Haun_Larry_-_The_very_efficient_carpenter

Once the wall is plumb, bracing is nailed on to keep it that way.

SITE-BUILT TOOLS

Making a push stick

A push stick for an 8-ft. wall is made from a 1x4 or 1x6, cut 1 1 6 in. to 120 in. long. Use knot-free stock so that it won't break under pressure. For taller walls you can make a push stick out of a long 2x4. Some framers like to bevel the lower end of the stick a little so that it will dig into the floor as pressure is applied to move the wall.

While one person maneuvers the push stick, the other keeps an eye on the level. As soon as the bubble is centered, the wall is plumb and the per­ manent braces need to be nailed on so that it stays that way.

Nailing off permanent braces is a simple process. If you can't reach to the upper ends of the top plates, work from a stool or small workbench. With metal braces, nails need to be driven through holes in the metal flange and into each stud. If the brace is on an exterior wall, you may have to lean out and wrap one leg around a stud to stabilize yourself be­ fore driving nails. Particularly on an upper floor, be sure that the stud you hold onto is properly nailed

Plumbing and Lining 1 1 9

When necessa'Yt nails can be started with one hand. Just hold a nail against the hammerhead and strike it into the wood.

and free of large knots. The process is much the same for wooden let-in braces except that the nails in these braces were started earlier. All you have to do now is drive them home.

If you are leaning out on an exterior wall, hold­ ing on with one hand, and find that you need to start another nail, here's a tip on how to do it one­ handed. Put your hand around the hammerhead, place a nail between the index and middle finger, and hold the nailhead against the side of the ham­ mer. Now hit the nail onto the brace hard enough to get it started, grab the hammer by the handle and drive it the rest of the way.

Once one end of a wall is plumb it never hurts to check the far end. If the plates have been cut accu­ rately and the walls framed properly,when one end is plumb the opposite end should be as well. If it is not, check the wall to see that all the joints in the top plate are butted tight together.

When the outside corners are done, work your way through the building plumbing every corner and every intersecting wall that you can. With the exterior walls already plumbed, most interior walls will be very close to plumb.

Temporary Braces

Stud

Short walls without permanent bracing can be held plumb temporarily with a stud nailed against the wall.

Permanent bracing may not be possible on short walls, or necessary on exterior walls that are going to be sheathed. In these cases, put in some tempo­ rary bracing to hold the walls plumb until the ceil­ ings have been joisted and the walls have been sheathed. Don't hesitate to use plenty of temporary braces. Extra braces at this point will guarantee that the building is held plumb and square until the rest of the framing is completed. Temporary braces can be made by nailing the upper end of a stud in a cor­ ner and then diagonally across several wall studs to the floor. Once the wall has been pushed to a plumb position, nail the stud to the bottom plate.

Using hammer claws under a temporary brace can pry some walls into plumb position. Place the claws between the lower end of the stud and the floor and move the hammer handle down to put pressure on the stud. With a little practice, this method can move a considerable section of wall.

1 2 0 Framing Walls

with two 16d nails. Try to drive these nails through the subfloor and into a joist to make sure that the brace is fastened securely. On longer walls, nail a temporary brace in about every 10 ft. even if it sights straight.

Tall or rake walls can be braced by nailing longer 2x braces flat to a wall stud near the top and secur­ ing them at the bottom to the base of an interior wall. When walls are going to be sheathed outside, don't let braces run through the wall.

If you are working on a concrete slab, take a 4-ft. long piece of 2x, nail one end of it flat to the bot­ tom plate of the wall with two 16d nails and let the other end extend into the room. The bottom end of the stud brace can now be nailed to this 2x, as shown in the photo below. It can also be secured to a temporary block fastened to the floor with a steel pin (see p. 1 1 4).

On a concrete slab, nail the bracing stud to a 2x nailer secured to the bottom plate.

If the top needs to be moved in, especially on a slab, you'll have to follow a different procedure. On an exterior wall on a one-story building, nail a 2x on edge to the bottom of a wall stud. Let it extend to the outside, sitting on hard ground or a 2x block that rests on the ground. Nail a long stud near the top of the same wall stud, with the bottom end po­ sitioned on the horizontal 2x. The top of the wall can now be pushed and held straight by nailing the bottom end of the brace.

Another way to move a bowed wall in is to take a long Ix or 2x and nail one end of it flat to the edge of the top plate with several nails. Make sure that it doesn't extend above the top plate. Nail the other end to a joist through the subfloor or to the bottom plate of an interior wall. If you are working on con-

At ground level, walls can be pushed in and braced by nailing a 2x to the bottom plate and running it out from the building, providing a nailing surface for the brace.

Plumbing and Lining 1 2 3

If the top of a wall needs to be pulled in to make it straight,nail a 7 x brace from the top plate to the floor. Wedging a 2x kicker under the brace, draws the top in.

crete, nail it to the bottom plate of an interior wall. Then take a 3-ft. to 4-ft. 2x and place it upright near the middle of the brace, with one end on the floor and the other end up under the brace, as shown in the photo at left. Push the short 2x against the brace, putting a bow in it. This will cause the wall to move in. When the wall is straight, drive a nail down through the brace into the short 2x post to hold everything secure.

In hallways or narrow rooms such as closets and bathrooms, one wall can be straightened with tem­ porary braces and a parallel wall can then be held straight with a 2x nailed near the top of the studs. Take a scrap of 2x and place it on edge between the parallel walls at the bottom plate. Mark the 2x on each end, move it up to the top plate and nail it in position following the pencil marks, which indicate exactly how far apart the walls should be.

Parallel walls can be held straight by tying them together with a 2x nailed at the top.

1 2 4 Framing Walls

SHEATHING WALLS

Sheathing

installed vertically

Edge blocking

Expansion gap

Sheathing can serve several different functions.

It can provide both lateral strength, thus elim­ inating the need for wall braces, and vertical

strength. It helps to keep cold out of the house and to strengthen walls facing high winds. On houses that are covered with vertical siding, wall sheathing can provide a nailing surface. It can also help keep batts of insulation in place. In some areas, sheath­ ing is nailed only on the corners to hold the build­ ing plumb, and then the rest of the building is cov­ ered with insulation board.

The most common sheathing materials are square-edged plywood and oriented strand board (OSS). Walls covered with these materials are called shear walls; they may be required on both exterior and interior walls. In the West, where the ground gets a little nervous at times, the code often requires the exterior of the entire first floor to be sheathed on two-story wood-frame buildings, and second and third stories on taller ones. Some buildings, such as those built on hillsides, may need input from a structural engineer to determine which walls need to be sheathed.

1 2 5

JOISTING FOR A GABLE ROOF

Headout for attic access

Ceiling jOists can be nailed to the tops of the walls once the walls have been plumbed and lined. These joists are an important structural part of a building. Once nailed into the plates, they help tie the building together. On a two-story house, the ceiling jOists over the first floor serve as the floor joists for the second floor (for more on floor joists, see pp. 41-54). On a one-story house, joists form the ceiling to which drywall can be attached. They tie into the roof rafters at the plate line, preventing the weight of the roof from pushing the exterior walls out, causing the ridge to sag. In the attic, spaces be­ tween the joists can be filled with insulation.

Joist size The size, spacing and direction of ceiling joists are given on the floor plan. The framer's job is to take these instructions and locate the joists correctly on the walls. The size of lumber needed for ceiling joists is determined by the load they will support, their spacing and span and the type of wood used (see the table on the facing page). Ceiling joists that won't be carrying a floor load do not need to be as large or closely spaced as typical floor jOists. If the attic is going to be used for living space or storage, the ceiling joists will have to be beefed up to carry the added weight. Many building departments have charts available showing what size jOist is needed under different conditions.

1 2 8 Framing Ceilings