He installed the rafter that he was working on yesterday and then made its twin and installed it on the other side.
Jim made a decision to move his work area inside the shop. Although all the metal shavings and pieces start rusting when they get wet, having to work outside in the sun and heat with the steel sitting out there becoming impossible to touch was definitely the worst of the two options. Plus, Jim felt much more organizing having his tools around him and working on a stable surface.
The next rafter was key - Jim said if he could get the next rafter design to work, then the rest should fall into place - they are just incrementally longer. Here he is cutting and forming the next rafter...
...and then installing it. It was a perfect fit!
He duplicated the pattern and put up the rafter on the other side.
He cut and designed the next rafter and tested it out before tracing the pattern for the opposite side.
However, putting this next rafter up was going to be a challenge. There is no way to reach the hip rafter to attach the rafter. So Jim came up with a plan. He took a piece of steel and made a step across the first two rafters.
That way he could stand on the step and be able to mark locations...
...and do his measurements.
However, that step wasn't going to let him actually be able to reach the hip rafter connection and have enough leverage to fasten everything together. He used a stud to go across the entire rafter area.
Bringing up the next rafter piece (of course they get longer and harder to handle as they move up the roof!).
Setting it into place...
Then he had to become like Spider Man and walk across all these skinny pieces of steel!
Fastening down the rafter...
Whew...back on solid ground! Time to make the duplicate of that rafter.
And it's back to playing Spider Man on the other side of the roof structure...
Of course, this side is even more challenging because now Jim has to use his left hand to do the drilling - while scaling the wall with nothing underneath.
But at the end of the day...WOW! Both sides have 3 rafters done and the design and plan are both set. Great recovery!
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| High 87 (heat index 95!)/Low 65 |
Hey, that was smart! It paid off having Jim work on your rafters. His use of that piece of steel was innovative, so he could take note of the measurements and install the rafters correctly. When there's a will, there's a way. What matters is that your house has taken a few more steps towards being completed. Looking forward to the finished product. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteNaomi Walters @ Chicora