Construction questions - rafters and decking

[conv440]

Some of you may know I'm building a simple 8x12 shed for storage to clean out the garage. My first question is how do you nail the rafters to the ridge beam and top sill? I'm using 2x4's 16" o.c. with a span of 5'. I can get one 16d nail in from the top on each end but that doesn't seem like it's enough. The rafter could twist with one nail. I hate to toe nail unless I absolutely have to.
Question two is can I get away with 1/2" decking for the roof or should I go with 3/4"? It's a lot more work for me working alone to heft the 3/4" 4x8's up onto the roof so I'm wondering if I can go with the 1/2". Thanks in advance.

 

[MXtras]

Toenail from each side.

1/2" ply would be sufficient.

Scott

 

[conv440]

Thanks Scott.

 

[PAToyota]

Typically, I tend to go for overkill. Saves maintaining things over the long run.

Simpson ties and 3/4" plywood!

 

[MXtras]

I usually overkill things, too. But he did mention he was going for "simple" - which is how most of my projects start out to be, but rarely end up!

Scott

 

[dipper]

1/2" plywood or osb is perfectly fine and most likely overkill for for an 8x12 shed.

 

[JohnK007]

1/2 plywood or 7/16 OSB is fine. If your toe nailing skills aren't up to snuff consider renting a framing nailer for a few hours. It's nice to have to make quick work of the roof decking too. Don't forget to put in collar ties at least every 3rd rafter to check lateral spread. 1X4 or 1X6 is fine for this.

 

[03mach1]

On my shed 10'x10'(from home depot), they just used Triangle plates (see attached) made from the flake board on both sides of the roof rafters (no ridge beam) I put 5-6 nails in each 2x4 and mounted them.

 

[conv440]

Good tips on the collar ties/triangle plates. I will definately be adding one or the other. I guess after nailing 20 rafters my toe nailing skills should improve. I'll get some pixs up this weekend.

 

[Junkman]

You can always cheat and double up one rafter on one side, and then stagger the rafters, and still maintain the 16" on center. That way, you nail through the ridge beam on both sides. A string line will also help you to nail through the decking and always hit the rafter underneath. There is a book called "Modern Carpentry" by Willis H Wagner that is a great help to the novice builder. I believe that it is a trade school text book, and it gives a lot of "tricks" of the trade, and shows good building practices. It will also help with calculating the size lumber you will need for a given span.

 

[BooUrns!]

How do you get a 5' span on an 8'x12' shed? What slope is the roof going to be built at?

Don't bother 'over-killing' such a light structure. Being a novice, you'll just be wasting money.

Aren't there any stores that sell shed kits? All lumber and materials supplied plus instructions? I'd recommend that to someone who doesn't know how to build but wants the challenge.
There's no shame... well not much...

 

[conv440]

Roof is on. I went with 1/2 plywood decking, not OSB. I compared the two and saw a lot more flex in the OSB. I would use the OSB if I was using 3/4, but at 1/2" OSB did not seem rigid enough. Toe nailing rafter sides worked out fine. Like nailing anything else the key is to hit it hard and never miss. Three strikes on a 10d nail does the trick. Last night I threw some tarps over the decking to cover the ridge vent opening just to be safe and it was good I did because it rained all night and will continue through Monday.
BooUrns, not sure what the roof pitch is but the angles are 32 & 58. The rafters are 56" from the ridge beam to the outside wall. I looked for kits or plans but didn't find any. My biggest concern was not the design but without a bill of materials I knew that I'd forget stuff and have to make 3 - 4 trips to the lumber yard and that's exactly what happened. Notice I didn't finish the gable ends because I didn't buy enough T-111! It's a nightmare emptying out the wife's minivan to load 4x8s into the back. I only want to do that once but I'm already on trip #3.
Thanks again for the pointers!

 

[BooUrns!]

Looks like your roof slope was 7.5/12, unusual but whatever works. It looks very nice but I don't see any collar ties. You need something to keep your walls from spreading out over time as the roof loads push down on the structure. You could get away with attaching a horizontal 2x4 2/3s of the way up the height of the gable. On a small structure like that you could probably just do this for every second set of rafters.

 

[mulepackin]

Yep, you need collar ties, or the equivalent of ceiling joists, something to hold the sides up. Joists would give you "attic" storage, if that would be an option. I was going to suggest plywood clips on the 1/2" ply. decking, especially if you are on 24 in. centers. Can also use brackets at the rafter/ridge junction, but toe nailing on a structure such as this is adequate.

 

[Junkman]

Couple of thoughts... for the amount of lumber you purchased, most lumber companies will deliver for free. Next time, cut the ridge vent at the end of the project. If you use 2" x 6" across the top of the walls at both ends, you can make a good storage loft and leave the middle open. Wrap the building with Tyvek to keep the wind out, even though it is a shed. Also, for the small cost, instead of tar paper under the shingles, use ice and water shield. Use architectural shingles, because they cost a little more, but are much better, and a lot easier to put up without obsessing about getting the cut outs straight.