Installation of an Arts & Crafts-inspired light finishes up the porch project.
12 housed mortise and tenons,
12 bird’s mouth joints, and
66 lap joints
later, I finished up the porch build by installing an Arts & Crafts-inspired light. Follow the links for details on the design and build.
Ridge Cap
Roof
Purlins
Ridge Beam & Rafters
Base
Mortise & Tenon
Design
Butt-joined cedar 1″ x 10″s form the foundation for the ridge cap. Three layers of cedar shingles top it off.
I’d balked at using the polycarbonate ridge cap also made by the panel manufacturer, a decision I had cause to question as I assembled the ridge cap. I’d decided on a cedar cap, two wide boards joined with a simple butt joint, and originally intended to clad it in copper. A quick look at copper prices sent me looking for other options. It seemed like a good time to use the bundle of cedar shingles I’d purchased for the fence build but didn’t end up using.
I began by ripping a bevel on both boards, and act of geometry that almost defeated my limited mental faculties. To produce the 110-degree angle at the roof peak, I needed to rip a 70-degree bevel along the ridge cap boards. The table saw does not cut at 70-degrees. Stand a board on edge and rip it at 20-degrees, though, and you are left with a 70-degree bevel. After ripping the boards to final width, I drilled some pocket holes and brushed on the glue and screwed the whole thing together. Continue reading
The streak of dry weather we’d been enjoying came to an end about the same time I was installing the first panel on the second side of the porch roof. I sank a screw and felt the first drops hit my face, then looked more closely at the first row of panels I’d installed. From my current vantage, the panels looked to meet at a jagged edge along the base of the roof. I’d need to re-do the whole row. My resigned sigh puffed out a cloud of vapor in air just above freezing, and the rain turned from a few tentative drops to a persistent fall. Continue reading
Half-lapped purlins create another layer of visual interest while supporting the roof panels.
The roofing panels I selected required purlins 24 inches on center to prevent sag. Initially, I’d considered installing blocking between the rafters, but after reviewing timber frame images with purlins that ran over the rafters, I drew versions with blocking and overlaid purlins and decided half-lapped purlins looked better than blocking or a simple overlay.
To cut the half laps, I laid out the joints on 2 x 6 stock and used a straight bit in the router guided by a dado jig to notch the stock. After cutting the joints, I ripped the 2 x 6 stock into 2.5 inch strips and rounded over the cut edges with a 1/8″ roundover bit.
After the joinery, installation was easy. The first purlin was set in place at the end of each rafter and screwed into place at every joint. I then used spacer blocks to position the next purlin and fastened it in place. Repeat ten more times, and the porch was ready for a roof.