# trusses



## Moxienailer (Apr 25, 2015)

Building my own trusses on a small job I'm on right now. Definitely saves the customer some money in this situation, provided I do it right!
Anyone else make your own trusses?


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Nope, never.
How does it save the customer any money? Do you have the plate press and gussets, or are you just using plywood gussets? What about the engineering?


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

I've made them in school and during some renovation. I work in new construction now and haven't done it in ages. I'd have to do some reading and brush up if I tried building them again.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

It would probably be wise to assume that the "engineering" goes something like this...


...let me see, I saw a truss once that had about so many legs in about this pattern so...what the hell...this ought to work. Put some plywood gussets here...put so many screws here...voila...I saved the customer money...

God I am such an *******. (me speaking).

Andy.


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## thehockeydman (Dec 19, 2012)

Moxienailer said:


> Building my own trusses on a small job I'm on right now. Definitely saves the customer some money in this situation, provided I do it right!
> Anyone else make your own trusses?


Never in a million years...

I'm sure you mean well, but it's just not a good idea. What are your engineering qualifications? If you have none, who is engineering your trusses? What does the inspector have to say about your trusses, or did you not even pull permits?

You are opening yourself up to massive liability issues.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Absolutely not, for all the reasons stated above.

30 years ago I watched a guy do it. He had engineered plans for them.

By the time he got done it cost him a lot of money.

Time wise everything else you could be getting done it is just not cost effective to build them yourself.

Out here when I order trusses plate top delivery is in the price.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Moxienailer said:


> Building my own trusses on a small job I'm on right now. Definitely saves the customer some money in this situation, provided I do it right!
> Anyone else make your own trusses?


It's probably better than what some of the factories slap together !!:whistling


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

blacktop said:


> It's probably better than what some of the factories slap together !!:whistling


No matter how they are built, the factory truss comes with the stamp.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

griz said:


> No matter how they are built, the factory truss comes with the stamp.


Yeah !your right! There's no code against sloppy!


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

blacktop said:


> It's probably better than what some of the factories slap together !!:whistling


No matter how they are built, the factory truss comes with the stamp.


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## muskoka guy (Nov 16, 2013)

Don't stick your head in the chopping block to save the customer money. They will throw you under the bus so fast, it will make your head spin.


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## Moxienailer (Apr 25, 2015)

maybe I understated the smallness of the job. It's a 14' by 20' storage shed

Made me curious to see if other people ever do it on bigger jobs


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Moxienailer said:


> maybe I understated the smallness of the job. It's a 14' by 20' storage shed
> 
> Made me curious to see if other people ever do it on bigger jobs


NO...

would not even do it on your 14x20 shed...

Just not efficient....


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## rickardcarp (Mar 26, 2015)

Why not cut rafters?


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## thehockeydman (Dec 19, 2012)

Moxienailer said:


> maybe I understated the smallness of the job. It's a 14' by 20' storage shed
> 
> Made me curious to see if other people ever do it on bigger jobs


Your trade says apprentice, so I'm assuming you're an employee. Go tell your boss your idea of building trusses to save the customer money. If he doesn't smack you upside the head, you need to find a new boss.

Good on you for wanting to learn and try things, but you need to be smart about it.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Trusses 28' and shorter are dirt cheap. You can easily do a conventional prescriptive cut roof for that span, but it's still cheaper to buy trusses.

The only people who site build large trusses that I'm aware of use them in Ag buildings that don't need stamps, and use the engineering guides put out for this purpose. Yes, they're engineered, no there is no stamp, and it isn't residential.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Most expensive - cut roof
Second - site built trusses
Third - manufactured trusses


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

I'd cut rafters for a shed like this. It's prescriptive, fast and easy. In fact, if by trusses you mean 3 pieces of wood with a plywood gusset, then that's prescriptive too. No ridge board needed.


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## Moxienailer (Apr 25, 2015)

precisely


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Golden view said:


> I'd cut rafters for a shed like this. It's prescriptive, fast and easy. In fact, if by trusses you mean 3 pieces of wood with a plywood gusset, then that's prescriptive too. No ridge board needed.


Good catch on this.


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## mrcharles (Sep 27, 2011)

One of my construction teacher's in college spent years building in rural Alaska and they had a truss building trailer that could be setup as a jig to quickly build trusses. I suppose it would be cool in a situation like that.. 

The large benefit of trusses is the reduced on site labor. I don't really see an advantage to building my own trusses vs. conventional framing other than cheaper lumber.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

hdavis said:


> Most expensive - cut roof
> Second - site built trusses
> Third - manufactured trusses


I would doubt that cutting the roof would be more expensive for this size of building. 14 x 20 can be cut very easily and quickly for a straight gable. Hips, not so much.


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## mrcharles (Sep 27, 2011)

+1 above


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## river rider (Dec 31, 2012)

Golden view said:


> I'd cut rafters for a shed like this. It's prescriptive, fast and easy. In fact, if by trusses you mean 3 pieces of wood with a plywood gusset, then that's prescriptive too. No ridge board needed.


Yeah, basically stick framing with pre assembly on the deck. Definitely do the rafter-joist joint like a stick frame, meaning lap & nail them. Don't try to fit & gusset at the birds mouth so they're stacked like a truss. I would not see any benefit to that, and I would see several negatives. (Leaves the prescriptive, more time, more accuracy required, less bearing & attachment surface at the plate, etc.) Just gusset the peak.

I did my shed like this a couple years ago. (Also 14 X 20 coincidentally) I think it saved me some time overall. A little less climbing around setting individual members by myself. I never even considered ordering trusses for this, but I think the partial pre assembly approach was good in my situation.


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

river rider said:


> Yeah, basically stick framing with pre assembly on the deck. Definitely do the rafter-joist joint like a stick frame, meaning lap & nail them. Don't try to fit & gusset at the birds mouth so they're stacked like a truss. I would not see any benefit to that, and I would see several negatives. (Leaves the prescriptive, more time, more accuracy required, less bearing & attachment surface at the plate, etc.) Just gusset the peak.
> 
> I did my shed like this a couple years ago. (Also 14 X 20 coincidentally) I think it saved me some time overall. A little less climbing around setting individual members by myself. I never even considered ordering trusses for this, but I think the partial pre assembly approach was good in my situation.


You got it. Obviously you have a handle on all this stuff. Must be because you're from Alaska like me (though I now live in Oregon where everything is easy to build)


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## river rider (Dec 31, 2012)

I love AK, but man I love Oregon too. Great friends there, and a smorgasbord of accessible whitewater rivers to run. I fondly remember the first waterfall I ran in a canoe there. Beautiful clean 14 footer on a glorious sunny day. Didn't stick the landing, but no bodily damage either. I took it as a draw.

I was just wishing I was in PDX tonight. I flew down and saw Neil Young play in Seattle Sunday, and he was fantastic as always. Neil is playing Portland tonight and Eugene tomorrow. At like 70 he still has the smooth, and the driving grinding jam, and the heart & soul. 

If I didn't already have the flight home booked I would have stayed south a few days longer. ....Hell, should have stayed anyways. I should have bought a couple tickets to each show and surprised a few friends from PDX and Corvalis with a visit and a night out on me. ...... That stuff is priceless -good times with the great friends we are lucky enough to know. Every once in a while I need to remind myself that time is the real commodity of value in life. It ain't about dying with a bigger pile of money. It's really about enjoying the ride.

Sorry for rambling. Had a few beers and good talk with my brother back east tonight. Been reminiscing about some old days and old friends. 

Thanks for the compliment golden view. I'm thinking perhaps you did a bunch of work up here in golden view area at some point? Hope you are enjoying the many charms of Oregon. Including the character of the old architecture, and I'm assuming the gravy seismic requirements? I've pondered moving there myself someday. Have yourself a damned fine day. Everybody have a damned fine Thursday.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

jlhaslip said:


> I would doubt that cutting the roof would be more expensive for this size of building. 14 x 20 can be cut very easily and quickly for a straight gable. Hips, not so much.


Agreed.


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

river rider said:


> I love AK, but man I love Oregon too. Great friends there, and a smorgasbord of accessible whitewater rivers to run. I fondly remember the first waterfall I ran in a canoe there. Beautiful clean 14 footer on a glorious sunny day. Didn't stick the landing, but no bodily damage either. I took it as a draw.
> 
> I was just wishing I was in PDX tonight. I flew down and saw Neil Young play in Seattle Sunday, and he was fantastic as always. Neil is playing Portland tonight and Eugene tomorrow. At like 70 he still has the smooth, and the driving grinding jam, and the heart & soul.
> 
> ...


I lived on Golden View Drive in Fairbanks, hence the name. Just completed a seismic retrofit. I was $1000 less than the other guys and I made better money than anything else I do. Portland has been treating me well.


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## river rider (Dec 31, 2012)

Golden view said:


> I lived on Golden View Drive in Fairbanks, hence the name. Just completed a seismic retrofit. I was $1000 less than the other guys and I made better money than anything else I do. Portland has been treating me well.


Glad to hear Portland agrees with you Andrew. I Forgot all about the volcanoes when I inquired about the seismic scoop. Shoulda figured. Well, at least no one is refrigerating their goddam pilings down there eh. 

I was thinking of the golden view subdivisions in ANC. I hold most of the long time Fairbanks folks I know in very high regard. Several of my very best friends are there or were raised up there. Super solid guys. 

Pat


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