Build your own wood trusses

A how-to on homemade wood truss construction

[@Superduty_59]

I luckily live in the country and basically can build anything that I desire as long as it is built with property line setbacks and under a certain height. What is ironic is just because a truss is built in a shop and has an engineering stamp it's automatically considered "better" than a truss built like you did. A truss like the one you built with 3/4" ply truss plates on both sides and glued and the proper # of nails is far superior and stronger than a POS thrown together plant truss. We built many trusses just like yours in my shop class in HS years ago. Very good quality stuff!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks JJ. very nice comment. steve

[@TheMomentEnds1]

Great video presentation and comments as well-thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge, and corvettes taboot! “Cuz my shop won’t hold 4!!” 😂

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks!

[@stephentice910]

i recomend using 2" staples, less likely to split gusset plate and has more shear strength. 100 psi barely below surface. Also want to single side gusset plate on Gable ends, so as not to enterfear with siding!

[@hankclingingsmith8707]

No way in he'll does a staple have more shear STRENGTH than a gun nail. YOU cannot get the diameter of a staple big enough.

[@andrewdarnley4608]

Great primer video. I'm down in Australia and just got a quote for trusses for a single carport about 15ft wide. They came back at $300 AUD per truss ! And I need 10. You've inspired me to build my own.

[@flyboyslc1]

Wow! At that price it does indeed make sense to build your own. A 15 foot wide carport could also be framed with rafters. Nice to hear from you Andrew. A trip to Australia is on my wish list. steve

[@alexbowser9801]

Hi Andrew, Six years later may I ask you if you made you own trusses? If yes, which timber size you used? Cheers, Alex

[@motorcitywestauto4674]

I used this video and made mine off of this. I made a few minor changes, one being I couldn't tell for sure what size plywood was used, looks like 3/4" which seems a bit overkill and adds weight. I used 3/8" and made them a little larger. These are usually made with flimsy patch plates, so I didn't see an issue using 3/8". I based all the gusset measurements off of a 9" height as you end up with very little scrap. But this was a very good video, I watched it about 10 times so when I made mine it was already familiar. I made mine to cover a 23' span and I'm very happy with how they came out. I'm adding an addition to my garage too, and I've never made trusses before so this helped a lot.

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Larry,Really nice feedback and I appreciate it. Glad you found the video helpful. Not everyone does, so you probably have some construction capability. I did use 3/4" plywood, and yes it is perhaps a little overkill. But the weak points in any truss are the joints. The one under the most stress is the bottom chord splice. That is why my bottom chord splice is 4 feet long. That gets two feet on each side of the joint. So take a look at your splice at the bottom chord, and if it looks good you should be fine.

[@motorcitywestauto4674]

I do have a fair amount of carpentry experience so this wasn't overly complicated. Time consuming for sure, but not too complex especially with the video. I thought it was pretty thorough and straight forward. It was my first time doing a roof though, and I have absolutely no help, so this was a great video to follow. I didn't see much to complain about. I thought about the center joint when I built these, and I planned ahead for it. What I did is since I have an 8' ceiling, there was room to run a couple parallel joists. I ran a 2x8 on each side of the joint. I used a hanger on one side, and then used 1/2" carriage bolts to connect them to existing roof joists. Then used rafter ties to stiffen it all up. The existing garage is a hip joint, so the only way to build the addition without removing the entire roof was to build these trusses and continue the pitch over the top of one side of the existing roof. I had to make the trusses a little shallower than I would have liked to, it's 3-12, but I wanted to match the existing roof height for aesthetics. I don't think the extra support was necessary, but it was $15 worth of insurance. They seem plenty solid on their own. If I had to do it again, I would do it the same way off the same video. You'll never make everyone happy, but thanks. This helped me out a lot.

[@ldwithrow08]

I usually use whatever exterior grade plywood I have laying around, including scraps and offcuts. I've used as thin as 3/8 and as heavy as 3/4 and couldn't tell much difference in stiffness or strength.

[@MrJimgillnm]

No such thing as "scrap" (It's "Drop-off" ;)

[@MrJimgillnm]

I totally agree with using 2" staples ...

[@oby-1607]

Really nice build on the trusses. Plywood for gussets nailed and glued are the way to go. The press in plates are the first to fall out in the event of fire. Good for you to take a little time to oversee something as critical as trusses. The strength of anything is the cummulation of all parts and joints together in a unit.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks for the nice feedback Oby-1. best to you. steve

[@Daddyduggie]

Oby your comment receives the biggest douche award of the yr in 2024 and the consecutive pass 5 yrs since you made it! How does it feel?!

[@israelsarabia2700]

The things we do for out Toys! In this case, bigger garage to keep Corvettes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Israel, nice comment. I sold one of the Corvettes and bought a tractor to play with!

[@derekcook4678]

Thank you so much for you time, the materials, and your care about the next guy who doesn't know anything. Good job. Derek

[@flyboyslc1]

Why Derek, such nice comments. Makes what I do on youtube worthwhile!

[@genegroundjr3502]

Thank you so much for your instructions on building trusses very helpful a Corvette fan too!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Gene, glad you liked it.

[@mygreenmtns]

Excellent video. That's a great idea to staple the truss pieces together prior to putting on the gussets. Also, your layout technique on the floor was very clever. Thanks very much.

[@flyboyslc1]

thank you for the kind words mygreenmtns. Happy that you enjoyed the video. best wishes, steve

[@joshdowns6095]

Tremendous job sir! Always a pleasure to watch a master carpenter work.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you Josh, such a very nice comment. I appreciate it more than you realize. steve

[@REFERTECH4U]

Thank you Steve I will look into it I appreciate the reply

[@tomharrell1954]

Those trusses are 100 times better than the ones you buy. Great Job!

[@flyboyslc1]

+Thomas Harrell Thanks Thomas! nice comment. The trusses have worked well for me, holding up under some deep Iowa snow storms. steve

[@flyboyslc1]

An update to all on the strength of these trusses. We have had to this point in time, 45 inches of snow here in Iowa. No issues with the strength of these trusses.

[@borkostojic9398]

Great video!how long is the spacing between the thrusses?

[@flyboyslc1]

@@borkostojic9398 hi Borko, the trusses are spaced 2 feet apart (English measurement system). That way an 8 foot long piece of plywood (measuring 4 feet wide by 8 feet long) will cover five trusses with the ends of the plywood covering to the middle of the truss. 2 feet is about .61 meter. Hope this makes sense for you. Steve

[@MrJimgillnm]

Great video ! Thank You for taking the time to Produce !

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Jim, happy to hear you found it useful

[@quailranch]

I see you used heel wedges. A good idea on low pitch trusses. I plan to use them on my 2:12 pitch roof.

[@csidun9087]

Thanks Steve. Good job and good information!

[@flyboyslc1]

You are most welcome!

[@PepperLion]

I love the video! Side note when I heard the wood rattling against the table saw blade I tensed up!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Joshua. I understand the table saw comment. Those fall-offs dancing on the table are troublesome. As long as the rip fence is not on the table, they rarely get caught and tossed by the blade. Saw a man not educated on table saws use a mitre gauge to cut a block of wood with it up against the rip fence. I think the whole room cleared out when we saw this happen, but somehow he avoided disaster.

[@paulwilton735]

I started building my trusses on the garage floor but it was too uneven to get them straight and flat. So I built a platform with 2x4s and plywood so I could nail down jig pieces to hold the chords in place. Worked great plus they stayed in place when I was nailing. They just moved around to much when I was nailing the gussets on the concrete, but great job!

[@flyboyslc1]

Paul Wilton Thanks Paul, what you did is a good solution if the floor is uneven. You can also tapcon or otherwise screw blocks to the concrete floor to lock down component position. That is what i did, but it did leave multiple small holes in the floor.

[@workinalday4351]

You did a really good job on these.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you sir!

[@docmacwoodwerks]

Thanks for this. Next year il be building a two storey house with timber framing and truss of course. I am excited! Its just that i dont have the hardwares yet.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks DocMac. My home is post and beam framed internally, and stick framed perimeter walls. I recommend an engineers involvement in your truss design if you have any doubts or concerns on how to build them. Best to you!

[@docmacwoodwerks]

@@flyboyslc1 il take your advise on the structural engineer...i am located in eastern pacific and we are battered by typhoons yearly..it has to have the strength.

[@armedmariner]

Excellent job man. Fun video. I liked seeing the stack of the 7 on top of each other, which proves visually that you were highly consistent. So, job well done. Bummed me out though that you said you would pay to have them done professionally if you had the cash. You did such a good job! Also, I can tell you got a good air compressor...when you were nailing gussets yours didn't kick on. Haha, mine would've kicked on twice during that sequence. Grin. Anyway, thanks for doing this video...best part for me was the layout you did...measure twice, cut once, use a good layout template. And the addition of the alignment blocks was a great afterthought. Cheers, good job and thanks. The Armed Mariner

[@flyboyslc1]

armedmariner Thanks! Nice comments. It wasn't the cost that made me do them, it was the lead time, or wait that it would have required for me to get the custom sized trusses. I am so busy that i just didn't take the time to get the trusses in the pipeline in time for when i needed them. So i blasted them out myself. You can save a little money building your own, if you do not value your time highly. I am 64 years old now. When i was 25 yes, i would have built them for sure. Just didn't have much money back then. Good to hear from you. Best wishes. Steve

[@FromSteelToWood]

Thanks for showing, a great reference!!!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks!

[@FromSteelToWood]

Sir, I have to thank you AGAIN for this nice video. I've gone through the same method and it was very easy to do. Using stop block and all. Here is a video of what I did last weekend. Thanks! kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4rLpYWwgpmohcU

[@oby-1607]

Very good tutorial. I have searched a long time to find this information. You have a very good knowledge of getting things done yourself. Now you have more money to spend on the swoopy cars.

[@flyboyslc1]

Miguel, thanks for the nice feedback. best wishes, steve

[@larryshuttlesworth629]

wow, you did an excellent job. Greatly appreciate it sir.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you Larry. I am glad you enjoyed watching

[@justincaravan3686]

16 years but i love this video

[@flyboyslc1]

Nice comment Justin. Just did the vid to share with friends. Never thought it would get 900000 views. Never made a dime on it either. Just for fun!

[@bigtrucker1483]

Midwest plan service has truss plans like this but wide span barns good info

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks bigtrucker. Great info!

[@thomasmezzo2050]

yes Steve it's how to do the math and layout that I'd like to learn! thanks again! god bless,thomas

[@flyboyslc1]

See if this helps. Let me know what else you need help with.

[@machone7580]

Very nice work, Sir! I enjoyed the video and Vettes!

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Mach One. Cars are fun. Wish I had some of the ones back when I was a teenager in the '60s. steve

[@rossjon7423]

The builder showed my father the local council's Roof Frame Plans in a booklet and it showed what angle the roof has to be and the amount of Truss Tie's because of the local wind speeds and the Galvanised Steel Nailplates sizes. Its best to use Galvanised Steel Nailplates there cheaper and stronger just hammer them into place with a wooden mullet.

[@roycehagerman3646]

Great video. Thanks for taking the time and sharing. Only question is what size is the plywood gussets?

[@flyboyslc1]

Royce hagerman Thanks Royce. Nice comment. The thickness of the gussets should be half inch 5 ply or 3/4" 5 ply. Either one will work ok. As far as overall size, they need to be big enough to put 5-7 nails in each of the members to be connected. Bottom chord gusset should be a little longer, because it is under tension stress. Maybe a good idea to use 3/4 plywood there and make them 4 feet long. That way the plywood in cross section is equal to the 2 by 4 in cross section. Hope this helps you.

[@frankcollins8895]

EXCELLENT VIDEO,GREAT LAYOUT AND PLANNING

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Frank! nice comment

[@ldwithrow08]

The only reason to order trusses is if you are a contractor working on a deadline for a bid price. Paying union help to build trusses can eat way into your profit margin. Factory trusses are fine as long as they are certified safe according to local building codes. However glued and nailed trusses built to order are stronger, stiffer and if you carefully build a fixture, just as uniform. I've rolled my own for 50 years and never had one fail yet. BTW, I've always found it convenient to cut the eave overhang a couple of inches longer than required, then use a chalk line to trim them to uniform length after installation. I always get one or two that don't quite fit and it's a bear to get the fascia to look right.

[@flyboyslc1]

Hello Lawrence, I usually leave the tails on rafters or trusses long and field cut them also. In this particular case, it was not beneficial to do so. the sub-facia was a 2 by 10 and there was no way that a short truss would make a difference with a piece of lumber like that.

[@taurinenrgy]

Nice video I'm a civil engineer student, I'm doing truss analysis and I like to watch videos like this one.

[@flyboyslc1]

taurinenrgy Thanks! I have set in place thousands of trusses in my 45 year construction career, and the design was based upon what i saw used in particular situations. So i actually never ran the numbers for loading. And they worked fine. The roof held a 10 inch heavy wet snow with no deflection at all.

[@PrezUSMC]

figuring the numbers, would it just be a dead weight calculation?

[@sandrawongwong]

Thank you so much for sharing n must really tell u how magnanimous u r to teach step by step, n how very clear, smart n easy it is to build these trusess. I m an asian lady living far away from the place which ur video was taken. THANK YOU AGAIN, ur teaching will surely benefit thousands n million of viewers who someday may build their house.

[@flyboyslc1]

Sandra Wong Thank you Sandra. very kind comments. And home built trusses work very well in areas that are not accessable, since it is easier to transport short pieces of lumber in place of long trusses. And truss manufacturing facilities are not always close to where you need the truss. Best wishes. steve

[@sandrawongwong]

Thanks Steve, Wishing you good health and keep going!!!

[@jerryrandall6356]

Nice job!

[@dougiequick1]

The WONDERFUL thing about building identical multiple items is except for the first article? Everything else is reduced to mass production tactics where each part run is set up and then bang out x number of part A x number of part B and so on and THEN when all the parts are staged it is just banging them together one after another identical clones....repetition lends itself to consistent quality! It might take more than 4 hours to build the first one but if you build ten identical "widgets" But then Maybe as little as a half hour each or less ...which is why tract homes (and modular homes) can be built SO SO much cheaper than custom one off homes...Henry Ford NAILED IT!

[@cgelmore488]

Thank you!

[@flyboyslc1]

You are most welcome CG

[@gogo12able]

love the spark on that paslode gun

[@flyboyslc1]

I was using some off brand nails left over from another job. Obviously not a perfect fit for that nailer. Kinda sparkly

[@williewillaims9069]

Excellent video nice to see no bullshit good videos !! Thanks Much !!!!!

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Willie, glad you enjoyed it. I know what you mean on the BS videos. Lots of self proclaimed experts more focused on making money off of videos than really knowing what they speak of. I never expected this video to take off and do as well as it has. KZbin is just a hobby for me anyway. best to you. steve

[@flyboyslc1]

Willie, thanks so much for the comment. I know what you mean regarding the BS. So many people on youtube just trying to make money off of it. For me it is just a hobby and nice way to meet other people. Best to you. steve

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Thanks for sharing. Did you nail the locating stops to the concrete? And did you use ACX? (You keep mentioning best face to the chord materials.)

[@flyboyslc1]

DanielinLaTuna Hello Daniel. I screwed the location blocks to the concrete using Tapcons. They are easy to remove and the holes can then be filled with grey caulk. For plywood, don’t remember the spec anymore but I think it was CDX which gave me one good side to glue up and attach.

[@dabiggestgwarfan]

Beautiful work and great video! Thank you for your time to help others!

[@flyboyslc1]

Well thank you sir! Glad you found it worth watching! Steve

[@REFERTECH4U]

Hello great video thank you if I’m adding a 16 foot wide x 14 foot long addition how many trusses would I need ?

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Miguel, These types of wood trusses are typically installed 24 inches on center. So depending on your framing scheme, you would need 6 common trusses and one gable truss, or 6 common trusses and field frame the end wall all the way to roof line. The fact that you are asking this question makes me wonder if you are in a little over your head. Also something that is just 16 foot wide I would probably frame that with rafters. Check out youtube for "roof rafter framing" and see what you find. Best your way. steve

[@WelshRabbit]

Of course, at 3:15 you already knew the approximate angle for a 3/12 roof even before asking Siri because you no doubt looked at your Swanson speed square and saw it was about 14 degrees Precision is better, but unless you're using something like the Incra super-duper precision miter gauge, it's really hard to know when you're cutting 14.04 degrees rather than14 degrees on most table saws. By the way, your trusses look much better than those I ordered from my local builders supply. Well done.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you for the comment Mr Welsh. I never bought or used a speed square. Some of my fellow carpenters do use them, so I am familiar. They fit kind of OK in a carpenters pouch, but I went the way of a combination square hanging from its own loop on the belt. Perhaps a little less functional, but not clogging up a pouch. Lots of ways of determining that angle, but I am getting old and lazy, and google and Siri work amazingly well sometimes. Best wishes. steve

[@abelluz5698]

awesome work!!!

[@flyboyslc1]

Abel, thanks! glad you enjoyed it. Trusses still working perfectly!

[@Lukeseveconveyancing]

This is fantastic where would you source the timber from?

[@flyboyslc1]

Luke, happy to see that you liked it! The trusses consisted of 2 x 4 lumber and 3/4" plywood. All of this is available at any lumberyard or home supply store such a Home Depot or Lowes. best to you! steve

[@halcyon1030]

I like you Steve you are well organised and straight to the point. Don't go into politics !!! . I learned a lot and will carry on my plans to defeat the high costs of paying someone else what I would actually prefer to do myself.

[@flyboyslc1]

Henry, You do a pretty good psychoanalysis from a distance! I am most definitely not a politically correct person. Happy to know you found the video useful. Never did I imagine that it would get 200000 plus views. It has been fun! Labor on. steve

[@halcyon1030]

My dad flew a B26 in the WW2. Ive seen one up close in a small town airfield. I would be so thrilled to take a ride in one. My father passed on and over the years kept in touch with his flight crew. He was 19 and made Pilot. he said he hasd a navigator and a bombidier as well as a co pilot. he was in routeon a bombing run over Iwa Jima and got the word to turn around and return because the Japanese surrendered. he said nobody exactly knew what would happen . Those mushroom clouds where not heard of. Well, I hope we don't have to try that again - but if we do - there is going to be a shortage of virgins in Allah's kingdom in the sky .

[@halcyon1030]

Thanks for your story about a P.O.W. I have one quite similar. My aunt was a young girl who recalled from a fellow church goer that after receiving a letter from the Army that their husband was lost at sea from a shoot down. and presumed dead. This lady insisted from her dreams that he was alive and recovering in Japanese custody. She insisted over and over he would return and bear testimony in this very church some day. Well as fate would have it -He DID. You can guess why we still cling to our guns and bibles now dont you ??!!!

[@annabgrl]

Henry Wilson דגגךתגצג

[@halcyon1030]

I cannot get the translation to work. I would like to read your post but do not have the ability. Thanks.

[@mariomarchigiano528]

OK thanks I'll have to give that a try

[@donschofield4849]

good job!

[@Mohrenberg]

Thanks for the video! I am planning to start on a pole barn this spring and am contemplating building the trusses myself. I'm a little worried about the amount of time it would take me to do them all myself though. I'll just have to compare the prices and see if it's worth the extra time.

[@flyboyslc1]

Matthew Ohrenberg Thanks Matthew. Nice comment! If it is strictly a time consideration, then buying them from a truss factory is the way to go. I do not know the span of your proposed pole building, but the trusses if they get to be very long are hard to handle during fabrication (turning them over to work on the other side). On site fabrication can cut down on total cost, as you eliminate transportation charges if you are instead able to haul short lumber on trailers or pickup trucks yourself. One caution, if you are fabbing trusses for a pole barn, your spacing is likely going to be 6 feet or so? It would be good to do a little engineering on the trusses. Find live snow loading and such and run the numbers. There is info on the net that can help you with this. Just do a little work with Google to find it. Best wishes! steve

[@FUZZYBIGS]

Looks a lot like aircraft wing rib construction. You must have done that before. Great job. Obvious quality!

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Chris, I have built two Van's RV airplanes. Mostly aluminum. But our EAA chapter did get involved at a Fly Iowa event showing kids how to build wood wing ribs. A lot of fun! Also, obviously, I made my living as a carpenter. No regrets!

[@contractflow3276]

Thanks for sharing your ideas and process, what span were the trusses? Tks.

[@flyboyslc1]

They were about 26 feet. Nice comment. Thanks

[@michaelvangundy226]

The pattern of the bracing isn't just ornamental. The depth of the board, species, and loading rates for your region will give you the span between the braces. This is what you are paying for with engineered trusses. If you are planning on sheetrock then a 5 foot span is closer to what it should be on the bottom. But do the figures for your needs.

[@flyboyslc1]

Always appreciate comments Michael. Just checked the Southern Yellow Pine ceiling joist tables. I know a joist is different than a truss, but the table showed a 9-10 foot span, 10 psf live load, for a 2 x 4- 24" OC. That is a little longer than I like to see. Most trusses I have set here in Iowa are in the 7-8 foot range for bottom chord panel points, designed for 5/8" wallboard on bottom chord.

[@michaelvangundy226]

@@flyboyslc1 You got me thinking. So I looked, 20 pound snow load, which is half of yours, with 1/2" sheetrock is... 5' 5" bottom chord and 5' 8" top.

[@bruceschlittler9847]

Nice video on how to actually build them. But how did you determine how many nails you needed to use to support the load these trusses are carrying?

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Bruce. Thanks for the nice comment. I believe you are asking how many nails in each of the joint gussets? It is a good question, and really good to know if you are not using any construction adhesive (glue) between truss parts and the gusset plates. I generally would use a minimum of six nails in each side of a tension joint. So for instance the bottom chord splice that was four feet long I would have a total of 24 nails, 12 on each side, with 6 nails on either side of the splice joint. Hope this does not confuse you. The nails are just there while the glue cures out. Once the glue is cured, the nails aren't needed so much. I still leave them in. Not much fun to pull them all out! In other places where the gussets are smaller, I would use minimum of 4 nails each side of a joint. I highly recommend glue, like a PL400 construction adhesive or similar. The nails should be 8 penny sinkers if hand nailing, or 2 inch long nails if air-nailing. Hope this helps. I have not looked at this video in a long time, but I think I showed a completed joint, with nails visible? Not sure, I will have to look! steve

[@logicalguy488]

If you had them made it would not have been so precise and sturdy. Good job and peace of mind.

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Logical. The trusses I made were for sure better than plant built trusses. steve

[@LandonRoy-cv9rt]

Honestly tho very nice wood work I’m impressed

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you. Anything that is a little bit out of the ordinary interests me, and it was fun to do this ONCE!

[@jaredcravens2658]

Thanks so much for this video. I'm getting ready to make the trusses for my house, and this is a perfect solution. I love the slab outline, and the gusset plate. Seems much stronger than a nail plate. However, I am confused about one thing. Did I hear you right when you said the glue was going to be a stronger bond than the gusset+nails?

[@flyboyslc1]

Jared, thanks for the feedback. Yes, the glue does more to hold the joint than the nails, really. The nails tighten up the joint causing the glue to spread out and bond well with the wood fibres. Try it yourself. Take two scraps of lumber, glue and nail one joint and then take two scraps of lumber and just nail it with no glue. Now take your pry bar and tear them apart, see which one is more difficult to tear apart. Wood aircraft wings were typically glued up with recorcinal, which is a waterproof glue. Very few mechanical fasteners in these wood wings. Check with your local building department to see how they view homebuilt trusses. Some places will not allow them without an engineers stamp.

[@jaredcravens2658]

@@flyboyslc1 Incredible. I remember my brother showing me how a properly glued wood joint could be stronger even than the wood outside the joint, but I thought that must have only applied to the special wood glue he was using. Thanks a heap for your help!

[@daddyizzle]

I like the principals of the construction. Perhaps more precision in the fastener application and the nail guage seems to be a specific requirement for sheer strength. Perhaps initially narrow guage crown staples to pin the gussets and then actual structural screws?

[@IREFUSE9]

Wow. Nice job.

[@flyboyslc1]

Nice comment! Thanks!

[@kenk.4099]

Very nice thank you. Do you know of a good source to calculate the dimensions of trusses?

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Ken..Nice comment! i don't know a site for truss sizing off the top of my head, but using google i bet you will come up with some information that should help.

[@mynameisnotimportant2854]

Question?? what kind wood would you recommend to build a truss? Are you using southern yellow pine in your video??

[@flyboyslc1]

Any lumber typically sold to perform wood frame construction would work. Years ago it was all Douglas Fir. It is mostly gone. Now it is sometimes called SPF which is short for Spruce, Pine, Fir. Kind of a conglomeration of the three. Truss lumber should not have any large knots in it, as they interrupt the flow of the grain and weaken the member at that point.

[@mr.doityourselfandsave4369]

Great job. !!! excellent

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Robert, happy that you found the video useful. Steve.

[@jerrysmith7166]

I was a few seconds into the video and do you are an awesome guy the first thing I spied was the yellow vet and then you went directly to the red one awesome and totally American I’m looking forward to building my own somewhat tiny house one day soon

[@flyboyslc1]

Jerry. Thanks for the nice comment. Best wishes your way. Steve.

[@charlesfield9286]

I'm a professional engineer trying to learn how to build site built trusses. How did you size the gussets and what was the required nailing/glue pattern? I'm sure there is some ICC code compliant ASTM standard for those calculations, but I can't find. Also calculating the load capacity of the truss is either a ton of trial-and-error circular calculations or some software to do the infinite analysis calculations for you. Did you find a reasonably priced piece of software that you can recommend?

[@teetom2740]

Very good vid and info. What about engineering and permit approval. will self made trusses pass on your own license if you follow specs for permit approval? I'm in Oregon btw

[@flyboyslc1]

Hello Thomas. If you are subject to a local Building Department, check with them for site built truss requirements. They may or may not require a structural engineers stamp on a set of drawings. I am fortunate that i am on what is called a "farm" in Iowa, and therefore not governed by a building department. I specifically did not go into the engineering of trusses, as they must be designed for local conditions. Oregon may not get any snow where you live, or lots of snow. Snow is a big thing, as it puts lots of live load on the trusses. Hope this helps. steve

[@WelshRabbit]

What a Fink!!!

[@deanr4475]

Thank you for posting this video. I am about to start building a shed shortly and the only thing I am not confident about is the roof trusses. It is going to be 12' x 16' and I will need to watch your video again but will the same 60 degree formula work on it? Thank you, Dean

[@larrysullivan6536]

Well done mate good job

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you Larry, happy to hear you enjoyed the video!

[@luish777]

Them heavy duty trusses

[@terryhagan7694]

Nice Job.....i did the same when i built my workshop in Philippines, difference is i laid out the design on 3/4 play and as i cut and placed the part i tacked it so it didn't move

[@flyboyslc1]

thanks Terry, glad to hear you enjoyed the viewing. steve

[@barryirby8609]

One reason the truss plants use metal plates is they are thinner and you can get more trusses on the truck for delivery/cuts delivery cost.

[@flyboyslc1]

Barry Irby Great point Barry. My trusses would take up twice the room on a truck due to adding two layers of 3/4” plywood.

[@joecox9958]

which nails you use? 3/4 plywood? why you need bottom narrow plywood piece? thanks!

[@flyboyslc1]

Joe, I used 2 3/8” by .113 ring shank steel nails. Clipped head. Generics and that is why you see the occasional sparks. Not a perfect fit for the Paslode gun. I angled the first layer otherwise they would protrude through the 1 1/2” thick lumber. Second layer didn’t matter since the combined thickness is 3”. Bottom piece of narrow plywood 4 feet long is used to splice two pieces of 2 by 4 since the bottom chord was slightly longer than 24 feet. Not easy to find 26 foot 2 by 4 and not easy to transport it either.

[@Slick1G3]

we used to build our own trusses in this state in the 60s 70s till they require engineered trusses now

[@flyboyslc1]

Yes Slick Always a good idea to check with local building dept to make sure you can use a home built truss before you fab them up. Where I live since I am zoned agricultural I am exempt from building dept.

[@thxmateoli]

is that half inch or 3/4 plywood you used for the gussets?

[@flyboyslc1]

Mateollios67. Good question. I did use 3/4 inch plywood. 1/2 inch would work well in most places too. If you use 1/2 inch I would try to find plywood that has at least 5 ply in it. Also, I would suggest using 3/4 inch wherever you have a lot of tension in the joint, such as in bottom chord splice. Best wishes!

[@thxmateoli]

Excellent!!!! Wayne's world

[@GTStang330]

Good video!!

[@flyboyslc1]

Matt B, thanks for the nice feedback! steve

[@dllv1062]

How do you determine the size of the gussets? Do they need a minimum overlap on each truss section?

[@flyboyslc1]

Scott, excellent question. For me it is a little bit of a seat of the pants thing. But as a general rule, for the top chords I would make the plywood at least two times the width of the chord from the center of the joint. So a 2 by 4 is 3.5 inches. So 7 inches each way from the joint. That would mean that the plywood is 14 inches long, and probably 14 inches wide. Where the bottom and top chords connect at the end I would oversize it a little. Also, make sure you are doing both sides of the truss with plywood plates. The one thing I always want to make sure is that any bottom chord splice has a lot of overlap. It is in a lot of tension, so for me I used a piece of plywood 48 inches long by 3.5 inches wide. The joint had 24 inches of plywood on each side of it. It would be better yet if the bottom chord could be one piece of lumber. You can order 2 by 4 lumber 24 feet long, but hard to transport unless you have the truck to do it. Hope this helps. steve

[@dllv1062]

Yes, it does! Thanks for the fast reply and good info! I appreciate it!

[@pianobar7801]

thanks : )

[@flyboyslc1]

👍

[@Raymond-mk8cb]

Nice Vet. I never considered using SIRI to find the angle of a roof slope....

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Raymond. It worked! I think it was 14 degrees, or something like that?

[@johntillotson4254]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks John!

[@UBAYBE]

Is it ok to use two 2*4 for the bottom of a roof truss for a large shed? Or must the bottom of Trusses always be one long piece of lumber?

[@flyboyslc1]

Sylvian, great question. Ideally it would be great to make ther bottom chord just one piece of 2 by 4, but it does not have to be that way. 2 by 4's are available up to 24 feet long I believe, but they are hard to transport, and cost more per foot than say a 16 foot piece. My trusses had a 26 foot bottom chord length. I used two pieces of 2 by 4 and spliced them with a 4 foot long piece of 3/4" plywood, both sides, glued and nailed. The bottom chord has a lot of tension force, so a good long splice is a good idea. You could also use two pieces of 1 by 4 lumber both sides, glued and nailed. I would make it lap over the joint at least 2 feet both sides, longer would be better.

[@allancivitello3771]

Hello! Do you think i could use 7/16 OSB for my plates on a 13' span 10/12 pitch roof ? Also what size nails are you using ?

[@flyboyslc1]

Allan, I would steer clear of the OSB for the joint plates. Probably OK as long as it stays totally dry, but that stuff turns to mush if it gets wet. I would suggest 1/2" CDX plywood at the minimum. 3/4" is what i used. CDX has waterproof glue holding it together. Glue it with construction adhesive (like PL-400 or similar) and nail it with a nail that is just less in length than the plywood and truss lumber. This will typically be a 2" long nail. Sometimes you will need to slightly angle the nails to prevent them poking through the back side, especially on the first side you apply the plates to. Second side you have the additional thickness of the first plate you applied. Hope this makes sense. steve

[@allancivitello3771]

@@flyboyslc1 Thank you!

[@maceatnight]

Thank you for this video. I'm a ME student studying statics and particularly zero force members. I came upon this video randomly. Awesome video, thanks again.

[@flyboyslc1]

mason miller Thanks Mason! Glad you enjoyed it. We have had a heavy wet 10 inch snowfall here in Iowa about a month ago, and the trusses never deflected a bit, so i think i got them right.

[@kbbb4227]

Nice.

[@mariomarchigiano528]

Hi I was wondering how did you figure out where to put out a bracing what program did you use and how did you calculate it

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Mario, My engineering was pretty much seat of the pants. I have seen and set so many trusses over my lifetime that I knew the design I used would work. My trusses were built in a similar manner to all the ones that I set in place over the years. If you google "wood roof truss design" there are a lot of options.

[@differenthandyman938]

This is very helpful, thank you. Could you comment on your choice of a splice location for the bottom chord? Why not in the middle or more towards the ends? This is the one piece of information I can’t find anywhere.

[@flyboyslc1]

Great question DH! The bottom chord is under the most tensional stress of any member of the truss. It is trying to pull apart. Ideally I would try to buy lumber that would go the entire length so no splices would be needed. Since I am over 24 feet that isn't possible. Knowing the torsional forces, I wanted to use a little longer splice member, so I cut a 3.5" wide by 4 foot long piece of plywood for each side of the splice. That gave me a good long, probably over engineered splice. If I had located this splice in the middle, where I was also trying to join the center vertical web member, I would have needed to make the splice plate probably 10 inches wide to grab the vertical member also. So that would have meant 10 inches by 4 feet. To cut down on the amount of plywood needed, (and weight) I just offset the bottom splice to an area where I only had to deal with a bottom chord splice and not integrate in a web member splice too. If I was doing a W truss design, then directly mid span of the bottom chord would have worked perfectly, since there is no web member mid span of a W truss. The W truss is broken into 3 segments of the bottom chord, rather than 4 segments in my design. Does this make sense?

[@differenthandyman938]

@@flyboyslc1 Yes. Your choice seems to be determined entirely by trying to minimize the use of plywood rather than structural considerations. My concern, however, is this. If you locate the splice in the middle and pull on both ends of the truss with tremendous force, your splice will be the only thing resisting it. The top gusset won’t do much. However, if you locate the splice, for example, in the right panel and try to pull on both ends of the truss, ripping the splice apart will also have to bend the top chord. In other words, the top chord will be helping the splice keep the bottom chord together. Does it make sense?

[@flyboyslc1]

@@differenthandyman938 ah…….. I enjoy seat of the pants engineering and philosophical questions! But I am suspicious of your conclusion. Are not the other web members connected to the bottom chord whether or not it happens at mid span or another location on bottom chord? Just because the top chord is connected in a place without the bottom chord splice doesn’t mean that it won’t impart the same help you are referencing, does it? Either way, for me it was just cleaner and less complicated to deal with it the way I did. This past winter we had a total of 60” of snow with no thaw, so a lot of that snow stayed on the roof. The trusses continue to perform well, even with the snow, drywall on bottom chord, and lots of insulation.

[@differenthandyman938]

@@flyboyslc1 I am coming to the conclusion that you are right and the splice location doesn’t matter for structural integrity. Perhaps that is why I couldn’t find any information on that. It appears it is usually determined by what 2x4 stock is available. It still makes me nervous though to trust that gusset. I am going to do what you did and overengineer it. 3/4” plywood 4’ long. Perhaps even bolt it in addition to the glue and nails. Once again, thank you for your video and for going out of your way to respond to everyone. What goes around comes around. Best of luck.

[@flyboyslc1]

@@differenthandyman938 thanks for the fun feedback. This video was created just for my friends to see. I never suspected that it would be viewed very much. If I had known, I would have cut out the first two minutes of fluff. It has been great fun conversing with people all over the world. I have even had comments in Chinese or Japanese. Can’t tell the difference! You are correct in your bottom chord splice methods. It has the most stress, so overbuilt at that point is OK to do.

[@123kkambiz]

Nice work.

[@flyboyslc1]

+123kkambiz Thanks! always nice to get nice feedback.

[@jackbuster5618]

The bottom stretch is 26 ft. Did you use 2, 13' boards?

[@flyboyslc1]

Jack, I think I used a 10 and a 16. That moved the splice away from the center, making it easier to join using a piece of 3/4” by 4’ long plywood on each side. I didn’t want the bottom chord splice and center vertical member joint to all happen at the same place.

[@malizarko]

What is the purpose of the plywood plate in the middle of the bottom chord (one that extends to the right of the center in the part of video where all of the trusses are stacked)? I suppose they beare the tension force but why they aren't in the dead centre of the chord? Is it expected for trusses to sag over time? Thanks for your time! Best regards!

[@flyboyslc1]

Hi Zarko, The bottom chord of the truss is about 26 feet long, and the lumber I had for bottom chord was 16 feet, so I had to make a splice. The bottom chord is in a lot of tension, meaning it is trying to pull apart. So I needed a relatively long splice plate. I could have done it in the middle, it would have worked there, but I already have another plate there for joining the middle web components. I just thought it was easier to move the bottom chord splice away from that area. Trusses should sag, or deflect as we say very little over time. You can load them to the failure point at any time, but they show little sag before a piece of lumber breaks or a joint fails. Best wishes steve

[@malizarko]

flyboyslc1 Sorry, I didn't noticed that bottom chord was made of two pieces of lumber. Thank you for your answer, you have one subscriber from Bosnia!

[@brocklievsay8262]

Nice trusses! I hadn't thought about using glue to have the gussets hold better. I'm going to build an 18 x 24 off grid simple cabin probably just one big room and maybe a closet and little to no plumbing, and little to no electrical since it's literally in the middle of the woods with no power, well, or septic, and No driveway up to it, and no permit haha. It'll be a deck based platform on beams resting on concrete blocks so it'll be at least 20 inches off the ground so I can batt an R 30 under the floor. I need to build trusses with an 18 foot bottom chord, the pitch can be whatever I want. There's no way I'm going to buy 13 trusses and carry them all the way through the woods lol. Maybe 4/12 would be good so it will be easier to blow and won't use as much roof sheathing as houses that could almost fit 2 more stories in the attic. How about using OSB for the gussets? I'm not planning on using any plywood for this project but OSB for sheathing, thin crap for the walls and thicker stuff for the subfloor and roof deck. Or I guess I could possibly do rafters too but then would have to batt the ceiling but it would be vaulted.

[@flyboyslc1]

Brock. Here are my thoughts on the trusses. If using an 18 foot bottom chord, I would buy 18 foot 2x4 so a mid span splice is eliminated that way. I am not a big fan of OSB. It just seems to degrade over the years. I would use 5/8” plywood minimum. Exterior rated for waterproof glue. I would go 4:12 or 5:12 on the slope. Always liked a 5:12 myself. If you need engineering help for the design make sure you get it. Another way is to go to a place like Menards.com. They have truss design online I believe? On the deck, maybe consider a rigid foam insulation. Mice really like fiberglass.best your way!

[@robertbutler8004]

Here in Australia, all timber trusses would have to be Engineered certified

[@flyboyslc1]

Building codes in USA are local and not national in nature. They are more prevalent in densely populated areas, and sometimes non existent in rural areas. Where I live, any farm structure is exempt from building codes. And remember, many buildings built centuries before still stand proud without any engineering. And others fully engineered did not make it past their first year. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpjKqZire6mUerc

[@MatthewShermanHappy420]

thanks dude

[@flyboyslc1]

Thank you Matthew. Sorry I missed your comment. steve

[@krisknowlton2658]

I used Titebond II to glue mine together and used 1 1/2" staples to put mine together. You can just roll the glue on with a paint roller. In ten minutes you couldn't tear them apart without destroying the truss. I've made hundreds of them that way and after 25-30 years they are still in good shape. Way better than the press metal plate gussets.

[@flyboyslc1]

Kris, Good tips that you have. Thanks for chiming in. I would be a little leery of the titebond, as it is not waterproof. If you keep them dry it would work. Obviously has worked for you. steve

[@gary24752]

@@flyboyslc1 Would not make any difference. Neither 2 or 3 is structurally rated glue. Read the bottle!

[@flyboyslc1]

@@gary24752 I think your comment was directed to Kris. The PL3 that I did use complies to astm D3498 which applies to gluing osb, plywood, to wood floor systems. A lot like gussets to lumber truss components. Here is the tech data sheet. dm.henkel-dam.com/is/content/henkel/tds-us-loctite-loc-pl-premium-3x-2019-12-12 Your point is valid. Make sure the glue you use is the right application.

[@gary24752]

@@flyboyslc1 Actually ASTM D3498 does not pertain to using it for structural purposes. It is construction adhesive meant for sub floor assembly.

[@RichWhiteCyberCPU]

can I put my bottom span joint in the middle or should it be offset like yours?

[@flyboyslc1]

+Rich White (‫ن‬‎) Hello Rich-- You can certainly put the bottom chord splice in the middle if that is how you want to do it. Remember that the bottom chord is a tension member and trying really hard to pull itself apart. As such, I would recommend that you lap your gusset two feet each side of the splice. That means a piece of lumber at least four feet long on each side of the bottom chord. Additionally the gusset would need to go high enough to grab whatever W members come together in the bottom chord area. For me, it just seemed easier to separate out the bottom chord splice from the other members and gusset them separately. Whatever you do,Glue it up well, and nail it well. It should work just fine that way. best wishes---steve

[@RichWhiteCyberCPU]

+flyboyslc1 thanks for your input. that's what I figured. I have a 35' span and I have to do it with 2 20' studs so offsetting the joint would be difficult. I would at best have a 2' offset but I guess that would be sufficient. thanks again. nice looking work you did there Btw. looks solid.

[@arifpatel99]

Rich, I imagine my advice may be too late but the ideal location of a splice in the bottom cord would be at the 1/4 point distance between joints. If you consider the mid-span and quarter-span to be a joint then the splice should be located at a distance approximately 1/4 distance from either of the joints.

[@kmnmalaska]

Nice video! I'm a carpenter by trade (30 years) and I am impressed by the detail and planning that went into your project. Did I see from that work truck that you work for Ryan Inc.?

[@flyboyslc1]

Yes sir, I do work for Ryan Companies out of the Des Moines Iowa office. Thanks for the nice comment. Never dreamed that this video would get the views that it has. Lots of comments too, mostly good ones.

[@kmnmalaska]

My Dad worked for Ryan Inc. out of Janesville, Wisconsin. He was a grader operator. When he worked for them (about 1951 through about 1964) they built a lot of interstate highways in Illinois and Wisconsin. He was part of a finishing crew that included a small dozer and 2 LeTourneau "D" scrapers. All told, he had almost 60 years operating Adams and Cat graders.

[@stanleyhall9578]

what size nails were you using? Length and diameter?

[@friendlyneighborhoodmainte3756]

The bottom piece of wood that runs 26' how did you connect the piece of wood. With gussets?

[@flyboyslc1]

Yes sir. I used a 3 1/2” by 4’ piece of 3/4” plywood both sides. Glued and nailed.

[@PatHaskell]

Seems like the worst side of the gussets would have more surface are to bond.. I like how you angle the nails in the gusset for better holding strength.

[@flyboyslc1]

Pat. You are probably correct, at least when using a construction adhesive. Angling the nails accomplished two things. Better pull out resistance, and also since my nails were just a tad too long it prevented them coming out the back side. Thanks for the comment!

[@andrewhoward7200]

Tremendous. This is going to help me.

[@flyboyslc1]

Andrew, glad to hear this video was of value to you.

[@Lee-dn3ou]

I'm we seasoned carpenter/framer nice job the ply wood makes them stronger than factory I have seen nail plates fail

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Lee, Not very many people understand and believe that the plywood gussets work very well. Even a lot of carpenters think the metal is better. You and I know better!

[@livefreeordiehardkor]

Corvettes are made here in Kentucky and if you ever get the chance you go to bowling Green and take it to work of the Corvette museum just watch out for the giant sinkhole

[@flyboyslc1]

Thanks Steven, Getting to the Corvette factory is on my bucket list. Will definitely do it some day. I hear they have a track there that I can run on too, for a price I imagine?

[@livefreeordiehardkor]

@@flyboyslc1 about 2 miles away from the museum and it's a road course.

[@livefreeordiehardkor]

@@flyboyslc1 I'll just give you a link www.corvettemuseum.org/visit/motorsports-park/