#Decorative rafter tail template how to#
#Decorative rafter tail template professional#

#Decorative rafter tail template professional#

Experiment with different patterns to see what looks best your particular project.Įditor’s Note: Mark Clement is a professional contractor and co-host of the MyFixItUpLife radio show. The choices in pattern design are limited only by the size of the wood and your imagination. We can cut rafter tails up to 17 inches wide from pine, Douglas fir, or rough oak. Lots of notches and detail can add a sense of ornate elegance to a rafter tail design, while simpler geometric patterns give them a more basic, streamlined appearance. You can choose from one of our wood corbel & rafter tail patterns or we will custom cut your rafter tails based on your specified measurements and design. The only down side is a jigsaw cuts much more slowly.Īfter cleaning up the cut edges of the tails with a sander, use your completed rafter as a pattern template to trace a matching profile on all the other rafters of your project. The thin blade of a jigsaw can follow the curved path of your swoop, and its straight-cutting action can finish the incomplete cuts that the round blade of a circ saw leaves behind. These printable knee brace design templates can be made with your desktop printer, cut out with scissors, and easily traced on 2圆 or 2x8 lumber boards. A Speed Square makes a handy guide to keep cut marks square.Ĭlement suggests you save time cutting by using a handheld circ saw on all straight cuts. These design templates can also be used to add decorative and interesting knee braces to any post-framed structure, even if you’re not installing a pergola. screws partially driven into the lumber on each side of the metal strip to hold its arched position as you mark the cutline.Īccentuate the swoop design with notches and angles. Use treated lumber for outdoor projects or a wood species such as redwood that has natural preservatives.Ī neat trick for making a decorative swoop on a rafter tail is to use a straight strip of sheet metal as a cutting guide. The broader the face of the board, the more material you have to incorporate the swoops and notches that comprise the rafter-tail pattern. For both a sense of visual balance and structural strength, these framing members are generally made from large boards measuring 2×8 or wider. Once installed, they fit naturally under the overhang of the roof. All you have to do is slip them over standard beams, and then nail, screw or glue them on. Rafter tails generally dress up large outdoor structures. The real wood rafter tails are decorative additions that can easily be installed to the framework of your roof, giving the look of actual wooden beams jutting out.

With a few basic carpentry tools and an eye for creativity, you can create a design that puts a personal stamp on your next outdoor building project.

With a limitless array of patterns, these stylistic enhancements to the ends of a beam or rafter can give a unique look to a pergola, a rose arbor, a trellis or covered patio.

#Decorative rafter tail template how to#

Alternative Heating & Fireplace Insertsĭress up your rafters with a decorative tail patternĪt the recent Remodeling Show/ Deck Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, the EHT staff caught up with our friend Mark Clement, who was giving a demonstration on how to cut decorative rafter tails.