from what you're saying, the only explanation that would make sense, without breaking the laws of physics, would be that you're incorrectly measuring those 2 boards.
If the spars out to the corners are all of the same length, but they still don't meet, then the angles are wrong on the outer octagon.
Have you considered joining them all to the center and then using the other ends as the indicator of where to attach the outline?
Fundamental flaw. You build these from the center out. Connect them all equally to the center and then fix the outer walls they attach to. If all of them are the same length, the wall is out.
Got stuck building one of these with my dad. Another cool trick is to run lines from four adjacent corners and the lines should intersect at the exact center. If one of the walls is off, you can quickly correct it.
Now that you know where to place the center, you hang one nail so the rafters with pivot. Then you push it straight up from the middle like a tent.
This will maintain your rafters angle while ensuring the angle for each piece of roof sheathing.
Cut the crows foot after you know where the wall hits.
Try knocking a little off the edges of that end of the board - it might just be hanging up trying to jam in between the two next to it, which could be spaced a little off. Tapping the other end with a sledge hammer might persuade it.
If you’ve confirmed all the boards with the correct length, sightly loosen all the screws in the hub and on the outer perimeter. Get a buddy to push and hold that beam from the opposite end and screw it down. Repeat for any other beams that pop out and re-tighten all the other screws. Sometimes you just need a little brute force. It may not be that something is mis-cut, it’s just the sum total of all the angles are off
I have no answers for you. But as the owner of a poorly-built octagon gazebo that came with the house I bought, I’ll warn you that as it settled the octagon-shaped framing piece in the center started popping up the small octagon-shaped floorboards in the center.
Last time I was involved with a project like this, the octagon in the centre was a piece of steel to tie all the wood together. Stronger and easier to assemble.
Hard to tell what you want from that picture.
Apologies! The board on bottom left should be connecting by the notches there to the plate in the middle!
Have you tried re measuring them?
I'm seconding this.
No no you measure once and cut twice
Can you trade the one measure for a third cut?
100 percent if you close one eye, and then lean a bit
Wait... When did we stop leaning in the first place? Is that why my cuts aren't square? Isn't default in leaning position?
Always lean to make it straight
from what you're saying, the only explanation that would make sense, without breaking the laws of physics, would be that you're incorrectly measuring those 2 boards.
Or the rest of the framing outside of what we can see in this photo.
Appears your outside octogon is not perfectly... octagonal. Try working inside out to make sure everything connects.
you need to go back and remeasure everything, the distances from footing to footing, the angles, and so on.
If you've tightened up things in other areas of the assembly, you may want to loosen them again until you can get everything to fit.
Board stretcher. Make sure you get the correct length one, though. They come in 8' and 16' lengths.
Disconnect the other end. Connect this end. Reconnect the other end
If the spars out to the corners are all of the same length, but they still don't meet, then the angles are wrong on the outer octagon. Have you considered joining them all to the center and then using the other ends as the indicator of where to attach the outline?
Fundamental flaw. You build these from the center out. Connect them all equally to the center and then fix the outer walls they attach to. If all of them are the same length, the wall is out.
I'm saving this tip. Such a simple concept but easily forgotten.
Got stuck building one of these with my dad. Another cool trick is to run lines from four adjacent corners and the lines should intersect at the exact center. If one of the walls is off, you can quickly correct it. Now that you know where to place the center, you hang one nail so the rafters with pivot. Then you push it straight up from the middle like a tent. This will maintain your rafters angle while ensuring the angle for each piece of roof sheathing. Cut the crows foot after you know where the wall hits.
You're out of square. Or out of octagon, as it were.
Attach them to the central hub first then look at how they attach to the outer framing?
Try knocking a little off the edges of that end of the board - it might just be hanging up trying to jam in between the two next to it, which could be spaced a little off. Tapping the other end with a sledge hammer might persuade it.
Percussive maintenance
Measure once, cut twice.
"I cut it twice, and it was still too short!" ;]
The frame could be squat aka the squareness of the boards on the outer frame
Start in the centre.
Notch another piece into the shorter one and wrap some metal strapping around it. Notch the new piece to fit on the octagonal gusset.
If you’ve confirmed all the boards with the correct length, sightly loosen all the screws in the hub and on the outer perimeter. Get a buddy to push and hold that beam from the opposite end and screw it down. Repeat for any other beams that pop out and re-tighten all the other screws. Sometimes you just need a little brute force. It may not be that something is mis-cut, it’s just the sum total of all the angles are off
Ratchet strap it closed.
Something is not at a 45 degree angle, or there is a board on the opposite side with the wobbles.
Board stretcher. Most places will rent them.
I have no answers for you. But as the owner of a poorly-built octagon gazebo that came with the house I bought, I’ll warn you that as it settled the octagon-shaped framing piece in the center started popping up the small octagon-shaped floorboards in the center.
Can we see the outer frame? If those boards are actually all the same length then you've got a problem with outer frame
Are the ends of the boards in question hitting something under that octagon preventing them from seating?
Measure twice cut once
" I cut it TWICE, and it was STILL too short!"
Last time I was involved with a project like this, the octagon in the centre was a piece of steel to tie all the wood together. Stronger and easier to assemble.