# Repost: how important is taper in a roof shingle?



## jessesnowden (Mar 15, 2015)

So I'm doing a home remodel and a new roof is the first thing. I have a buddy with 5 acres of western red cedar and he wants it all cleared. So that means I have access to all the raw material I need to roofing, siding, decking and whatever else I need. But it has to be milled!!

Without going into details just yet of the WHOLE process I need this one question answered. Can I cut square 1/2 inch thick cedar shingles and get the same lifespan as a shingle that is 5/8 on one end and 1/8 on the other?

Thanks!


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

As you may already know, there are Cedar shingles and Cedar shakes. 
The shakes are much thicker than the thinner shingles. 
If you're cutting your own, you will have a he choice of shingles are shakes. 
Shakes are more expensive if you went to buy them. Usually seen on high end homes.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

jessesnowden said:


> So I'm doing a home remodel and a new roof is the first thing. I have a buddy with 5 acres of western red cedar and he wants it all cleared. So that means I have access to all the raw material I need to roofing, siding, decking and whatever else I need. But it has to be milled!!
> 
> Without going into details just yet of the WHOLE process I need this one question answered. Can I cut square 1/2 inch thick cedar shingles and get the same lifespan as a shingle that is 5/8 on one end and 1/8 on the other?
> 
> Thanks!


Unless you can find a manufacturer of wood shakes to mill the wood for you I wouldn't do it. The wood will need to be dried or the shrinkage would make the roof leak. Shakes are not just 1/2" wood, they are tapered to almost a point on the top. They are probably closer to 3/8" thick on the bottom end. It's just not a DIY project to make wood shakes. 

Wood shakes have a real nice rustic appearance to them but they take a lot of maintenance. They have to be treated on a regular basis or they will deteriorate and are naturally a high fire danger. The stuff you treat the shingles with has a fire retardant in it so it's more than a little important to have regular maintenance. If someone else doesn't have these answers for you I suggest you do a lot of homework before going down this road.


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## jessesnowden (Mar 15, 2015)

I've got a quick jig set up on my bandsaw to cut the taper. 6" wide, 16-18" long and 5/8 on the fat end tapering the between 1/8 - 0 on the other end. I flip the block I'm sawing end for end each cut the keep the grain straight on all the shingles. Those are the dimensions you will find from any manufacturer of sawn cedar shingles. 

The reason I'm asking is its still much easier the mill a square piece than a tapered piece. Really I'm looking for someone who may work in the trade or as a roofer to give their .02 cents on the geometry of a sawn shingle.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*the shingles need the taper*

To keep the "look" the taper is important. Old timers used steam or tractor powered machines that alternated the angle back and forth as the saw made a pass. This created the taper so fast it was hard to keep up with stacking and sorting them:





Safety was not a big deal for those machines, look in at 6:00 ....


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

What you have as long as you can keep them somewhat consistent would work fine. I have to wonder though if you would die of old age before making enough to cover a house though. I think it would be worth the expense of buying a bandsaw mill. Harbor Freight has one for about 2 grand.


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## jessesnowden (Mar 15, 2015)

Actually it takes about 3 seconds per cut! That's what I wanted to test. Doing some basic math for square footage I think it will come out to about 2 weeks of working a few hours each evening to complete. The way I see it, there it no way I could buy a cedar roof with 20-40 hours of regular wages. So it's money ahead😀

What I do is mill slabs out of cedar logs with my chainsaw mill, cut those slabs into 6x6 beams, dice those up into 16" lengths and then send those blocks through the band saw. I could try to make a sled that rides in the miter slot on the table. But my first thought was to make a wedge with the taper I want, then push that through with the block of wood and the cut comes out exactly the same as my wedge! Super basic I know, but it's easy and works.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> Unless you can find a manufacturer of wood shakes to mill the wood for you I wouldn't do it. The wood will need to be dried or the shrinkage would make the roof leak. Shakes are not just 1/2" wood, they are tapered to almost a point on the top. They are probably closer to 3/8" thick on the bottom end. It's just not a DIY project to make wood shakes.
> 
> Wood shakes have a real nice rustic appearance to them but they take a lot of maintenance. They have to be treated on a regular basis or they will deteriorate and are naturally a high fire danger. The stuff you treat the shingles with has a fire retardant in it so it's more than a little important to have regular maintenance. If someone else doesn't have these answers for you I suggest you do a lot of homework before going down this road.


Agree with all written. Plus, talk to your insurance company about how they charge for shake/shingle roofs. 

This project will take you several years when drying time is considered.

George


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