Concise Designs

A handy, inexpensive and simple rafter locating device is now available from Concise Designs Inc., a solar-mounting hardware company in Santa Rosa, Calif. The patented Rafter/Stud Finder pinpoints rafter location, providing positive mechanical feedback to locate edge of rafter with an accuracy of +/– 1/16 inch. The installer taps on the roof with any hard instrument and listens for a solid thud to establish the best estimate for the center location of the rafter. A 5/32-inch diameter hole is then drilled roughly 2 inches left of the estimate. The indicator flag is raised, and the curved wire sensor is inserted into the small hole. The tip of the wire sensor below the roof is directly below the tip of the indicator-lowered flag above. The knob at the top is rotated until the wire stops at the rafter edge below. The center of the rafter is then marked with 3/4-inch tape. Once the Rafter/Stud Finder is removed, the small hole is easily sealed. For more information, visit www.concisedesignsinc.com.