Splice Roof Rafters

A 30 foot roof for instance will need at least two boards.

Splice roof rafters.

Calculate where a ridge beam splice will be needed. Rafter splice forgive the crude drawing will post pic but it is hard to see. Several roof rafters have been spliced in a v pattern near the roof ridge. Rafter splicing is typically used as a last resort for erecting rafters and is not generally the preferred method of constructing roofs.

A 16 foot board will end at a rafter with 24 inch spacing. Some roofs are much longer than average milled board lengths which creates the need to splice one ridge board to the end of another ridge board. Measure rafter spacings of 24 inches with a tape measure and plan the splice to fall between rafters. A splice should end between rafters not where a rafter lands directly on the splice.

A ridge board is a much better way to secure rafters to your roof and will almost always be a better way to go. Rafter plates are load bearing beams that support either a single rafter or a truss. How to splice a roof rafter plate. When you prepare to make the splice note the rafters location.

In this case the framer just needed a longer rafter. Several have a plywood scab brace on the side but several do not. Rafter plates are almost always spliced due to the length of most structures.