Quality of wood studs today
Quality of wood studs today
(OP)
Much can be said about the quality - or lack thereof - of 2 x 4 wood studs these days. As an engineer, I find it quite disturbing. Not only is the moisture content well above an acceptable level when delivered to the job site, also the stud profile is often about 75% of the expected profile. The expected 1 1/2" faces of the 2 x 4 are often reduced to nothing, leaving the contractor with nothing to nail to.
The solution I usually hear from the engineering community is: opt for steel studs or manufactured lumber. While these are good solutions, they do add significant cost.
Why can't we tackle the problem head on? Can we talk about what is causing the quality to be so marginal? I aggree that you get what you pay for; however, lumber that is cheap in cost need not be cheap in quality. It appears that we still have quality in the rest of the construction lumber market; but what about 2 x 4 studs?
I believe that the problem lies in regulation. If regulation of this product is handled at the state level - well, everybody knows that the State of California is nearly bankrupt. So, the producer of this product is allowed to sell a marginal product as if it passed regulation - because nobody is really watching them.
But what do I know? I am only lamenting what I see on the job site.
Can we - as engineers - do anything about this problem?
-Richard L. Flower, P. E.
The solution I usually hear from the engineering community is: opt for steel studs or manufactured lumber. While these are good solutions, they do add significant cost.
Why can't we tackle the problem head on? Can we talk about what is causing the quality to be so marginal? I aggree that you get what you pay for; however, lumber that is cheap in cost need not be cheap in quality. It appears that we still have quality in the rest of the construction lumber market; but what about 2 x 4 studs?
I believe that the problem lies in regulation. If regulation of this product is handled at the state level - well, everybody knows that the State of California is nearly bankrupt. So, the producer of this product is allowed to sell a marginal product as if it passed regulation - because nobody is really watching them.
But what do I know? I am only lamenting what I see on the job site.
Can we - as engineers - do anything about this problem?
-Richard L. Flower, P. E.






RE: Quality of wood studs today
Ten years ago during a radio interview a retired carpenter said the following:
"What we build houses out of in the 1990s was called firewood in the 1950s". :(
RE: Quality of wood studs today
TTFN
RE: Quality of wood studs today
There are many grades of studs and lumber available....our job as engineers is to know the differences, specify the proper ones, and demand their use. Most of what is sold at major home improvement centers is not Grade 1 or Grade 2 and I have never seen Structural Select grade lumber at any of these suppliers.
Further, most wood structure failures are not caused by poor quality lumber, but by poor quality construction, particularly with respect to connections. "Toenailing" in a tension connection was acceptable for many years. Due to more stringent wind load criteria, most nail fasteners for tension connections must be placed in shear, which requires the use of a plate or strap. This is not because the wood is poor quality, it's because wood is generally incapable of sustaining a nail in tension under current wind load criteria. Take a look at video of some of the major hurricanes where you see the roofs being blown off houses. Many of them fail completely at the top plate, where it was nailed, not strapped.
RE: Quality of wood studs today
No, the answer is in the specification, selection and quality control (at the end use location).
I once knew an old character who was real tight with the pennies, and when he was having a house built, he would meet the lumber yard delivery truck at every load, and cull the defective studs, boards, etc., and send them back to the lumber yard right on the same truck.
I don't think there was an imperfect board in his house. But only because he made it happen.
rmw
RE: Quality of wood studs today
RE: Quality of wood studs today
The main reason bad plans pass the builiding department is that the law allows architects to seal and sign the structural drawings. When building department sees the stamps and scanty 1 page calculations (=garbage,without knowing what he is doing) prepared by the architect, they approved the plan as the architect is taking the liability by signing off the project. I fault the engineering professinal organizations for not protesting or not doing enough lobbying to the legistature, unlike the powerful AIA.
To ensure quality, mention on the drawing that you must be notified for inspection/observation of framing & connections. Regarding studs, you will never need to worry about their strength for 1 or even 2 story regular houses. Shrinkage is very little along the grain, so you are fine even with green stud from Home Depot.
RE: Quality of wood studs today
You have made me aware of a lack of regualtion for 2 x 4 lumber that is prevelant throughout the construction industry.
As an engineer, I can continue to lament the fact that there is little I can do about this. But I have a choice: do I "give up", or do I engage? I choose to engage.
If you were to write a specification for the contractor to read regarding quality control of lumber delivered to the job site, how would you word it?
-Richard L. Flower, P. E.
RE: Quality of wood studs today
If would seem your contractor should be inspecting his own purchase, specially if he's having trouble nailing to studs.
RE: Quality of wood studs today
Ron hit the nail on the head (sorry, but I couldn't resist the pun), there are grading requirements the industry is suppose to adhere to. And, with the stress grading of lumber, there is actually more assurance that IF we get what we specify, it will perform.