Tapersawn Shake

A tapersawn shake is a wooden roofing unit that is sawn to a taper on both faces. It is made from a split block, but unlike a handsplit shake it has no rough split face; instead it has the clean surfaces of a sawn shingle while keeping the thickness of a shake. The result is a roof with crisp, deep shadow lines and a more tailored look than a handsplit roof.

Manufacture

Mills first split a block of cedar along the grain to obtain a blank that follows the wood fibres. The blank is then sawn on each face to create the taper, from a thick butt to a thin tip. In the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau's system, tapersawn shakes are certified under the Certi-Sawn label.

Compared with other wood units

• Versus sawn shingles: tapersawn shakes are thicker at the butt, so they have more material to weather away and a bolder appearance.
• Versus handsplit shakes: the surfaces are smooth rather than rough, so courses fit more tightly and the roof looks more regular. Handsplit shakes have a more rustic texture.

Species

Western red cedar is the main species for tapersawn shakes in North America; Alaskan yellow cedar is also used, particularly where a more uniform colour is wanted.

Installation

Installation follows the general rules for shakes: corrosion-resistant fasteners, appropriate spacing between units to allow for swelling, and attention to ventilation so the wood can dry. Manufacturers and the Bureau publish exposure tables that link the shake length and roof pitch to the maximum weather exposure allowed.