AskCodeMan

Hi Jerry,

Hip roof, do jack rafter have to be miter when attach to hip rafter?

Hi Richard,

Depends.

As in 'depends as how it was supplied' from the truss manufacturer. recall having seen both square end cuts and bevel end cuts. Without a hanger specified, bevel end cuts to match the hip truss would be the end cut you should see - many are bevel cut from both sides to allow for use on either side of the hip truss.

If the truss engineering specifies a hanger, that hanger may required the truss to be bevel cut, or it may be a hanger which simply supports the square cut end of the truss chord (or even a dual rated hanger - see below, dual rated for square cut or bevel cut).

Go here: (note: place cursor over link, right click, select 'Open in New Window') http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/catalogs/C ... 9-p078.pdf , you will see a Simpson StrongTie hanger SUR ('R' for right) and SUL ('L' for left) with square cut and bevel cut ends.

Hi Jerry,


Hip roof, do jack rafter have to be miter when attach to hip rafter?
If some of the jack rafter was miter and some are noted.

Hi Richard,

That answer is basically covered in my response above, however, a question for you: Are the hip jack trusses in hangers or only nailed to the hip trusses?

Hip jack no hanger, toe nail to hip truss.

Hi Richard,

RICHARD TAN wrote:Hip jack no hanger, toe nail to hip truss.

Then it should be bevel cut at the end to met the side of the hip truss top chord. I have yet to see a truss engineering not calling for that when no hanger is used, and most come with the bevel cut end from the truss manufacturer, so I'm also going to guess that the truss may have had a bevel end cut and the truss was square cut off at the end, or, the truss was intended to have a hanger, which does not require a bevel cut end (see post above for hanger).

I would write those square cut but toe-nailed hip jacks up and specify that the truss engineering needs to be produced to document the proper hip jack attachment, hanger, bevel cut toe-nailed, or square cut toe-nailed. Once the documentation is produced you will have your answer, and if not produced ... you are not "wrong" until the truss engineer says differently.

Even applying common sense (hard to come by in construction nowadays) one realizes that a square cut end toe-nailed to a top chord has very little bearing wood-to-wood and thus only the strength of the nails, and that is not good.