Boarded Roofs

Karl.A

vietnamseabee said:

I’m trying to grasp the functionality of a wood plank roof as in Brian Nolan’s Addison Tie and Lumber. This style of roof seems common of sawmills (which Is my current build) . I’m using trusses at 48” centers with 2x6 purlins. The roof boards and 2x8/2x10 boards with the long edge butt joints covered with 2x4/2x6 battens.
Not a completely watertight roof system so I’m wondering in a layer of tarpaper would have been placed between the purlins and roof boards. Seems like significant sagging would occur with the tarpaper….all clear as mud?
Thoughts?
Terry

Terry asked about boarded roofs in another thread.

Now granted, the way some of us model them they really wouldn't be water tight, with all the character, deterioration, interest and weathering we add.

However in the real world they were used quite a lot as a cheap and quick way to protect a structure. As far as I remember/understand the boards are butted closely and covered with the battens. When the boards get wet they swell and close any small gaps between the boards thus making it water tight.

Here are a few examples.

vietnamseabee

Thanks Karl…

MuddyCreekRR

An all wood slat roof at some point will eventually leak...probably in a few spots....part of the reason it was not all that popular....it all depends on the use of the structure in my eye.....not on a storage building...or a machine shop....but maybe vehicle storage or such....being a framing carpenter as a side gig...I sometimes cringe when I see some kits with anything but reasonably correct construction depicted.....like rafter tails all around the roofs edge....or spans way to wide....Bretts stuff has always been well thought out...I see some carpentry in his past.....I tend to build reality...and will "fix" stuff when I can...

TomMich

Thanks Karl for the explanation. I agree they do not seem too waterproof for the long term. They do however make for interesting models! I think they would be appropriate depending on the situation.

ALCO

Thank you for doing this, Karl. Love the old time B&W pix.