Unpopular opinion: I stopped using a speed square for rafters after watching a timber framer work.

Saw a guy at a barn raising in Vermont cut hip jack rafters by eye with just a framing square and a tape. He nailed the compound angles without any marking tool. Now I'm ditching the speed square for complex cuts, saves me 10 minutes per rafter. Anyone else try going old school on layout?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_tara1d ago

Did he do that without even snapping a chalk line first? That sounds completely nuts but I kind of want to try it.

lindaw2922h ago

Snapped one line and just went for it, worked fine for my last fence.