Ridge Board Roof Trusses

A non structural member of the truss where rafters can lean against and connect to.

Ridge board roof trusses.

The ridge board must be the same width as the rafter boards. This video shows how to make roof rafters with a rafter square and or a speed squ. It will probably be a tight fit and take a little hammer work to get each one into place. This video covers one of the most exciting parts of roof framing installing rafters.

Then nail the trusses into the top plate as normal. King post truss parts explained. We will go over raft. 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.

Line the top of the truss with the top of the ridge board and nail the truss rafter to the ridgeboard on each side. They are secured at the bottom by ceiling joists. In heavy duty construction a ridge beam might be used instead. Raise the trusses one at a time and work the ridge board into the gap.

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. 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. These horizontally installed boards give the trusses strength and stability. This board forms the bottom member of each rafter and of course the ceiling of the space below.

Also called minor rafter because it is smaller than the principal rafter major rafter. It is often used in simple roof trusses such as in the shed porch and garage. The ridge board runs the length of the building and provides support for the tops of the rafters helping the whole roof structure work together as a system. 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.

The ridge board and rafters are the strength of the roof. The ridge board must be set as perfectly as possible so take your time and use careful measurements. Collar ties placed horizontally halfway down the rafters hold the rafters and roof planes together.