A Roof Cutter's Secrets is now available in metric. Click HERE to order your copy.
Welcome to theroofcutter.com Home of Will Holladay - Roof framing Author/Consultant
Will Holladay is a rough framer who spent over four decades in the home building markets of CA, OR, AK & MA, where he specializing in the production cutting and stacking of complicated roofs. He shares his simple, practical methodology in books, videos, seminars and is available as a free lance consultant. In 1990 he added Alaskan bush pilot, and overseas humanitarian aid volunteer to his skills list, and in 1998 became a whitewater instructor with Outward Bound and NOLS.
Will's books
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Thursday, September 21, 2023
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Friday, June 19, 2020
ABOUT WILL HOLLADAY
Will Holladay giving a roof framing demo at the 1996 JLC Live |
(NOTE: click on orange for links)
Will began his career in construction as a job-site laborer with a shovel in his hands. Blessed with the knack to drive nails he found a good fit in rough carpentry. While working in the Los Angeles housing tracts during the mid 1970s Will had the opportunity to learn production roof cutting and stacking. Ever since those early days, roofs have been his forte. Lacking the technical side of his profession he made time to attend the Construction program at Orange Coast College graduating with an AA degree. When roof trusses gained prominence in the late-1970s he left the Los Angeles area and moved north into the custom home market along the California central coast. There with his crew he spent the next 14 yrs specializing in framing custom homes with complicated roofs. During that time he wrote his first book entitled A Roof Cutter’s Secrets to Framing the Custom Home (1989) and earned a BA thru night school.
In 2009, Will completed The Complicated Roof - a cut and stack workbook, as a companion guide to his mainstay. In this workbook, encompassing the calculating, cutting, and stacking of two real life complicated roofs, he shares how he approaches difficult projects and applies the methods shown in A Roof Cutter's Secrets.
In 2013 Roof Framing for the Professional was produced as a two part video series. It was gleamed from a two week long roof framing clinic Will presented in 2012 and condensed down to some 11 hrs. on (6) DVDs. Viewers have said it is by far the most comprehensive study of roof framing available on film. For more than 20 yrs. Will had desired to make available his teaching in a visual format.
Thursday, June 18, 2020
BOOKS & VIDEOS by Will Holladay
CLICK on the orange titles for book/video details and to order your copies.
PA
A Roof Cutter's Secrets to framing the custom home
(2014) Review
From the Top Plates Up - A Production Roof Framer's Journey (2018) Review Review Review
The Complicated Roof - A Cut and Stack Workbook (2009)
Videos by Will Holladay:
A Roof Cutter's Secrets DVD (JLC Live)
Additional info on the Roof Framing for the Professional DVD sets including links to sample material, can also be found in a follow-up blog.
Roof Framing for the Professional - Part 1: The Essentials (3 disk series) Review
Roof Framing for the Professional- Part 2: Advanced Topics (3 disk series) Review
Rafting the "BIG DROPS" of the Grand Canyon
Contact Will Holladay at whframingconsultant@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
New pocket sized book incorporating all the formulas a carpenter needs to build normal roofs
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Table of Contents
Chapters
2. My Two Best Friends – a Skil 77 and a Homelite chainsaw
3. The Minimalist – “simple” and “speed” both start with an “S” (the tools I use)
4. A Man and his Truck
5. The Making of a Framing Crew
6. Roof Cutters – a flash in time (the history of production roof cutting)
7. Smiles and Frowns – successes and failures (jobs)
8. Where was Adam when we needed him – names matter (roof framing terms)
9. Filling Needs – the Headcutter and the Seat-cut guide stories (inventions)
10. Framing Is a Street Fight – treating and avoiding jobsite injuries
11. The Domino Principle and the Downhill Slide (a story of injuries)
12. Teaming up with the Perfect Carpenter
13. Train to Survive the Battle (physical training ideas for a framer)
Reader's comments
Hi Will. Your new book provides a magnificent picture of production
framing at a truly professional level.
JS
Will, I just wanted to let you know I finished “From the top plates
up” last week and it was a joy to read. As someone who has become very
interested in the days of tract homes and the production framing
techniques that were developed during the time period, your book had
great insight. Again loved the book and it has a new spot on my
bookshelf, top shelf right beside my dog eared, underlined ,highlighted
and well worn copy of RCS!
BP
This book
managed to capture a look into the world of framing through an amazingly
talented carpenter. The journey reveals tricks and tips that will add
knowledge to anyone who has a desire for advanced skills in framing.
Along with the hard work of framing comes wear and tear on your body. I
was pleased to read that maintaining fitness to perform this hard trade
was addressed. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about a dedicated tradesmen and a wonderful life story.
DS
I have purchased and really enjoyed and benefited from two of your books: A Roof Cutter’s Secrets to Framing the Custom Home, and From the Top Plates Up. I am a carpenter (of course), and found a lot of times where what you wrote expressed how I’ve felt but never even realized. It was great to have it put into words; I even got a good laugh because of it a few times.
KK
"From the Top Plates up" took me back in time. I became a rough carpenter in 1969 at 18. Did layout, stood walls, P&L, joist. Unlike you, I never gravitated to stacking or fascia. I was a little afraid of heights. I admire your expertise in that area. One of my first jobs as an apprentice was working with a roof cutter in the San Fernando Valley. I moved to San Diego in ’73 and continued my rough framer career until 1984. I made the jump into residential supervision, then VP of Operations, you know…corporate bullshit. I am now retired but my fondest memories are being a young framer. Thanks for getting me back in touch with some great memories.
SH
Monday, June 15, 2020
History behind the Headcutter and Seat-cut Guide
“Filling Needs – the Headcutter and Seat-cut guide stories” in
From the Top Plate Up – A Production Roof Framer’s Journey
Get your copy of FTPU HERE.
Best gang-cutting tool available |
By doing roof framing demonstrations in the mid-1990s incorporating the production gang-cutting methodology at JLC Live conferences, I became acutely aware of the problems everyday carpenters faced in applying these techniques on the job-site. Few possessed or could even purchase the trick roof cutting tools that I had from the track framing days of the 1970s (dado saws, sidewinder blades, etc). While the swing-table saw base was readily available to help make the seat-cuts, making the head-cuts even with the Linear Link or Prazi Saws was extremely inefficient due to their lack of power. To remedy this, I decided to undertake a project to mount a regular gas-powered chainsaw with some real horsepower on an adjustable saw-table.
O
Original prototype |
Working on it in my spare time, I had a prototype ready within a few weeks, but it would take a year or more before I could get it out to the public. What was of great importance to me was that the saw-foot be able to mount quickly on the chainsaw’s chainbar without the need to drill mounting holes. A chainsaw accessory more or less. I also wanted the saw-table to be able to bevel well past 45°, so it could not only be used to gang-cut ridge-cuts, but also be used to gang-cut seat-cuts. Yep, a genuine “one tool does it all” solution to the age-old problem of gang-cutting rafters. I originally began by using a pair of large set screws for the chainbar fastening method, but later this was upgraded to a more beefy clamping mechanism when it went into production at Big Foot Tools, and a legitimate machine shop was fabricating the saw-table, not some guy on the tailgate of his pickup truck. My design utilized the top edge of the chainsaw bar to make the cut so wood chips were thrown away from the operator and the cut-line area stayed clean. While I had employed the “top edge of chainbar” cutting technique in other framing situations all my life, using it for the vertical milling of raked rafters was nothing short of a perfect fit. After much deliberation I settled on the name “Headcutter” for the saw-foot. Looking back now I probably should have named it the “RafterCutter” or “Gangcutter” so the name would better incorporate all its cutting capacity, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Headcutter can be used to make seat-cuts as well as head-cuts |
Everyone liked the “Headcutter.” Not only did it get used to gang-cut rafter ridge-cuts and seat-cuts, but it found a home precision cutting bundled TJIs and structural insulated panels (SIPs) as well. I was jazzed that carpenters finally had an adequate tool solution to the age-old problem of gang-cutting rafters.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
ROOF FRAMING VIDEOS - AVAILABLE NOW !
ROOF FRAMING for the PROFESSIONAL video series
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Part 1 – The Essentials (3 disk DVD set) 6 hrs. $50
Part 2 – Advanced Topics (3 disc DVD set) 4.6 hrs. $50
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If you are looking for slick, high quality, professionally produced roof framing videos, these DVDs are not for you. If you are a "dyed in the wool" steel square guy, these DVDs are not for you. If you are looking for some magical method that will convert you into an expert roof framer overnight without any hard work or concentration, these DVDs are not for you. But, if you ever wanted to sit down and learn from one of the industries most respected roof framing specialists, here is your chance.
Why don't my rafters fit? Common roof framing errors
Stacking a Gable roof
Should rafters always line up across a ridge, hip, or valley
Stacking a Regular Hip roof
Why don't my Hip rafters fit? What did I do wrong?
Stacking a Dutch Hip roof
European/other viewers: These videos are formatted in NTSC which is standard for USA DVD players. This format will work on PAL (non-USA) formatted DVD players as well. These videos can also be viewed on any computer.
Special thanks to Dave Eister, Ron McKee, Chuck Cline and Calculated Industries for their help in production.
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Customer comments:
Hey Will, I just received both Part 1 and Part 2 of your Roof Framing for the Professional DVD series. I had them forwarded to me overseas in Norway. I wanted to say that while I haven't been able to watch all of them yet, I am more that satisfied. I think you did a excellent job on everything. They are much better than how you described them. I would give them a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Anyway, thanks again for making them.
Ray Scholz
Norway
3-19-14
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Greenwright Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
3-20-14
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Friday, June 20, 2014
SERVICES
Roof framing seminars or private tutoring
I am available to teach workshops/classes, give seminars or tutor privately on roof framing.
Production Roof Rafter Cutting Service
Satisfied customer
The pool pavilion interior finishes are on hold pending spring weather. I'll tell you more later with pictures. We absolutely could not have done the complicated roof framing without your direction and detailed information.
I'll be sending you drawings for a substantial project in the future. I hope you'll
Best Regards,
Thursday, March 13, 2014
SPECIALTY ROOF CUTTING TOOLS AVAILABLE
To help carpenters and builders cut their roof rafters quicker and more accurate we are striving to make available through this website: 1 cutting guide tool and 2 saw base kits.
*** We need a fabricating partner for the various kits. If you are interested please contact us.
An order link should be set up as soon as we have a consistent supply available.
CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO whframingconsultant@gmail.com
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1)
The Roof Cutter's Birdsmouth Cutting Guide Tool This hand held guide allows folks who hand cut their 2x common rafters with a regular wormdrive circular saw, to make the birdsmouth's seat-cut quickly without the need to mark or follow a cut-line. This guide tool also automatically accomplishes the difficult task of transferring the common rafter heel-stand correctly to the hip/valley rafter. The unit is fully adjustable between 4/12 - 12/12 roof pitch for both common and hip/valley rafters. It can be used with 2x8, 2x10, and 2x12 material.
Cutting demo video click HERE.
Guide setup instruction video click HERE.
FABRICATED ON DEMAND - EMAIL US
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2)
The Roof Cutter's Swing Table saw base kit This kit installs on a standard Skil model 77 or 5860 wormdrive circular saw. It allows these saws to swing well past the standard 45 degree limit and make the very shallow angled seat-cut pass during the production gang-style cutting of common and hip jack rafter birdsmouths. For a video on how to assemble and install the kit on your Skilsaw click HERE.
kit assembled |
kit installed |
NOW AVAILABLE from Nick Ridge.
Click HERE for more info and to purchase.
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3)
The Roof Cutter's Ridge/Seat chainsaw saw base kit This kit allows installation of either a large powerful chainsaw for the gang-style cutting of common rafter ridge cuts or a smaller tree limbing chainsaw for the gang-style cutting of common and hip jack rafter birdsmouth seat-cuts.
small chainsaw mounted for seat cut application |
kit assembled |
FABRICATED ON DEMAND - EMAIL US
Monday, March 10, 2014
Secret places above - building in the trees
— Albert Einstein
A home in the trees for 4 young brothers |
Photo 1 - U2 |
Photo 3 - a REAL tree house |
Fig. 2 |
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Fig. 3 |
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Fig. 6 |
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