Rafter Notcher
Pendu rafter notchers make every cut a shed rafter needs at one station: tail, soffit, bird's mouth, and ridge. Cut specs are entered at the touchscreen, material cycles through, and finished rafters come out ready for framing.
Top and bottom saw heads work in the same cycle, so the rafter isn't repositioned between cuts. A servo positioner holds cut placement across the full-length range, and hydraulic clamps keep material steady on angle and compound cuts. Moving to a different rafter size is a new entry at the touchscreen rather than a new layout.
Plenty of shops add a notcher to an existing line. Others have us build the line around it. Tell us your rafter sizes and the cuts your roof designs call for, and we'll build the notcher around them.
Notchers get built around your rafters and your roof design, so a few things drive the build.
Rafter Dimensions: Thickness, width, and length range, including whether that varies between shed models or runs.
Cut Types You Need: Tail cut, soffit cut, bird's mouth, and ridge cut are all handled at one station. Tell us whether you need all four or a subset.
Cut Specifications: The angles, depths, and placements your roof design calls for, and whether those change between models or stay the same across runs.
Production Volume: Rafters per shift, and what the notcher has to keep pace with on either side of it.
What's on the machine: touchscreen cut entry so the operator changes parameters between rafter sizes without manual layout, a top and bottom saw head working in one cutting cycle so material doesn't get repositioned between cuts, a servo positioner holding cut placement across the full length range, hydraulic clamping to keep material from moving on angle and compound cuts, double palm button start to keep the operator's hands clear, and automatic ejection at the end of the cycle.
Prefabricated shed production: Operations cutting and framing roof components as part of a structured sequence, where rafters are cut to spec in volume before they reach the framing station.
Lines constrained by changeover: If the time lost switching between rafter sizes is costing more than the cutting itself, that's what the touchscreen entry and servo positioning are for.
Lines constrained by accuracy: If cuts are getting corrected at assembly, the problem is upstream at the layout.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it handle all four cuts at one station?
Yes. Tail, soffit, bird's mouth, and ridge, covering a rafter from one end to the other without moving it to a second machine.
How long does it take to switch between rafter sizes?
Cut specs are entered at the touchscreen, so changing sizes doesn't mean manual layout or mechanical setup between cycles.
Can it run green lumber?
Tell us what you're running — green, dry, or mixed — and whether your material dimensions are consistent run to run. That affects how the machine gets built.
Will it work with the equipment I already have?
Tell us what's upstream and downstream, whether that's a cutoff saw feeding it or a framing station taking from it, and whether this is a new line or an addition to one that's running.
Tell Us What Your Roof Calls For.
Tell us the rafters you cut, which cuts your roof design needs, and how many you're running a shift. If your dimensions or cut configurations fall outside what's on this page, reach out. That’s the conversation we’re built for.
83,000
Sq. Ft. Of Manufacturing Space
25+
Years Of Engineering Expertise
