Laying out roof parts for complex roofs

[sirenwerks]

Tapered end, barrel vaulted roofs, as pictured below, are popular on the West Coast.





Some are seamless, like this one, and some are pieced together with parts and obvious straight joints.  I want to model them and the barrel part is easy enough, but the tapered ends stymie me, I'm just bad at the necessary math.[/size]  [/size]How does one go about laying out the flat parts needed to make these tapered ends?

[Chris333]

Maybe drape masking tape over the ends. Once you get it smoothed out how you like pour some ACC around the inside to stiffen it. Trim the edges with a sharp knife 

[Lemosteam]

Tapered end, barrel vaulted roofs, as pictured below, are popular on the West Coast.





Some are seamless, like this one, and some are pieced together with parts and obvious straight joints.  I want to model them and the barrel part is easy enough, but the tapered ends stymie me, I'm just bad at the necessary math.[/size]  [/size]How does one go about laying out the flat parts needed to make these tapered ends?

@sirenworks, Provide some dimensions of the inside walls and the thickness of the walls you want to use- this is a thirty second CAD model for me as a shapeways design and it is easily resized to any additional sizes you want.

I might even be able to add the interior trusswork.

[Lemosteam]

Like this 50' x 75' unit?   

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Let me know if you want me to offer it.

[JoeD]

We have a ton of those buildings here in Medford.  I think Campbell made a factory model with that roof...we have two of them on the club layout.  I can check and see if we have the instructions.  The tape idea is a good one or use in combo with card stock to trace out a pattern.  I am not sure what the actual construction is, possible some sort of tarp underlayment?    Joe

[sirenwerks]

We have a ton of those buildings here in Medford.  I think Campbell made a factory model with that roof...we have two of them on the club layout.  I can check and see if we have the instructions.  The tape idea is a good one or use in combo with card stock to trace out a pattern.  I am not sure what the actual construction is, possible some sort of tarp underlayment?    Joe

Actually, Joe, that one is practically in Medford. It's part of the Grange Co-op facility in Central Point.


Funnily, I've been so busy with moving to Oregon from Maryland that I forgot MTL is in Oregon. I should come visit you.  I need to get out to Klamath Falls anyway, to do some grassroots recon of SP and GN territory.

[mu26aeh]

Funnily, I've been so busy with moving to Oregon from Maryland that I forgot MTL is in Oregon. I should come visit you.  I need to get out to Klamath Falls anyway, to do some grassroots recon of SP and GN territory.

I was reminded MTL was in Oregon yesterday, but that will be for another time.  Maybe tomorrow 

In regards to this thread, I'm thinking Shapeways might be the way to go, as long as price isn't too bad. 

[davefoxx]

If Shapeways turns out to be too expensive, the method that I used for my SAL station was to hold thin styrene in place and trace it with a pencil.  Once the piece was whittled down to size, I glued it in place and sanded the seams to the final fit.  If you're careful, you'll need little to no putty to patch the joints.  See?



Hope this helps,
DFF

[sirenwerks]

Does anyone know how the joint between the roof and the walls is handles. I am betting the roof meets the top of the wall, but on at least one example (which I don't have scanned in) it seemed like the roof met the wall on the inside of the structure below the top of the wall. Off the top of my head, I don't remember any down spouts in that photo so I think they may have been internal.

[Lemosteam]

@sirenwerks , do you have any more examples of these?  Thinking of offering a small group of them in differing sizes.

[sirenwerks]

Not at the moment. My research was stymied by teaching my four year old to ride a bike.


From what I have seen around Oregon and Washington is two varieties - the one pictured with a smooth surface and the other being a seamed version made up of flat pie wedges to cover the radii. If you pursue I would recommend that you consider a design that would offer ends and vault roof supports, so that modeler can make any length building they wish using thin pliable sheet styrene to make the tubular vault section. Ends and supports could be sold separately or extras available so modelers could buy as many supports as they need. You might also want to consider designing in a flange into the ends to support the styrene and a decent sized top to the supports to provide ample gluing surface area.


I hope to be getting out some in the next few weeks, though this weekend is threatening rain. Not that rain should stop a Portlander (Portlandite? Portlandee? Portlandism?)...

[Lemosteam]

OK, thanks @sirenwerks if you can get a pic of the version with the pie shaped sections that would be great.

What you suggest would likely be too delicate- i.e. if I design the trusses I might as well provide a roof to paint or decal.

This will be a multi-piece kit like my other structures so a modeler can clean parts, sand and finish before assembly.  I also think the height of the roof at the center will likely grow depending on the span, so it makes sense to design it as one piece IMHO.

[sirenwerks]

I also think the height of the roof at the center will likely grow depending on the span, so it makes sense to design it as one piece IMHO.

My experience with these is that they do not grow in height. You may be thinking of airplane/zeppelin hangars. There may be exceptions to my observation, but the ones I have been seeing here are akin to Quonset huts, straight across the top in profile after the taper. My theory is that, in the PNW, this design moves rain off the roofs easily, as well as providing headroom. The two here in Oregon I have seen interiors of do not present a normal truss construction that is flat across the bottom, like houses are built with; they were true arches inside. Access to big lumber probably allowed for that, which is why there are more here than back east, but I'm shooting from the hip with that theory.


I remember two examples from back east. One used to be a parking garage by day, boxing arena by night near Washington Union Station (it's now a REI outlet). Its roof had no end taper, the barrel vault met the brick end walls at 90 degrees, and the trusses were massive, concrete, and external. The other was an old trolley barn in Baltimore that a friend owned and used as a sculpture studio - it had a steel truss design that filled the roof line and had a flat bottom joist.

[nkalanaga]

Sirenwerks:  Living in eastern Washington in the 60s and 70s, the only term I heard for residents of Portland was "Portlander". 

[sirenwerks]

John, I spied a double vaulted building here in Hillsboro on the way back from Walmart earlier. I'll see if I can do some hunting between rain storms this weekend with the camera.


Nick, Portlander, eh? I guess I am no longer a Baltimoron.