Sponsored by the State of Washington's Department of CTED and the U.S. Export Assistance Center
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"Framing & Rough
Carpentry" Illustrated by Gary Burhop |
For More Information about S.S. Framing Company, please send email to Scot Simpson at ssimpson@nwlink.com
Table of Contents
(To be continued...)
A few years ago, I sought a textbook to use in teaching my framer trainees the basics. I felt they should all learn the same framing method to ensure that they would correctly interpret my instructions, and execute them with predictable and consistent results. I wanted the text to be easy enough so that they could read and absorb its contents quickly. Although many carpentry books were available, I was unable to find one that met these requirements.
Combining this need for a text with my 21 years experience framing in many states across the country (including 48 apartment projects, 9 condominium projects, 8 office buildings, 6 hotels, and 27 houses), and having gone to school evenings to acquire a Masters degree in Business Administration, I decided to write my own training manual that would be a clear, concise, easy-to-use outline of modern methods of framing, covering all aspects of the trade-from definitions of framing terms to guidelines for the management of a framing crew.
This manual was developed for framing contractors and framer trainees, but can be used equally well by many others, including general carpenters, renovators, remodelers, handymen, and do-it-yourself weekenders; in short, anyone interested in learning the basic skills of framing.
Every framer pounding nails today will have techniques that he prefers to some of those described here. There are also some tricks of the trade that can only be learned from old-timers on the job, and it's a wise apprentice who keeps his eyes and ears open for them. What I have tried to do in this manual is bring together the best techniques from different parts of the country, setting a standard for my trainees and crews. My father, who was a professional journalist, told me years ago that a picture is worth 10,000 words. 10,000 written words represents a lot of time and often frustration for many framers. For this reason, I have used photographs and drawings extensively throughout the book to illustrate as much of the text as possible.
Another instructional technique that you will find in this manual is the step-by-step procedure for various tasks, for example, the sixteen-step wall framing sequence (Wl-WI-6). These steps are listed in a boxed table of contents on the first page of each chapter. This step-by-step method standardizes the framing process so that it is easy to learn. This is especially important in framing because framers are often involved in different tasks from day-to-day, and a month or more may go by before a particular task is repeated. The step-by-step sequence method makes it easy to refresh your memory on the procedure to follow for a particular task.
This manual is designed to be 'Framer Friendly." I hope that you find it friendly to you.
SCOT SIMPSON
The Trade of Wood Framing
The trade of wood framing is comprised of the rough carpentry skills needed to produce the "skeleton" of a building and its first layer of "skin." The skeleton consists of the structural lumber forming the floors, walls, adn roof; the skin consists of the lumber which encloses the skeleton, and provides a surfaces for subsequent layers of protective and decorative finish materials.
This chapter is an illustrated review of the most basic tools, materials and terminology of the framer. This information is so basic that it usually is not even taught on the job site, so if you don't know it when you arrive for work, you will have to play a guessing game or ask a lot of questions.
The illustrations with terms serve as a handy reference, and help to reduce confusion when different words are used for the same item. This happens a lot because framers move from job site to job site, and work with different people. For example, bottom plates are often known as sole plates, backers as partitions, and trimmers as cripples. It doesn't matter what they are called as long as you know what they are. There is also a more detailed list of framing terms with definitions at the back of the book.
The suggested organization for a framing tool truck presented in this chapter is just an example of how a truck could be set up for tool storage. Its purpose is, once again, to reduce confusion and make the job easier. It is amazing how much time can be spent looking for tools and nails if they aren't put where a framer expects them to be.
Bearing walls support the main weight of an upper portion of the building, such as a ceiling, floor, or roof. Nonbearing walls provide little or no support to those upper portions. Remove nonbearing walls and the upper portions will stand; remove bearing walls and the upper portions will fall.
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Washington State Housing & Building Materials for Japan. Last modified: 04/10/02