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How do you guys layout your gable studs? I'm looking for a way to improve the speed of doing them or general ease. I mark a plumb line with the stud on the rafter trace the angle on the front of the stud. Mark the top line of the stud on the short point. Then I mark in an inch and a half for the rafter thickness cut the angle an inch and a half and hog out an inch and a half the rest of the way up.. I feel this way gives great support plus it has to be plumb as long as you held it plumb when laying it out I'll post a picure tommorrow to help explain.
 

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How do you guys layout your gable studs? I'm looking for a way to improve the speed of doing them or general ease. I mark a plumb line with the stud on the rafter trace the angle on the front of the stud. Mark the top line of the stud on the short point. Then I mark in an inch and a half for the rafter thickness cut the angle an inch and a half and hog out an inch and a half the rest of the way up.. I feel this way gives great support plus it has to be plumb as long as you held it plumb when laying it out I'll post a picure tommorrow to help explain.

If I understand you correctly, you cut the stud to run up the rafter?
Why?:eek:

No reason to do that. Just cut the bevel on the stud, bail it up through the bevel to the rafter. When don run a nailor on top of the studs and you are good to go!!:thumbsup:
 

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
If I understand you correctly, you cut the stud to run up the rafter?
Why?:eek:

No reason to do that. Just cut the bevel on the stud, bail it up through the bevel to the rafter. When don run a nailor on top of the studs and you are good to go!!:thumbsup:
Correct I cut out an inch and a half and it sits flush then.. I don't like just cutting the bevel it feels nowhere near solid
 

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It leaves a tail that extends up along the inside of the gabel rafter, i was taught that way 26 years ago, i have also just cut the angle and came in under. GMOD

I was taught the same, problem is, there is no logic to do it that way.
If you want something more solid, nail a stud on the flat either under or beside the rafter first.

Lot of lost time, without a good reason.:thumbsup:
 

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My outside rafters get a plate nailed flat to the bottom before I even send them up to be installed. I can also layout the plate with the long point to line up stacked with the studs below.

Then I cut all the gable studs with my SCMS and send them up. One bevel cut...

I was taught the way you speak back in 1989 when I was a rookie. Sometimes we would even start the outside rafter in from the outer edge by the thickness of the stud (3 1/2" or 5 1/2") and cut the gable studs square to the short point length. Then we would face nail the rafter into the studs. I will try and find pix of all three ways.

When I became the boss - I reexamined everything and explored all the "why do it this way" questions I had.
 

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I frame my on the ground and set wit a crane when possible. If there is a loft frame it on a deck and raise it up like a wall. I have built gables both ways 2/4's flat is a lot faster then run a 2/4 t across the center to make it stronger. If the gable it to tall then run the studs 1 1/2 way.
 

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Ah I thought you were in washington. Hence the question.
yes...WA now. And a whole bunch trusses up here. The whole gable truss idea seems cheap to me. I was just thinking.......on my next frame job...if I have to set trusses, maybe I will skip the gable trusses and rake the walls up to the height of the bottom of the outriggers instead. That would make for a lot stiffer wall. Might be slower, but I like to try new things. I'm not always all about fastest.

Back in Tejas, we did a bunch more stick-framed roofs.
In a stick-framed gable roof, the walls were more flimsy as a standard height wall with gable studs on top of the plates - so we raked them if possible / practical to stiffen them up.
 

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Correct I cut out an inch and a half and it sits flush then.. I don't like just cutting the bevel it feels nowhere near solid
Galla,

There's no need at all to notch a gable stud. As far a feeling that it's solid, once you nail the stud to the bottom of the rafter and sheath it, where's the stud going to go?

As mentioned already if you think a gable stud needs to be more solid, nail a 2x4 to the bottom of the rafter. That takes 2 seconds to do compared to wasting time notching every single gable stud.
 

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There is zero reason to spend the time to notch studs around gable rafters. If you have studs every 24" or 16"oc, then it'll be super strong anyway, especially if it gets sheathed.

Nail a plate to the underside of the rafter, plumb up the middle stud with a laser, and then calc the difference in stud length and precut. I've found that the studs can get out of plumb if I start at the top and calcl all the way down.

That is a problem more so on bigger gables.





 

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yes...WA now. And a whole bunch trusses up here. The whole gable truss idea seems cheap to me. I was just thinking.......on my next frame job...if I have to set trusses, maybe I will skip the gable trusses and rake the walls up to the height of the bottom of the outriggers instead. That would make for a lot stiffer wall. Might be slower, but I like to try new things. I'm not always all about fastest.

Back in Tejas, we did a bunch more stick-framed roofs.
In a stick-framed gable roof, the walls were more flimsy as a standard height wall with gable studs on top of the plates - so we raked them if possible / practical to stiffen them up.


On all my gable end walls, There is a 2x6 on top of the double top plates (for drywall ceiling backing) effectively making it a 3 ply 2x6

Then I brace the hinge joint back up to the top chords of the truss Usually with 16' 2x. I do this every 10' or so along the gable wall.

I find the whole wall to be rock solid after. Or at least as strong as a rake wall.

Mabe this is standard practice with everyone who uses trusses, it what I do though and I think it very solid.:thumbsup:
 

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There is zero reason to spend the time to notch studs around gable rafters. If you have studs every 24" or 16"oc, then it'll be super strong anyway, especially if it gets sheathed.

Nail a plate to the underside of the rafter, plumb up the middle stud with a laser, and then calc the difference in stud length and precut. I've found that the studs can get out of plumb if I start at the top and calcl all the way down.

That is a problem more so on bigger gables.






Tim, that is a great idea!:thumbsup:
 

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My way seems a little different. I start by straighting the gable rafter with a temp. brace.Then clamp and nail a 2x to the lower inside not the bottom of the rafter this 2x is the same dimension as the wall studs and will off set it a 1-1/2 to the inside (I do lots of cathedral ceilings)and this becomes the nailer for strapping. Even if their is not going to be a ceiling I do it this way I like the way it straightens & stiffens up the gable rafter makes for a nice trim job later. I could calculate all the stud lengths on my const.master II but I like to start with the shorter ones and just plum up with my levels after 3 cuts I have my offset # and use this to cut the remainder.Of course I'm not in a hurry and I like to build things clean strong and straight
 

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One thing I'd like to say about techniques;

It is my opinion that our primary goal should be a good frame. That being said, we should learn, develop and apply techniques to achieve this goal, but in the most productive manner possible. When we are able to do this, we develop a reputation that sets us apart and allows us to be competitive.

In an economy like we are in, there are plenty of guys who will work for a lot less $$, and many (maybe most) GC's are forced to go with them because they are getting a lot less $$ for the project.

That means that we may have to work for less $$, but keep the quality the same. We can do this to some exent by developing techniques that don't waste time and eliminate unnecessary steps.

Notching a stud is just stupid to me. I get the reasoning, but in practical terms does zero for the finished product. There is no advantage in a market like this do do something along these lines.

I also ascribe to the belief that there is such a thing as "good enough". That depends on the expectations of the GC or the market we are working in, or the price range we are competing in. It would be unwise at best to frame a perfect frame on a tract style house and then see crappy cabinets and trim installed and cheap electrical fixtures, unless we could do that and make money at it.

When I fill in a gable wall on a cathedral ceiling, I nail the plate up to the rafter, then add scrap for backing. What I like to do is do this as I nail studs and work my way up or down the gable. This minimizes trips up & down the ladder, uses up scrap (I'm talking peices bigger that 2' up to whatever is there) and when I get down off the ladder after the last stud is nailed, I'm done.

The more we can precut on the ground, the better-ALWAYS.

Production is working as smart as we can, and adding hustle to the mix.

My $0.02 (which used to be worth more when the dollar was worth more :blink:)
 
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