Carpentry

[John Gulick]

Go get the saw and the square, some 2X4"s, nails, hammer, and then make two saw horses. That will get you started, it did me.

+1, everybody started somewhere. Be safe, get some decent tools, be safe and get some satisfaction building whatever.

[Mike Wilkins]

Most local community colleges have classes on basic carpentry skills. Lots of books on the subject.
There is no substitute for hands-on experience like I had; I was able to figure out the basics of carpentry via reading and trying. Several large projects have been room additions, roofing, covered patio and eventually my wood working shop itself. Not as easy as the folks on TV make it out to be, but well within your reach if you are willing to learn.

[scott vroom]

I don't know how things are done in Oregon but based on my experience in Texas, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

You disagree that IRC span and load tables are not proven and reliable, and engineered with guard band? What are you basing that on?

I think you're confusing a builder's choice of materials and poor construction methods with building codes. The IRC doesn't rank the quality of framing material; instead it provides minimum standards for a number of different species/grades. There are situations where SYP is suitable and others where D fir is a superior choice. Same with OSB Vs plywood. In my area, douglas fir is the predominant framing species; in other areas it may be pine, hem fir , etc.

Upsizing everything to me is adding cost for little to no benefit. I'm particularly curious why you routinely upsize romex? Copper is expensive these days and I personally don't see the cost benefit of installing 12ga romex on a 15 amp circuit, unless you've decided to eliminate 15 amp breakers altogether for some reason.

Getting back to the OP's situation, I believe he can build his project using the IRC's prescriptive codes combined with local knowledge of best materials for his project.

[John K Jordan]

How big is the roof? Will it be open or have a ceiling? If large and/or you want a ceiling it might be easier to order trusses instead of using rafters.

A porch roof is a fairly simple carpentry job: posts secure on/in the ground, strong enough beam to support the rafters/sheathing/tarpaper/shingles, a way to fasten to the side of the house, a bunch of rafters cut the same (make one and use as a template), and a plan to keep the water out.

If the rafters will be exposed (no ceiling) I think a great look is to build it with 4x6 timbers for the rafters and 1x6 or 2x6 tongue&groove boards on top. The wood can be stained/finished/painted but we leave it natural. (We have four roofs like this on our house, one made the same way over a new sun room.)

If not experienced with carpentry, you might hire a carpenter you can work along side. This way you can learn a lot about how to go about things. I've built a number of porches, decks, and small buildings but when I can get him I often hire a highly experienced friend, especially to help with roofs since that job is a LOT easier with more than one person. I wait to do the project until I can catch him between house-building jobs.

If using nails, consider getting a pneumatic framing nail gun and a portable pancake compressor - bang, the nail is in. But I personally prefer screws for almost everything (deck screws, put in with an impact driver.) Screws are slower but changes and adjustments are so much easier.

JKJ

My basement shop is great for a wide variety of woodworking but not so good for carpentry. That's ok since I make furniture but it's finally time to build that porch roof. I am not good at carpentry so there is a lot of planning and measuring twice. I am not good at driving nails or using a circular saw. I have no chop saw. Only a few pieces of lumber will fit in my small shop. I can't seem to do anything without making a couple of trips to the shop and my legs are getting tired.

Break's over, back to work!

[Jim Andrew]

Keep your cordless drill handy, if you are using nails and have trouble driving a nail, drill a small pilot hole. When putting up rafters, I found you can minimize cracking by drilling pilot holes. I like 3 1/2" exterior screws, they don't work loose like nails do. And if you make a mistake, it is easy to unscrew them.