Jobsite in Spokane taught me why you always mark two studs before cutting a window header

Was framing a house outside Spokane last fall, green crew and all. I cut a double header for a 48 inch window, nailed it in, then realized the second stud was bowed almost a half inch out. The whole thing sat like a crooked smile. Had to tear it out, cut two new studs, and we lost about 40 minutes. Old timer on site, Dave, just said "measure the wall, not the print." Since then I always dry fit both studs against the actual gap before I make any cut over 24 inches. Has anyone else had a wall shift screw up their header work even with the plans right there?

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vera_palmer14d ago

Thirty-two years in and I still remember a job in Tacoma where we framed a whole garage with treated lumber that was still wet. The headers we cut on Monday were crooked by Thursday, just from the wood drying and twisting. Dave's right about reading the actual wall, but honestly I've had more trouble with lumber than walls. We started culling every board over a certain bow before we even pulled a tape, and it saved us way more time than any dry fit. The green crew thought we were being picky, but then they saw a 14 foot beam walk itself out of a notch overnight.