls. Ridge beam sizing is based on the span of the beam between supports and the amount of roof load supported by the beam. Raise the trusses one at a time and work the ridge board into the gap.

A non structural member of the truss where rafters can lean against and connect to. The ridge board and rafters are the strength of the roof. Yes either a ridge board or a ridge beam is necessary and required by the building code where roof rafters meet at the the center of their span. In heavy duty construction a ridge beam might be used instead.

The ridge board must be the same width as the rafter boards. This video covers one of the most exciting parts of roof framing installing rafters. Ridge beams are required by code if the roof slope is less than 3 in 12 irc section r802 3. We will go over raft.

Line the top of the truss with the top of the ridge board and nail the truss rafter to the ridgeboard on each side. This video shows how to make roof rafters with a rafter square and or a speed squ. They are secured at the bottom by ceiling joists.