Main rafter

A roof member extending at right angles from the plate to the ridge.

common rafter

common rafter

In wood-frame construction, one of a number of slanting structural members (extending from the ridgeboard down to the eaves) that support the roof; these members are usually of the same size and evenly spaced along the length of the roof ridge.

References in periodicals archive ?

This is a fairly easy roof to build because it's a 12/12 slope, which means that every cut you make on the main rafter will be at 45 or 90 degrees.

Schoolhouse storage shed: if you've got big storage needs and are looking for style, this is the shed for you

The radial part over the communal hall is supported on a single column with regular struts carrying the main rafters.

Lyrical geometry

The roof is typically supported by four columns that prop the main rafters which form the opening, and as Ron Lewcock remarked,(13) the structure acted as 'a bedstead' with four posts supporting a reinforced platform which could flex and survive in an earthquake while the masonry walls fell outwards.