Okay so I’ve been researching some options for ridge beam straps/brackets and hurricane ties for rafters (to place into a drawing detail) and I found a few helpful dwg files on simpsons website. My question is, in my search for rafter to ridge and rafter to plate fasteners it looks like everything is detailed using I-joists in the place of rafters. Is this the standard now? I’m a little lost with this, they’re called I-joists for a reason I assumed. Why does every detail simpson has involving rafters have an I-joist in place of rafters?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
From building boxes and fitting face frames to installing doors and drawers, these techniques could be used for lots of cabinet projects.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
Editorial choices for the Simpson website may get a better response by contacting them.
The products shown in drawings which feature I joists are designed to work with them.
The engineering has to be different (hole locactions....fastener use....) than products intended only for use with solid lumber.
https://www.strongtie.com/search?v=%3Adrawing-name-asc%3AdrawingProductLine%3AWood+Construction+Connectors%3AdrawingDimension%3AHigh+Wind-Resistant+Construction+Details%3AdrawingFileType%3APDF&tab=drawing
This page shows details for solid sawn lumber and for trusses. Not just I-joists.
Hey thanks, but a link may not be showing in your comment
It is not uncommon for rafters to be built from solid lumber, from I joists, or to frame roof supports using engineered roof trusses of various designs.
As you may have guessed, they are called I joists because in cross section they resemble a capital I (in fonts which include a horizontal line top and bottom, anyway....)
Similar to nomenclature of steel I beams.
Forgive me, what i meant was - I assume they're called I-joists for a reason - and not "I-Rafters" lol.
These particular brackets and straps were created because the use of I-joists as rafters predicated the need for them.
Solid lumber, historically, has had other options for fastening.
Thanks everyone, i guess what I'm having trouble finding is reference material, for standard stick framing. which is literally the only method i have ever seen f/ residential.
So as you could imagine, digging for reference material and EVERYTHING i see is NOT stick framing, i figured the best place could be simpson with their wide range. But everything is engineered materials (trusses, I-joists, etc).