We used to use the PLS5x to square foundations. It worked very well for long runs and cutup foundations.
A laser plumb bob is very useful for perfect layout.
Here is a footing for an interior shearwall
Cordless!!
Kyle is blocking over the shearwall, and Jasen is working on the cant.
You can see a shearwall on the left and one toward the middle.
Double blocking over the shearwall and Matt (aka “glueboy”)
The first step in laying out the circular stairway is to layout the center point of the radius and then layout the trammel to mark out the walls and stairs.
Here I am laying out the trammel, starting where the stair will meet the outside wall.
Now I am marking the interior wall, which will actually define the thickness of the laminated stringer.
I'm cutting a notch just big enough for my “framers” pencil to fit.
My pencil fits right into the notch and is centered on the layout.
This is the tedious portion of the layout. Starting from what will be the top of the stair, you have to layout each tread 10“ at the walkline. The code here says that the walk line is 12” in frm the inside of the stair. So I am marking 10“ square to the previous tread at the walkline.
Same process. I'm using black chalk so that the layout will survive any rain we get in May. You can also see that as I snap lines my hands and forearms get progressively blacker. It takes a lot of soap to remove that much chalk.
This shows the layout, including the 12“ walkline.
Next day and set up for cutting.
After lunch we started framing the big rakewall.
We went ahead and framed it out over the porch.
Starting to lift the wall.
We nailed a strong back on the wall to keep it stiff where the straps are.
The blocking and strong back are helping, but you can still see the flex in the wall. The creaking is never confidence inspiring
You can see that the 20' 2x6 wasn't long enough so we used cutoffs to “lengthen” the studs.
You get a sense of scale to the wall with Jasen and Kyle in the picture.
A gooood looookin' crew.
Here I am using a scrap that I cut the radius on to lay out the interior of the stair tread.
Marking the tread in place guarantees that it will be right, or close enough.
Jasen and Matt rolling the 14“ I-joists that clear span the garage.
Now it is time to start building the stairs.
All the 2x4 studs are cut to the height of a riser-tread. Here I am gluing the 2x4 prior to nailing on the 2x12 riser and cleat.
I had already cut and nailed the risers and cleats together.
Lift it into place and nail the 2x4 studs to the riser line on the floor.
Nail on the tread and check every step that the stairs are staing plumb
Next morning and it is time to cut the custom cleats.
The cleats cut to the angle on the floor.
The cleats and on the right are the 2x4s cut to the riser height.
The bottom riser was just ripped down to the right height.
To make the stair framing easier, we left off the front wall. It was later balloon framed.
This house had a ton of rakewalls. This as a harder one to get lifted.
This was as hight as we could get it, so we pinned it there with the 2x6s then called for more help to finish lifting it.
Ready for sheathing.
Jasen is nailing the cripples for the overhang framing.
Jasen is cutting the flyrafters in place. This gives us a perfect joint.
Sometimes things aren't totally flat, so he just stood on the flyrafters and is nailing them tight.
Hey Matt we are up here!!
Jasen was the “Rig Master”
We framed the living room wall in the bonus room and are now set to place it.
We put the header in the wall instad of dropping it. This leaves open any arches or space for the finish carp.
House of Flying Rake Walls
This roof is a 12-12, so Matt is cutting the 2x12 commons with the chainsaw. Is it accurate?
Perfectly accurate.
A very nicely stacked pile of common rafters cut for all the easy stuff.
Setting the bonus room ridge beam.
If I can trust the time on the photos, this is about 3 1/2 hours later.
The shed dormer rafters were a little over a 3-12 pitch.
Very steep angle for the Big Foot.
Mobile cut station.
Starting to cut the rafters for the little bump out roof.
Matt is tracing an arched pattern on to the common rafters.
This is the radius that will define the roof.
I cheated to get the curves on the hips. I used a level and pencil to bring the plane across. Now I know how to lay them out. But it still looks good.
Not so straight birdblocks.
The roofers roofed the entire house in one 11 hour day, then came back to do the ridge cap. They hardly use any toeboards, they just lean back on on the rope attached to their harnesses.
