The cheapest extra pair of hands on our framing jobs is the truss spacer shown in the drawing. We use them in pairs to keep roof trusses the correct distance apart as the trusses are tilted into position and braced. Once a truss is nailed to the top plates and held in place near the ridge by a 2×4 brace, the spacers are pulled off, and the process is repeated.
Make the spacers about 6 in. to 8 in. longer than the spacing of the trusses, and reinforce the short-grain ends with 16d nails to keep them from breaking off. If the roof is steep, we add an 8d nail at each notch to tack into the top chords of the truss, helping the spacers to stay put.
Alan L. Garst, Salem, VA
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