I worked for this framing crew a few years back and as we stood walls instead of bracing them up with 2xs they’d use turnbuckles..I think that’s the name for them…They use em in form work all the time..Anyhow, it was real slick cause when you went to straighten said wall all it took was a turn of a wrench as opposed to a bow and arrow or some other janky method…anyone else out there ever use these…I found some in the next town over but they were a bit pricey…I’m thinking about making a bunch somehow out of different sampson hangers..
All I ever wanted in life was an unfair advantage…
Replies
These may be what you remember seeing:View ImageMike Smith made his own- you can see them here:View Image
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
John how did you make the word these a link?
Here is what my HTML version looks like:<a href=http://www.proctorp.com/wallproducts/img/prod_4a.jpg>These</a> may be what you remember seeing:<p>
<img src="http://www.proctorp.com/wallproducts/img/prod_4a.jpg" ><p>Mike Smith made his own- you can see them here:<p>
<img src=http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=2D886FCF-FE53-414B-B73B-BA2E78E1B62F&webtag=tp-breaktime><P>So, to make "these" a link, all you would do is type <a href=web address you want to link to here>These</a>. It's not really much more work than copying and pasting a link.If you go to this link:http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=86247.38&search=yYou will find a tutorial at that link. To be fair, I must say that I'm pretty sure Luka was the one who wrote that, I just copied and pasted.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Load:
TinyURL.com
Then you can name it what you want. Thnks to Pif who turned me on to it after seeing it here for a while.For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
I have four of them- cost around 25 bucks each
like the catalog pics
they are great- one guy can straighten a wall no problem
I am getting some made up like Mike's because they can be lengthened for taller walls.
mine are only practical for up to about 12' wall height.No Tag
Problem with Mikes' homemade version is that in this picture he's pushing/pulling on the studs instead of the top plate.
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Aren't the studs connected to the plate?I don't see the issue. You stand the wall, string & brace, install joists/rafters/trusses, pop braces loose. Where's the plate going to go?
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
The idea of wall bracing (besides just keeping it from falling over) is to straighten the top plate before nailing off floor or ceiling joists. That's what springboards are for. Commercial wall screws, like in the first picture, are always attached to the top plate for fine-tuning.
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Edited 1/1/2009 4:26 pm ET by Riversong
I understand that, but as the stud goes, so goes the plate.I don't understand why a brace attached to a stud which is solidly attached to the plates cannot move the plates.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
I don't understand why a brace attached to a stud which is solidly attached to the plates cannot move the plates.
Define "solidly attached". Most framers shoot two 0.131" gun nails into the endgrain of each stud. The double top plate is usually in place before stringing and straightening, as that will effect the alignment of the wall.
You excert any force on a single stud (particularly without full sheathing in place, as in the picture) and it's far more likely to shift on the plate than to straighten out a double plate.
You will not find a commercial wall-straightening jack that is not intended to be tied to the top plates. This is standard (and correct) industry practice.
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Edited 1/1/2009 5:07 pm ET by Riversong
Bob, I don't know about Mike but we always toenailed the studs we attach the braces to.
Bob, I don't know about Mike but we always toenailed the studs we attach the braces to.
Who the hell is Bob?
So you decide in advance which of the studs will get braced and toe-nail those?
Or you toe-nail them upside down once the wall is standing?
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
sorry Robert.
Or you toe-nail them upside down once the wall is standing
Upside down?
Yes we nail after the wall is standing as we straighten with a gun in one hand and 2x4 in the other.
Look, I think the commercial wall braces are great. I've used them before and they're nice.Still, I've straightened many walls with a brace fastened to the stud and not the plate. If you use good plate material, you shouldn't have to exert a tremendous amount of force on it.<!---->
*edited for spelling
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA<!---->
Edited 1/1/2009 7:10 pm ET by JonBlakemore
Since you seem to be such a sematic stickler... the problem you actually have with Mike's apparatus is in it's placement, not the the actual apparatus, course maybe your real problem is with Mike... but I guarantee you Mike's placement will straighten out the top plate with very little effort, and no damage.... I know, I know, if you really believe it, you can't be wrong.http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason?"
And he says, "How?"
And you say, "What does this mean?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home"
Most framers shoot two 0.131" gun nails into the endgrain of each stud. The double top plate is usually in place before stringing and straightening, as that will effect the alignment of the wall.
I toenail studs top and bottom. The braces get nailed to the top of the stud just under the top plate.Double top plate is always on before the walls are lifted the way we frame.
You excert any force on a single stud (particularly without full sheathing in place, as in the picture) and it's far more likely to shift on the plate than to straighten out a double plate.
That might be true nailing the way you said, but it's not true toenailing. Studs don't move when pulling/pushing a brace.
You will not find a commercial wall-straightening jack that is not intended to be tied to the top plates. This is standard (and correct) industry practice.
Maybe that's the standard and correct way with wall jacks, but it's doesn't have to be done nailing braces into the side of toenailed studs.
Joe Carola
Edited 1/1/2009 8:56 pm ET by Framer
actually.... in that pic i wasn't straightening.... just temporary wind bracing
before we set joists, we'll double the plate, and string and block .... a wall like that will probably get two adjuster braces...probably nailed to the stud , sometimes to a plate
the braces will stay in place until the subfloor is glued and nailed
we started out using spring braces , like everyone else......
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but i saw these at a concrete equp. supply house back in 2001.... just tack nail them to any piece of wood
you can also drive a rebar stake thru them if you are working over gravel instead of flooring
View Image
when you strip , all you have to transport and store is a 2' piece of hardware
here, we're using one to brace the beam in a plumb position
View Image
Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/1/2009 8:05 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 1/1/2009 8:05 pm ET by MikeSmith
Edited 1/1/2009 8:07 pm ET by MikeSmith
We call 'em "turnbuckles" which probably isn't the proper name. Funny, but we always nail them to a stud or top plate, and have the other end fastened to a stake or a block on the floor or whatever. I can't tell you why that is. I guess one guy can easily string a wall, though usually there are a few involved.
I'd just like to add that I also think Mike is 100% wrong all the time, even when I know he's right.
so I think you are 100% right, even when you are totally wrong.
damn that Mike Smith!
I say it's his fault that you are wrong so often ...
fancy turnbuckle guy ... why I oughta ....
what with his wall straightening and such!
one day Smith ... one day ... you'll see ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
hah... i put the stamp on your letter upside down , didn't i ?it's always the little things that get under your skinMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
hey ...
Cath just told me yesterday that yer gonna have another baby in the family!
(her, being the "reader" in the family ... I just look at the pictures)
I said ... Wow ... didn't even know Mike had any egg's left!
Congrats!
and oh yeah ... thanks for the added bonus.
Cath will enjoy a nice nite out where I have to sit quietly.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
r we talkin about Finn ? ( ne 6/26/08 )
here he is with the blood money........
View Image
if you go to ##say hello to Phalen ## , you can see some more ...
Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 1/4/2009 10:56 am ET by MikeSmith
no...that's not what they were..similar principal thoughAll I ever wanted in life was an unfair advantage...
I've used them for years: They're called foundation wall jacks, but can be used in a lot of applications.
I bought 20 new ones three years ago from Masonry Supply in Portland, Oregon for $10 each, brand new in the box, made in USA. I challenge you to fabricate them for that!
Masonry Supply is actually a nationwide firm that sells and rents masonry tools and equip. Do a search.
Sometimes, rental yards will sell them used for even less.
i got about 50 of them laying in my back yard
Wow....that's cheap...I was quoted 75 each for 4 footers...but I'm up in alaska now...I got my roots in P-town though...hows work out there nowadays? it was quite scarce and low paying when I left`in 2004All I ever wanted in life was an unfair advantage...
those are probably the same ones i bought...
Capn Mayham made me blink ...
do they really call portland .....P'town ?there is only one P'town as far as i kow....... and it ain't on the left coastMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I use the Ellis wall brace. At $14 each, they're a bargain. The screw is much coarser than a regular thread so you don't have to make as many turns as you would with a home made brace. http://www.Ellisok.comYou get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
that's the one i use
View ImageMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
The threaded part of mine has a rounded root rather than a v-cut bolt thread, which makes them a bit more debris friendly....though you do want to keep them clean...especially on concrete jobs.Portland is over 200 miles from me and, being accustomed to and fond of living in a less-populated backwater, I avoid it like the plague.I think I've heard it called P-Town, but I was in the Navy with a guy from Beaver Falls, PA who used that nickname for Pittsburg.
I think I've heard it called P-Town, but I was in the Navy with a guy from Beaver Falls, PA who used that nickname for Pittsburg.
Careful, guys. P-Town out east is Provincetown MA at the very tip of Cape Cod, and it's the flaming g-a-y culture center of the East Coast.
Wikipeida: In the mid-1970s members of the g-a-y community began moving to Provincetown. In 1978 the Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) was formed to promote g-a-y tourism. Today more than 200 businesses belong to the PBG and Provincetown is perhaps the best-known g-a-y summer resort on the East Coast.<!----><!----><!---->
<!----><!---->
<!---->Of course, Portland OR is now the largest US city with an openly g-a-y mayor, so you Left Coasters are in the ballgame, too.
[What is with this forum that it censors such a non-controversial word as g-a-y!]<!---->
Riversong HouseWright
Design * * Build * * Renovate * * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes
Edited 1/2/2009 2:38 pm ET by Riversong
wiki is wrong again..... P'town was half g-a-y when i got there in '69
it was a very easy going town.... there was the art colony....the theater colony.... the writer's colony.... the potuguese fishing colony.... anf by the time i got there there were tons of hippies...
i would think P'town was a g-y colony from at least the '50's
quite the culture shock for someone just comming off 4 years in the army..... but i managed to acclimate....
the fishermen loved us.... they had been waiting 50 years for that breakwaterMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
P'town was half g-a-y when i got there in '69
.......and when you left?
that's where i met helen....Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Helen the Hippie!
That says volumes. I've been trying to figure you two out for a while now.................
I can see her now; halter top, head band and bangle earings.
Got any pics?
i'll tell you all about it at jlc..... this is your year to buy, right ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Hmmmmm.
The way things have turned this past week, I'm holding on to hope I can even get there. I was looking to sign up yesterday just to commit the funds while I have them.
Hey, with the dough you made last year "buying" that might get me gas to get home!
Can't wait to hear the story, make sure you bring the pics of that sexy bride to be!
If I'm going to JLC, I'd be happy to give you a lift.Hopefully we don't have to beat out the mayor for a table again this year. And maybe, given the drift of this thread, Mike will regale us with some tales of yore from P-town.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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you gonna bring your new Mac ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I hope so!'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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Thanks for the offer, I'll keep that in mind as the date draws near. I'm jonesing to get signed up.
Guess that's just a sign of a need to learn something new.
Mike and a bunch of just out of the Army guys descending on P town. There has got to be at least a couple of good stories there.
As long as there are no stories of 'the best meatballs I ever had' we should be safe.Had a great time there last year, so I'm planning on going.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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My best have raisins in them!
sorry
That's not why the fishermen loved you...;)
I use the Ellis adjustable wall braces (same as Mike's) and I nail them to the sides of studs right at the top, right under the plate if that's what's easy. We get excellent 2x6 KD #1 Fir most of the time and it doesn't matter at all that we're pushing the studs and not the plate. We generally walk the plate when rolling joists and I don't want anything sticking up in my clumsy-arse way.
edit--you can no longer say 'a-z-z'
Edited 1/2/2009 3:05 pm by davidmeiland
That "left coast" tag amuses me: In a geography of wide open, rugged spaces, populations of Ranchers, loggers, Fishermen, farmers and millworkers....lots of veterans, etc., me thinks whoever came up with that has never been out here and if so, just hunkered down at a fern bar one afternoon in one of the larger cities.
Word.
hey... i wuz born on the left coast.... raised on the right coast
i love fern bars too, and biker bars, it's all goodMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Lee Valley sell these for $31.50. Free shipping until January 4th.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=44908&cat=1,43838,47843
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Yeah, I've got a couple of those from Aircraft Spruce. They can pull as well as push, work with cable or chain. Probably not as handy for straightening a wall, but more versatile.
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
So are they worth the trouble? I Bthaught that they seemed to have saved alot of time..plus if you used a bunch, couldn't you ensure that your wall is "perfect"?
All I ever wanted in life was an unfair advantage...
I like using 20' tie down staps with cranks.
You can rack a 40' 2x6 wall without a sweat and trying to do it with a bowed 2x10 wouldn't even move the wall.
You can buy a set for less than 20$ and they store nicely.
ANDYSZ2
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