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"  MORE PERGOLA PLANS * PLUS: How to Plan and Post the Perfect Pergola  * FAQs: Mark Answers Readers&amp;#039; Questions About Building Pergolas  * EARLIER: How to Build a Backyard Pergola (With 3-D Plans!)  * WOODWORKING: More Simple DIY Plans From Popular Mechanics   1. Prep the Boards  I prep each rafter by squaring one end of the board. Rough-sawn and pressure-treated material usually isn&amp;#039;t completely square, or it can be rough-cut on the ends. I do this either with a miter saw or a circular saw with a Speed Square as a saw guide. I then measure and cut each rafter to its finished length. Finally, I cut a 3-foot scrap of a 2 x 8. This serves as the blank from which I&amp;#039;ll cut a pattern.  2. The Pattern  I use a compass to mark the round portion. I spread my compass to 4 inches, then pin the point on the corner of the 2 x 8 scrap and scribe the circle. A 4-inch spread leaves 3-1/2 inches on top of the circle, and I think it makes an elegant proportion.  Using a jigsaw with a sharp blade, I cut out the semicircle along the line. Next, I make the 1/2-inch clip cut, which I do on the miter saw. Once the pattern is cut to my liking, I trace its location on the saw deck with my pencil.  3. Making the Cuts  For the circle cut, I place the rafter on sawhorses and use the 3-foot pattern board to trace its edge onto each rafter&amp;#039;s ends.  Using the jigsaw as before, I cut the circle.   For the clip cut, I line up each rafter with the round line previously marked on the saw. I pass the blade through at a 45-degree angle, clipping about 1/2 inch off the two corners. Note: Since the pieces are long, the key to making this work is out-feed support at the end of each board, to hold the work parallel to the saw deck height. You can use a roller stand, or, in my case, a JawHorse did nicely.   If you&amp;#039;re short a miter saw, a simple 45-degree clip off the bottom of each end is elegant and can be done accurately with a circular saw and Speed Square. The design is open to interpretation--alter this one however you like, or employ its principles to create your own.  Mark Clement is Popular Mechanics&amp;#039;s 2-By Guy and author of The Carpenter&amp;#039;s Notebook.   RELATED STORIES * PLUS: How to Plan and Post the Perfect Pergola  * FAQs: Mark Answers Readers&amp;#039; Questions About Building Pergolas  * EARLIER: How to Build a Backyard Pergola (With 3-D Plans!)  * WOODWORKING: More Simple DIY Plans From Popular Mechanics  * FOLLOW US: Popular Mechanics is Now on Twitter!  * FRIEND US: Find PM on Facebook   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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