Finding Roof Pitch Speed Square

I hear read all too often this misuse and usually ignore it.

Finding roof pitch speed square. Set the level on the edge of the speed square as shown below then place the heel of the speed square on a rafter or gable edge of the roof. Before miter saws and even since professional carpenters used speed squares as a quick saw guide for cutting 45 and 90 degree angles. Leah s recommended tools for beginner diy ers. If a magazine such as finehomebuilding is going to put out an article to teach a topic it should use the proper words and definitions.

Roof pitch is the measurement of a roof s vertical rise divided by its horizontal run. Shed roof pitch calculator. If the shed is unfinished then simply prop the speed square against the roof framing such as the rafter and repeat the same method. The roof pitch calculator is a convenient online tool you can use to quickly assess the pitch of your roof to determine the length of rafters you need.

The maths behind this number is that it is the square root of rise run 2 1. A speed square and level can be used to easily find the pitch of a roof. A roof pitch calculator can make things much easier. It is often compared to slope but is not exactly the same.

Because of its compact size it is frequently used as a saw guide when cutting framing members as well as a layout tool for quick 45 and 90 degree cuts. Leah answers a viewer s question about how to calculate the pitch of a roof on a structure. After finding out your roof pitch angles you can use the calculator to perform the calculations for you instead of doing them manually. The triangle shaped square was invented in 1925 by albert swanson to provide a quick accurate method for marking rafters.

Photo 2 shows how to use the speed square to mark a 33 1 2 degree angle the same as you would need on a rafter tail for a roof with an 8 12 pitch. In the united states a run of 12 inches 1 foot is used and pitch is measured as the rise of the roof over 12 inches. Finding the pitch of a roof is simple with a speed square. Simply plug in the.