Step-Off Method | Beginner Rafter Layout

In today's video we are learning about the Step-off method, which is a great method to learn from. The step-off method using a framing square along with a few framing jigs (I like the use one's from Squi Jig --- bit.ly/3sUansm). We cover a lot of information, so if you need help, just let me know.
0:00 Intro & Four Main Layout Methods
0:29 Theoretical & Actual Rafter Length
1:53 Step-Off Method
5:53 Birds Mouth Layout
7:01 1/3 Rule
7:30 Overhang Layout
9:00 Ridge cut adjustment
9:58 Final fit & Outro
Affiliate links to tools and products I like and use (THANK YOU for supporting THA!)
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My name is Josh Fedorka, and I’m the founder of Training Hands Academy™. I have been a carpenter and woodworker for over 25 years. I have also held certifications in home energy auditing and have built several LEED certified homes in New England.
God has gifted me with many “hands on” skills and it is my calling and purpose to share those skills by teaching others. Whether it is to seek a career in carpentry, become a general contractor or improve one’s DIY skills and knowledge, the motivation behind THA is to help others successfully learn how to work with their hands.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

*Our beginners handheld routers course is now live! Check out the online course here ---> **bit.ly/3DcIeE3*

[@purejoymaina5636]

ppòp⁰⁹⁰⁰0⁰⁰⁹⁹⁹⁹

[@lukelu9161]

A clear and easy to understand explanation of the rafter layout. Thanks for your efforts

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for watching!

[@Jay-mo6re]

Alright, I am assuming this video only gets 3,655 views is just because it is hot from the oven; published on Nov 7th and I am watching it at 12:00 AM on Nov 8th. I really like and appreciate the effort you do to help us understand. Stay tuned.

[@Jay-mo6re]

@Training Hands Academy Hi, Josh. I tried to apply the Pythagorean Theorem while following along when you do the sample of Span of 4 foot, Unit run of 12 inches, Unite rise of 7 inches. √193 I got 13.89 inches for the Unit Length (something I learned from the previous video.) And you would need 2 units of 13.89 inches that would be 27.78 inch/2.315 ft for the length of the rafter? I am using 2 x 4 as the rafters, and it's way off when I try to use the framing square to measure 12 inches as one unit for my Span of 126 ft 5/8inch. Any advice will be highly appreciated.

[@kevinbishop8098]

the absolute easiest instructions on cutting a birdsmouth I've ever seen!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for the feedback :)

[@ahmadzufarabdurrashid8382]

I really love the way Training Hands Academy teach, very "Theoretically"!!! I APPROVE!!!!!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Wow, thanks!

[@stevenharrison1213]

Brilliant! Thanks for that. Been a chippy for about five years now but not had the chance to get on roofing much even though I'm itching to. I've just got to learn it and be able to do it. I've been practicing with my own mock ups and thanks to people like you, its all starting to fall into place. Cheers

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Fantastic! Thank you for sharing a bit of your story with me!

[@4500michael]

I wish I could post a photo to this comment because your explanation was spot on and I have never done rafters as easy as you have explained in this video. The step off method worked perfectly and I was able to layout and build my Dutch gable roof with ease and NO gaps! 24' rafters were fun by myself but when they fit perfectly, it helps. Thank you so much for this video and I hope your videos help others.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

If you are on IG you can send me one. I'm so happy that you had a great experience framing! Nice work!

[@Vet-zj5lq]

Great video!!! Now we need one assembling the entire roof to the walls. Thank you.

[@MVHS937]

Most clear and practical explanation I have seen!!!!

[@anthonyellis5517]

Great explanation of the stepping off method! Thank you for sharing and you have gained a new subscription 👍🏽

[@davidvogl5447]

As a novice with some tools and big dreams I am loving your videos, so perfectly explained…and I do appreciate that you are also giving measurements in cm’s.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Awesome! Keep dreaming and creating!

[@quito484]

Your videos are great I learned something new I also watched your videos about how to build a stair thanks for sharing your knowledge I’m sure it will help me 👍

[@RobertJohnson-ns3gz]

These videos are excellent. Extremely helpful.

[@thelegoloft5174]

This is by far the best video I have seen explaining the step off method. I finally understand it, thank you

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Great to hear!

[@andrewpolly7167]

Dude. You just made it so easy... People trying to teach me really don't know how to break it down like you did. Those jigs are very useful as well

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad it helped Andrew. Those jigs are awesome, and Louis from Squijig is a really cool dude as well.

[@mykolashatkovskyi8817]

Man, you're amazing! You really do have a talent you explain serious things greatly and simply (enough). Great video. Thank you.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You are very kind. Thank you.

[@bountykiller2709]

@@TrainingHandsAcademy ++

[@bountykiller2709]

1

[@swhoelefp69]

best video ever explaining this process - you are a rock star my friend!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Much appreciated! If you want to support my work, please drop some more comments on my other videos! This helps to wake up the YT algorithms. :)

[@garynasrallah8710]

Thank you for this video. It's been about 30 years since I've cut rafters and I just needed a little brushing up and this really helped. And it will be also very good for beginners. Thank you so much. We used to lay ours out on the floor and get the measurements.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

When I first started building (about 25 years ago) I would lay them out on the floor too. Thanks for the comment.

[@davidprice9265]

Watching this from the uk , this was a textbook perfect explanation, the best I've seen on you tube , we need you here to show the younger generation , we have a massive skills shortage

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you David. We are incredibly short here as well. Thanks for watching and sharing.

[@govnor]

Thanks for the very easy to understand instructions! Well done.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad you enjoyed it Jim!

[@syzdekkedzys]

Thanks for making the videos on measuring rafters. The rafters for my chicken coop and outhouse were wonky due miscalculations (I calculated lengths with what I remembered of HS trig) and my lack of understanding of how to use of a framing square (I used a speed square despite having a framing square). I am building a cabin this summer and the idea of cutting rafters had me a bit nervous, however I feel more confident after watching your videos. I also was unaware of stair gauges, let alone of Squijig until your videos. I've ordered a pair to use with the framing square and to use for ripping lumber with the skill saw. Thanks again for creating these videos and sharing them.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Let me know how it goes and/or if you have questions once you start building. Thanks for the comment David!

[@prieb1956]

Excellent Stuff - I watched a lot of rafter vids - but this is the first that totally makes sense - I reckon I'm good to go - Thanking you :)

[@albertstrong5516]

What a great video. You do a great job explaining every detail. Thanks for your time. I enjoy all of your videos.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. God bless you my friend.

[@ForYourConsideration]

Josh, this was a great explanation and demonstration. Thanks!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks buddy!

[@treystills]

Awesome!!! Thank you, please keep 'em coming

[@chrisraney6952]

Thanks, very helpful and awesome helper, my daughter loves helping me with projects.

[@curtisstephen3980]

Very good teacher you are very skillful in explaining to us,I understand brother thanks

[@naturalmystics-kd9vt]

You are a good teacher this video help a lot of people including me thank you

[@Adventure-Off-Grid]

Thank you!! Excellent presentation and very clear instruction. I'll be building my roof tomorrow so this really helped me.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Good luck and have fun!

[@nigelboucher2014]

Very well explained Josh. Probably the easier way to do rafters and most of the time easier is best.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks Nigel!

[@kirkwilliams5740]

Thanks for sharing this video with us, your teaching is easy to understand..Much appreciated

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You are very welcome

[@johnkay6639]

Unbelievably So SO simple to learn and understand .. Thanks for helping .I have 58 Twelve foot long Two by sixes. to layout ..

[@trade0714]

Gotta admit this was good. I'm planning a shed build and have watched several "how to build rafters" videos. This makes the clearest method for me.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Great to hear. Reach out if you need help... I'm always around.

[@robertmcclure184]

Sir, you are awesome in your explanation! You are easy to understand and listen to, thank you.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

So nice of you Robert. Thx

[@jdfnp]

Best video I’ve seen to explain this. Thank you!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Wow, thanks!

[@rjmhomes8966]

Great video. Thanks for going the extra mile and adding the metric measurements, for us imperial impaired :-D

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You bet!

[@MrGarry128]

High quality and precise 🙏

[@sikosis999]

i'm an old dude and this stuff is great, i'm trying to teach my kids this and the way i was taught is coming across like a foreign language to them . . . i found your channel and just start throwing videos at them via discord and they're catching right up . . . i didn't appreciate how difficult it was teaching younger folks practical skills, they're all just wired differently than my generation or those whom taught me. . .so thanks, not only does this give me refreshers (not touched a tool for the better part of 20 yrs and definitely haven't played with some of the power tools and slick stuff you guys got today) but it also helps with teaching these younger kids i have 'working' with me some of the basics that i've had difficultly getting across!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for sharing this with me!

[@jcpad1797]

Your visual aid graphics are just as good as your explanation. Well done

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for watching!

[@adrianburghelea9353]

Very good explications. God bless your ministries ! Greatings from Romania !

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for the blessings... it really means a lot.

[@40beretta1]

Your V'Blogs are fun...brings back a lot of memories...Most of all....Re-learning. Although; the Framing Sq. "jigs"....I always knew those as SQ'Dawgs or just "Dogs"....That was from the Old timers I worked with they called them 'Dawgs'. We still use their lexicon when framing...Young guys look at us like we're from another planet. Those Old Timers, eventually got me using a wicked heavy Skil™ Worm-Drive saw.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

That's awesome... thanks for commenting Jeff!

[@mikemellon80]

Best video I’ve seen on this so far. Great job

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for the comment.

[@rkvohra70]

absolutely brilliant mate

[@antoniojauregui1942]

Thank you for taking the time to show us. 👍

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for watching and sharing.

[@oddsandwindsocks5905]

Nice to see this method after over 30 years since I've used it

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

My favorite method for sure!

[@markirish7599]

Brilliant video thanks for teaching me new skills

[@angelaburt3266]

I am getting ready to make a lean to car port and this has been so helpful. My lumber however is bloody huge and heavy. The board that will go onto the wall is 6 metres long and 20cm x 6cm. My rafters are 4 metres long and also 20cm x 6cm. I have 6 rafters.

[@nathansoriano4050]

Thanks dude for explaining this in an easy to understand and follow 👍

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

My pleasure!

[@sedulousdabbler5468]

Perfect explanation. Thank you

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You are welcome!

[@chriscookey1781]

Thank you for laying out the run

[@lnazworth]

Great explanation!

[@oslerperezgarcia8819]

I have the dream of learning, Greetings from Mexico. And thanks for your videos.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@ddurose1]

Thank you, great video and really informative.

[@jamescassel6959]

Straight forward and easy to follow.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Good to hear! Thanks for watching.

[@AJofBabel]

This is gonna help me a lot in my roof build thank you

[@naturalmystics-kd9vt]

Thank you for this video you are a very good teacher your I learn something. New 🆕

[@jonathanlove7281]

Another great rafter video! I like how you’ve slowed down your explanations and made the videos a bit longer, I really like this as I find it easier to understand

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

I thought it was time for a slower rafter video... glad you like it.

[@javierguzman6735]

How did you get the 6"

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

@@javierguzman6735 Did I use 6" in this video?

[@tonyhudson8698]

@@javierguzman6735 born with it??.

[@jofasable]

professional teacher. easily understood.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You're very kind Joe!

[@IREFUSE9]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing! So glad to find your channel. Subscribed!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for the comment! Be sure to watch my other rafters videos to learn different methods for calculating rafters.

[@kelvinyoung3405]

thank you this was very helpful. I will show you when i'm done

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Oh please do! Email me or Instagram.

[@JerryMabrey]

Wow you did a really good job of making this complicated, I just call it pitch which is basically the down grade of the rafter in a 12 inch run. Like a 5, 12 pitch would drop 5 inches in a 12 inch run. And yes I use the square just this way but you complicated it with all the other terms.

[@jefferymackenzie8768]

Teaching Trade school, used your video. It is fantastic!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Awesome!!

[@toolsiesampat2737]

Beautiful explanation bro keep up the good work

[@huascarcabanillas6250]

Prety simple and clear. Thanks for sharing the basics. I gave you a well deserved "like" and I subscribe myself as One of your apprentice. Best regards.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for the sub!

[@MegaBobtube]

Awesome! It makes me confident I can be a carpenter.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Of course you can! Now go build something! :)

[@PatrickSmith831]

Nice to see Krist Novoselic again!

[@user-up6wk7ol8g]

Really nice explaining thanks 🙏

[@roysoderlund3185]

Thanks from Finland.. Easy explained..

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thanks for the comment.

[@johnkumalo896]

Thanks Josh. You make the Step-off Method so easy. I have always wondered how they do that. Will contact you if I get stuck. John

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Sounds great John!

[@columbuspalmer846]

Thanks you’re blessing

[@wemcal]

Great video and information

[@OdoldPierre]

Good job my friend I want to see more videos thank you so much

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Working on it my friend. Any video ideas you'd like to share?

[@jorgemolina1148]

You are a excellent teacher Sir, thanks a lot blessings

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for the blessings... truly, thank you.

[@jamesyu8792]

Perfect lecture...thanks

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

So nice of you

[@jwaych955]

Real good video. Thank you

[@paulosouza-ou8sk]

Great, tank you fron Brazil !

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching.

[@mikedisimile2478]

Thank you very much great job explaining everything

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@danielg2754]

Thanks. Fantastic videos.

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Much appreciated! If you want to support my work, please drop some more comments on my other videos! This helps to wake up the YT algorithms. :)

[@WrightsOrganic]

Nice! This one helped me out, I will definitely try tomorrow. My span is 37.5 inches. Using a 9 on the common rafter scale. I hope I get it this time

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Let me know how it goes.

[@dawitassefa7111]

great explanation.

[@JoseOrtiz-st3yf]

This method really help me understand it

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad to hear

[@Deep_Divers]

Excellent video!

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you very much!

[@Deep_Divers]

Take a look at IRC code R802.7 and Figure R802.7.1.1 It shows you can't exceed 1/4 depth. I have always seen the 1/3 rule but I know that at least since 2018 the code specifies 1/4. It is a ridiculous requirement. @@TrainingHandsAcademy

[@mary8273]

Thanks for sharing you knowledge

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

My pleasure

[@charlesviner1565]

Thanks for the video ✌👍

[@jmidnite114]

Awesome video. The most clearest explanation I have seen. Looking forward to watching other videos you have. Can you tell me why you go down 6.5"for the facial board?

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

It's just an example number. Each roof is completely different, different trim, pitch, etc. I need to make a video about this. Thanks for asking.

[@jac101762]

muchas gracias amigo

[@roccoconte2960]

Nice video very well explained.

[@MatthewJohnson-ps5uv]

Huge help ! Thx

[@user-rn4uo9vo3f]

Thank you 😮🙏💕😀💯!!!nice , excellent explanation.,,

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You are very welcome

[@royhill5284]

Thank you so much for your video it helped me a lot

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad it helped

[@biejito72symi]

Like always real useful videos tnks for your time

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

My pleasure

[@sergioquintana4939]

Hi thanks for sharing your knowledge you are very helpful

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

My pleasure

[@mikisajoshua3525]

Nice video it atleast helps me to understand and have some know as a student be even I go to site in internship

[@cladiodecastro6189]

I'm new to this framing part but thanks for your great explanation I'm learning need to ask where I can find the measurements to cut the soffit

[@gordonclark7632]

Nice that you include metric as Australia is that way inclined.

[@santoscalderon5402]

Excelente Gracias

[@evanmoreno3047]

Great video thanks

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@user-mc7ij2cj7c]

Eres el único. U R the best. 👍👍😍😍

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

You're very kind. Thank you.

[@cletusmax77]

Awesome content

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

Thank you for saying so.

[@mrenormouscroc]

Really appreciated clear explanation, especially without meaningless background music,.. one question is, why did you determine fascia cut at 6.5' ? That reasoning would have been helpful

[@TrainingHandsAcademy]

The overhang amount and soffit cut numbers are almost always different for every roof, and it really comes down to design, preference, and/or what type of trim you’ll be using. Therefore, the 6.5" in this video is just an example. Hope that helps.