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Rafter FinderRafter Finder

How Rafter Finder works

Find the nails that matter, skip most of the clouts, mark the rafter, then fix. Simple on-roof workflow.

What the free app is sensing

Rafter and batten nails leave a magnetic signature your phone can read through thin coverings like slate. Most tile and slate clouts are filtered out so you’re not chasing every fixing in the covering. Find the local high — that’s the rafter nail — then work along the batten for the rafter line. Pro is for every roof covering.

Calibrating Rafter Finder on slate to detect rafter nails

Free app flow

  1. 01

    Place & calibrate

    Phone flat on the tile. Calibration tells the app where your sensor is so it can show the sensor position on screen while you scan.

  2. 02

    Scan

    Slide steadily across the surface. Two ways to read the signal:

    • Indicator 1: Shows a LIVE figure. Look for the local high. Always scan along the batten (usually about a third of the way up a slate) to find the batten or rafter nail. Two or three local highs in a vertical line — that's the rafter.
    • Indicator 2: A confidence indicator. Scan the area first so it records the data, then the bar hits 100% on that area's local high. Best when you already know roughly where the nail is.
    Indicator 1 — LIVE reading, find the local high

    Indicator 1 — LIVE

    Indicator 2 — peak zone at 100% over the local high

    Indicator 2 — 100% peak

    Real install video

  3. 03

    Confirm the rafter

    Two or three local highs in a vertical line — that's the rafter.

    Indicator 2: Peak zone at 100% means you're on the local high. Handy when you already know roughly where the nail is.

    Peak zone 100% — on the local high
  4. 04

    Mark & fix

    Mark the nail. Two nails in line — that's the rafter line. Install your mounting of choice.

    Marking the nail on the roof after finding the rafter

Magnets on thicker free jobs

The free app is for thin coverings like slate. On some thicker roofs you can place three spaced neodymium magnets along each rafter (don’t stack them) and scan from outside. If you want every covering without that step, Pro & Sled is the tool for it.

See which roofs need magnets

Pro flow (preview)

Pro is for every roof covering — sled-guided scan with a dedicated sensor, higher resolution, deeper nail detection, and AR rafter lines on the surface.

Marking the rafter after locating with Rafter Finder on slate

Free is strong on thin coverings like slate today. Pro & Sled is for every roof type, with dedicated hardware and AR. Join the waitlist if that's your work.

Pro waitlist

No loft required to locate

On thin coverings like slate, scan from outside with the free app. You only need loft access if you’re placing magnets for a thicker free job. Pro is meant to work from outside on every covering.

Rafter Finder Ready to Scan on slate — locate from outside

Ready to find every rafter?

Get the free app for thin coverings like slate, or join the Pro waitlist if you need every roof covering.

Download Free