OK…let me expand a little better. I’m not talking about the end of the hip rafter where it attaches to the ridge, I’m talking about the top edge of the hip from the top of the rafter(ridge) to the bottom of the rafter(eave). Usually when I use a single member for the  hip, like a 2×10 or 2×12, I don’t bother to bevel the top edge…I just cut it so it sits down to the right height

When using a wide hip rafter or one that is made up of multiple members, it is often necessary to bevel the top edge of the hip from top to bottom so the hip will plane out with the rest of the roof.

My question is: how do you figure that bevel on paper…there has to be a formula or a “trick of the trade” to get it…in 30 years of building hips if never really been able to figure it out, I’m good at math so if someone knows how to do this please let me know.

Obviously the only thing you need to know is the pitch of the roof, all other measurements shouldn’t matter…I mean, I usually start with about a 22° bevel and it’s usually close enough to use even if it’s off a llitle…at that point I make a visual adjustment and  proceed from there. I’ve done enough of them(30+ yrs) so it’s kind of automatic but I know there is a way to do it without holding the rafter up and marking it….you really only want to have to lift  an 18″ LVL that’s 28′ long once. And when it’s that wide, the bevel has to be pretty close…it’s fine to guess on a 2×10 but big, wide, heavy duty hips are heavy and expensive.

So I’m wondering g if anyone can fill me in…thanks

Colt Kwiatkowsky