How To Build Gambrel Roof Trusses For A Shed

Find three pieces of cardboard and lay them on the ground.

How to build gambrel roof trusses for a shed.

If you are building a gambrel roofed shed then this is likely what you would use coupled with a bottom chord. 4 identical truss pieces for your gambrel shed roof. This piece of plywood represents the dimensions for your roof and will serve as an assembly site for your rafters. How to build simple roof truss for shed.

Nail in place to attach the trusses to the foundation of your shed and to keep them in place for the addition of your roof. This way the floor acts as a giant builders square. Next lay four of the cut boards on top of the cardboard in the manner in which they will be assembled. Lay a piece of 10 ft 5 ft 3 0 m 1 5 m plywood on the floor.

These will be used to make the roof ends. Once everything is in place get some scrap pieces of 2 4 and place each one along the framed truss to make an outline. They need to be secure for permanent use. Build a temporary truss jig by screwing 2 long 2 4 s to adjacent edges of the floor at 90 degrees to each other.

If you have a 10 ft 3 0 m wide shed your roof will be 10 ft 3 0 m wide and 5 ft 1 5 m tall. Transfer measurements to 2x4 s. Align them to the edges of the floor and attach with 3 to 4 screws along their length. It also helps to add metal angle brackets at the bearing points where your trusses meet your shed.

Continue the project by fitting the soffit on the opposite side of the shed. Repeat this to join sets of 4 rafter beams together with 3 gussets then flip each one over and add 3 more gussets on the other side except for 2 arches which only have gussets on one side. Save 8 rafter beams for later. Use 6 screws per gusset 3 into each beam.

Our next step is to transfer these measurements to a 2x4 and cut 4 pieces to form our first truss. Lay down the piece of plywood in an area with ample space. If you want to add add style and character to the gambrel roof shed you need to cut several pieces of 1 4 plywood and attach them to the overhangs components. The entire truss should be laying flat on the shed floor exactly as it will fit for the roof but it will be lying on the floor.

Using a pen trace the inside and outside bends of the trusses on the cardboard making what should look like a double l shape. However a gambrel truss roof uses a howe truss design beneath the top chords of the gambrel to reinforce the roof structure and extend the span.