# question about stud spacings



## aus_chippie (Sep 8, 2011)

Hey fellow tradies, I'm an apprentice chippie from Australia, Ive been reading these forums for a few weeks now and decided to join cos I realise I can gain some knowledge from other tradies on here.

I want to know, when marking studs on your plates, what do you do if you can't get an even spacing for stud centres (lets say 450 mm is the normal spacing), ie. Not enough room because of a window or you've reached nearly the end of the plate.. do you just make it whatever? 

Might be a dumb question but hey I need to know so I don't ask as many dumb questions on site


----------



## tazmanian (Jul 22, 2010)

you start at the end and work your way in - if you dont have enough space to make the final measurement the stud goes on the end of the plate..............:thumbup:


----------



## thomasjmarino (May 1, 2011)

Your centers should continue through your window layouts. Just going to be the layout for the jack stud below the sill.
Getting to the end of the plate, depends on how close you are to your corner.
If it's less than 16" (we don't do metric here) then just leave it go, if it's more than 16" but less than 1 1/2" from your corner then just slam it up against the corner.
It's not brain surgery, just rough framing.


----------



## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

if i have a common stud or cripple that lands within the same location of a jack stud for a ro but makes for 1/4" nailing of the sheathign or drywall i will add an additional stud along side so it makes for easier nailing and the sheet doesnt buckle in


----------



## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

If you are an apprentice, where is your mentor? If you are trying to increase your baseline skills to better prepare yourself, great, but keep in mind there are many ways to do what you are asking, and the lead or foreman on your job will want it his way, regardless of the advice you get here. 

Short answer is to layout the full wall on center (16 or 24 for us), and then mark out the windows and doors, and then adjust as necessary....but keep in mind that prints tell you where the openings go. Experience will tell you to never leave any space larger then standard spacing, and keep in mind that jacks and cripples need to fall on the centers marked. Nothing like having to hang rock with no studs where they should be.


----------



## aus_chippie (Sep 8, 2011)

thomasjmarino said:


> Your centers should continue through your window layouts. Just going to be the layout for the jack stud below the sill.
> Getting to the end of the plate, depends on how close you are to your corner.
> If it's less than 16" (we don't do metric here) then just leave it go, if it's more than 16" but less than 1 1/2" from your corner then just slam it up against the corner.
> It's not brain surgery, just rough framing.


So do you just cross out the ones that land on the window to avoid having studs marked everywhere? And do you mark your openings before you mark all the studs? Cheers


----------



## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

One thing I have seen over the years that drive me nuts.... 

If you have a door and a window next to each other, and the space between them is a foot or less, and layout just happens to fall in that one foot space, you don't need to put a stud there. 

I always like the stud real close to a door jamb. Sarcasm of course. The stud is almost ALWAYS in the way of the electrician putting a box in. Leave the damn thing out if you can. 

Or the 1/4" space left between a stud on layout and king stud of a door/window/post. Sister it or leave it out. 

Think. Be a framing philosopher.


----------



## Joasis (Mar 28, 2006)

My pet peeve is "tradition". I have seen framers use more wood then ever needed, just because that was the way they were taught. I like California corners, because we can insulate them effectively. I like blocks next to doors for electrical boxes...rather then a full stud. I like ladders for intersecting walls, rather then a 2x6 or studs leaving an uninsulated wall cavity.

Yeah Kent....great post. Framing philosopher.


----------



## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> If you have a door and a window next to each other, and the space between them is a foot or less, and layout just happens to fall in that one foot space, you don't need to put a stud there.


That's how you end up with all your switches in a vertical line, or an alarm keypad tight to the trim. :laughing:


----------



## Chris Johnson (Apr 19, 2007)

Wow, metric framing, I haven't seen that since school...unless of course it's commercial which 1/2 of that is metric, but not much commercial for me.

I would always layout my windows, doors and intersecting walls first and then go back and layout studs. As your laying out, think like drywall and sheeting.


----------



## thomasjmarino (May 1, 2011)

aus_chippie said:


> So do you just cross out the ones that land on the window to avoid having studs marked everywhere? And do you mark your openings before you mark all the studs? Cheers


Different ways to get to the same place.
The way I always did it is to lay out all your shoes and plates.
Lay out your window and door openings, they lay out your studs.
You still have to make your 16" marks on your top plate cause that's where your ceiling joist and rafters are going to lay.

Don't sweat it, after a couple of times you'll get the hang of it. :whistling


----------



## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

That's really up to you, depends how you sheet your walls, and depends on what your boss or superintendent expects. When I used to frame walls, if I didn't like how the layout man spaced the studs, I would change the stud layout as I was building them. You really shouldn't do that, but I was stuck in my ways and wanted the stud layout to accommodate how I sheeted walls.

On small windows, I like to sheet right over them and cut the hole later. On large windows, I like to piece the sheets around them. It's faster and saves material that way, but the stud layout has to work right for it.

When you come to an end of a wall, I use a 3 inch rule. Meaning if your last stud bay ends up being 19" instead of 16", then I leave that last stud out. Any longer than that, I add a stud. But I've worked with superintendents so picky that even when a stud bay is 1" over spanned, they want a stud added. That just makes it worse in my opinion, studs too close together make things harder for sheetrock, not better. It depends what your boss wants, you can ask if you think it will be an issue.


----------



## Clarke Carpentry (Apr 22, 2011)

My experience is that if you're being followed by unfamiliar subs then I lay out my openings first and then my common studs. I don't leave anything out even if it's clearly a waste of time. That way there are no comebacks. If you're working with a more tight crew of trades you can then start to work together to be more efficient. Variance requires cooperation and unfortunately that's not always possible. It's far easier for someone to knock out or move a stud than have a picky inspector hold everyone up. Back when I still framed our firm always used the same electricians, plumbers and boarders so we all got used to what each other expected and found easier to deal with. Although on renos the plumbers would still always hack holes in the floors anywhere but centered on a joist. Basterds.


----------



## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

KentWhitten said:


> One thing I have seen over the years that drive me nuts....
> 
> If you have a door and a window next to each other, and the space between them is a foot or less, and layout just happens to fall in that one foot space, you don't need to put a stud there.
> 
> ...


What if you are running verticle sheeting and the edge lands there?:whistling


----------



## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

jhark123 said:


> What if you are running verticle sheeting and the edge lands there?:whistling


You use a 5' sheet. Damn must I do everything? :laughing:

I figured someone would bring that up sooner or later. 

You improvise. I've put a stud flat just to catch sheathing and you still win.


----------



## Joe Carola (Jun 15, 2004)

aus_chippie said:


> So do you just cross out the ones that land on the window to avoid having studs marked everywhere? And do you mark your openings before you mark all the studs? Cheers


I mark windows and doors rough openings and header size and then mark the king and jack stud marks with a line and an X on one side for the king and an O on the other side for the jack. I then mark 16 centers across the entire length of the plates with a slash mark on the side of the line the studs go on. 

In between the header size I mark a O on the 16 center marks. This just shows everyone that no studs go there, but the 16 center layout stays the same all the way through.

It's very simple that way because you CAN'T make a mistake. No slash...no stud...O means header goes there.


----------



## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

I do like Joe, except I mark the king and all studs/crips with an X. I write the header size/type and the RO in the window/door area. We stock the wall with the plates still tacked together so if you see words you know a window/door will be there.


----------



## Joe Carola (Jun 15, 2004)

jhark123 said:


> What if you are running verticle sheeting and the edge lands there?:whistling


Same goes with horizontal sheathing. Never leave out 16" oc studs.


----------



## thomasjmarino (May 1, 2011)

Joe Carola said:


> I mark windows and doors rough openings and header size and then mark the king and jack stud marks with a line and an X on one side for the king and an O on the other side for the jack. I then mark 16 centers across the entire length of the plates with a slash mark on the side of the line the studs go on.
> 
> In between the header size I mark a O on the 16 center marks. This just shows everyone that no studs go there, but the 16 center layout stays the same all the way through.
> 
> It's very simple that way because you CAN'T make a mistake. No slash...no stud...O means header goes there.


Caldwell, NJ.
Where in Caldwell??
That's my old stomping grounds.


----------



## thomasjmarino (May 1, 2011)

Why are we still on this topic?
I mean, come on man, (little keyshawn there now that it's time to play some football).
If you can't do lay out, then what the hell are you doing in this trade?
I mean, sh*t man, after like the first couple of times it's like putting your pants on.

Isn't time to close this topic? :001_unsure:

Don't mind me, just went off for a second.... :whistling


----------

