Graphical Construction Glossary >> Roofs and roofing. >> Roof Coverings >> slate roofing terms

Here is a collection of slate roofing terms. Scroll down for the illustrations.

slate roofing

A roofing material consisting of overlapping layers of slate.

Slate Gauge

The spacing of the battens.

Slate Margin

The amount of slate open to view.

Slate Lap

The overlap of two courses of slates.

Slate and a half

A wider than normal slate used at the side where otherwise the cut piece would be less than a half/

Slate batten, slate lathe.

Horizontal strips of timber laid on top of the common rafters or on counter battens to which the slates are fixed.

Counter batten

A batten laid in the opposite direction to tile and slate battens fixed to the rafters. Usually nailed over a boarded and felted roof to provide a space to stop water ponding at the normal battens.

Tilt or tilting fillet, Cant strip

A extra piece of timber at the fascia to lift the bottom row of slates.

Slate ripper

A flat steel plate with notches on the end. Used in repairs to rip out the nails fixing broken tiles etc. German ripper has a nail pulling claw on hand end.

Lathe Hammer

Universal tool for fixing battens (prior to nail guns). Has an axe head for cutting battens, a hammer head for nailing them and a notch for drawing out bent nails.

Slate axe, (ax), sax

A slater's axe, has a point at the back of the head for making nail holes in the slate. For cutting slates.

Slater's hammer.

A tool with a long sharp point for piercing the slate for nail holes and a hammer head for nailing,

The tilt fillet is sometimes not need if the carpenters fix the fascia with the slater in mind, that is at the correct height.

Go here for a general view of slate roofing.

There are also quite a few proprietary modern tools out there, shears and snips etc. that could be added to this list of slate roofing terms, but the author has no images at this time.

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