Haun_Larry_-_The_very_efficient_carpenter

Picking up and carrying headers with a straight-claw hammer can save wear and tear on your back.

make a mark on the plates (see the top drawing on the facing page). Then measure to the center of the header, make another mark and match this mark with the one on the plates. When no measurement is given, use an architect's scale or a measuring tape to calculate the location of a header.

When an opening is shown to fall near the cor­ ner of a room, locate the header on the plates one stud (lYz in.) out from the corner. This stud will be the king stud and will nail on to the end of the header. Once the wall is framed and the trimmer nailed under the header this will leave 3 in. of wall space in the corner to nail on drywall and door or window trim.

With a little practice, headers that center in short walls can be spotted by eye. Set the header on the plate and center it by seeing, or measuring, that there is an equal amount of space on each end.

Headers that center on longer walls can still be spotted quickly. Simply shove the header into one corner of the room parallel to the wall it belongs in. Measure the amount of the wall not covered by the header. Divide this measurement in half and mea­ sure out from the corner this distance. Placing one end of the header on this mark will center the header on the wall. This kind of "trick of the trade" allows you to accomplish more with less work.

Place each header on the plates, near its location in the wall frame.

90 Framing Walls

A channel marker allows for quick and accurate detailing of corners and channels.

Detailing Bathroom Specials

Flat 2x4 stud backing for shower, tub or tile

is to be "plated through." On the top plate of the through wall many carpenters will make an X or an o with keel at the point where the walls intersect.

Detailing the specials

Besides doors and windows, the plans must be checked for the location of medicine cabinets, bath­ tubs and showers, wall heaters, air-conditioning units, posts under beams, clipped (shortened) or tall walls and stud lengths that vary from the standard. Sometimes detailing will be needed to position built­ ins such as an ironing board, a recessed cabinet or a place to set a phone. These locations must be indi­ cated on the plates so that they can be allowed for during the framing process. It is much more effi­ cient to nail in everything that needs to be built in­ to a wall while it is being framed flat on the deck. After the wall has been raised, it takes much longer to add an opening or even nail in a single stud.

An important point for carpenters to remember is that the wood frame has to accommodate plumb­ ing, heating and electrical features. Effort must be made, either by reviewing plans, from experience or

2x6 wall for plumbing

14Y2-in. space for medicine cabinet over lavatory

Detailing 93

through talking to other tradespeople, to make sure that the wall is framed so that others can do their work without having to remodel the structure. At­ tention paid to proper detailing at this point can save time for all later on.

The standard medicine cabinet (MC) is about 14 in. wide and fits between two studs located at 16 in. on center. Plans often show medicine cabi­ nets centering over a lavatory. If no measurement is given, scale the cabinet's position on the plans. De­ tail a stud layout in the exact location on the top of the plate and down the sides of both plates. Leave 14Yz in. between the marks, put an X where the studs will fall and write MC on both plates (see the drawing on p. 93). When the plans show the MC in the corner, mark the first stud 3 in. (two studs) out from the corner, measure over 14Yz in. and mark the second stud. This will leave room for the door of the

MC to open freely. When the plans show that a larger MC is to be used, check its size in the plan specifi­ cations or scale it.

Bathtubs and tubs with showers also usually come in a standard size (30 in. wide by 60 in. long), but check with the supplier. A fiberglass tub/shower re­ quires an extra flat stud for vertical backing at 30 in.

Here the plates have been detailed so that a tub access will be framed in, aI/owing the plumber room to connect the tub to the drain.

so the outside flange can be nailed to it. Measure out from the inside corner 32 in. and make a mark on both plates with keel. The X for this stud location will fall away from this mark. Then back toward the inside, mark the location of a flat stud that will nail right against the first stud. The same detailing will often be needed when a tub has tile over it.

A 12-in. by 12-in. access hole through the wall may need to be provided for the trap on a bathtub, espe­ cially when building on a slab, to allow plumbers to hook up or repair the tub drain. Check the plans or ask the plumber where the drain will be. At this lo­ cation, measure out IS in. from the inside wall to the center of the tub and make a mark on the plates. Measure over 6 in. from this center mark and make a stud layout on both plates, leaving 12 in. in the clear. Later a small wood or metal frame with a door will be installed between these two studs to allow access to the tub trap.

When wall heaters are going to be installed, their location is usually noted on the floor plan. These heaters most often fit into the 14Y2-in. space be­ tween studs. Detail their location on the two wall plates so that the studs are properly placed and the framer won't cut in a wall brace through this area. Eventually,after the roof is sheathed, the top plate and double plate will be cut out so that the heater vent can extend up through the roof.

Cathedral or high ceilings may have beams, sup­ ported by posts or extra studs, to carry the rafters. Post location is usually found on the floor plan and post length on the sections or elevations. Both lo­ cation and length need to be marked on the plates. Also, note the length of studs needed to frame any wall that is higher or lower than standard.

The plans may not show a post under all beams, especially those that frame at ceiling height, even though the posts are required by code. The impor­ tant point to note is that every last framing detail will not be shown on the plans. Knowing how to handle these details comes from using common sense and experience, studying the code and com­ municating with other carpenters, building inspec­ tors and other tradespeople.

94 Framing Walls

Detailing Walls for Stud Location

When a 16-in, o,c, layout is carried straight through, an extra stud is needed on this wall,

Bystarting the layout over at an intersecting wall, a stud is saved.

they are not needed. Fewer studs means lower lum­ ber costs and shorter installation time.

Second, the stud location can be started anywhere and can be changed constantly. It's not necessary structurally to start marking studs at one corner and carry this detailing 16 in. o.c. along an entire wall. It might be argued that a consistent on-center lay­ out facilitates sheathing and drywall installation. But if an expansion gap needs to be left between the sheathing, then the sheets won't always break over these studs anyway. And since most drywall in­ stallers frequently use 1O-ft. or 12-ft. sheets that can span an entire room, they aren't too concerned about a regular stud layout. Finally, when you install in­ sulation batts, fewer studs means fewer stud cavities to fill and less insulation to cut.

With these gUidelines in mind and with layout stick and pencil in hand, begin the stud detailing at any outside corner. Start from the inside of the cor­ ner, not from the outside. Set the stick on the plate so that the legs go down over the top and bottom plates. Scribe along both sides of each leg at the 16-in., 32-in. and 48-in. points, move the stick for­ ward and repeat the process. There is never any need to mark the first stud at corners and channels, because the way they are constructed there will al­ ways be a stud at this location.

Before long you will come to a door, window or intersecting wall. Every time you hit an interrup­ tion like this, start the stud detailing anew. At a door or window, start detailing at the end of the header and mark not only the two plates, but also the header and the window rough sill to indicate where to nail the cripples. At the king stud on the far side of the

96 Framing Walls

Starting from the inside of the corner, begin marking the location of wall studs using a layout stick.

opening, start over again with the layout. The first stud will be 16 in. away from the king stud. Work in a similar way when you encounter an intersect­ ing wall. Codes in some parts of the country call for a stud under a break in the top plate. If this is true in your area, start the layout over at this point. By changing the layout constantly an appreciable number of studs can be saved, even in a small house. In larger buildings, hundreds of studs can be saved this way. It is a good idea to detail stud location away from corners and channels. For example, if a stud on reg­ ular layout falls within 4 in. of a channel, move this stud a full 16 in. away. This will leave the area around the channel open. This is a minor detail but an im­ portant one. During framing, nails have to be driv­ en though these corner studs, tying them together with the intersecting partition. It simply makes this nailing easier when wall studs are not in the way. And try to center any pipes between two stud marks.

plates for the

There's no need to put a stud hard up against a pipe. Leave the plumbers room to finish their rough work. Detail all the walls, headers and rough sills. When you have finished, visually check that every room has a door and a window, and that all the cor­ ners and channels are marked. The time you take to inspect the work now can save a lot of time later. It's a slow and aggravating process to have to tear out studs to put in a door that was missed while detail­ ing. And it's fine to take a little time to admire all the work you have done so far.

Detailing 97

BUILDING AND RAISING WALLS

Three-stud corner

nce all the plates have been detailed, it's	Older carpenters can remember how they used to
time to pick up your hammer, grab some	nail the corner posts to the bottom plate, string the
Onails and start connecting the lumber to	top plate across and then work off a ladder to nail
layout marks. It's time to build walls. Working on	studs to it. But it is much easier and faster to build
the floor, you will nail the headers, cripples, studs,	walls flat on the floor. You may have to build walls
trimmers, corners and braces between the top and	on top of other plates, but often you can pull the
bottom plates. The walls will be raised one by one	plates of interior partitions out of the way tem­
to an upright position to form the frame of the	porarily so that the wall you are working on can be
house, which will then support ceiling joists and	laid out flat on the floor without any obstruction.
roof rafters or a second floor.

98 Framing Walls