Shed Project: Framing

[jteneyck]

the wall is now plumb, but is it square?

That's how I figured out the corners of that wall weren't plumb; the sheathing wouldn't go on square.  After I got it truly plumb the sheathing went on square, so the wall is square, too.  

If you had plenty of help to raise the walls it would make a lot more sense to put the sheathing on while flat on the deck.  

John

If it wasn't so danged hot and humid I might be getting more done on the project. I know, how bad can it be in WNY? Not nearly as bad as anywhere down south, but this is where I live and to me it's too danged hot and humid. 85 - 90F and dew points in the 70's for the next 3 days. I've hiked in the West with temps. close to 100F, but when the RH is in the teens it's not nearly as bad as this.

[Stwood_]

Take it easy. It's just a wood shed.

[Bill Wilson]

Looks like you are doing fine.  I've seen some pretty jacked up DIY carpentry work.  Yours looks pretty good and I'm sure it will stand the test of time. 

I stick built my 10'x10' shed, by myself, a few years ago.  It had been some time since I had done much framing, but most of the important stuff came back to me in due course.  I enjoyed the challenge of doing it myself.  It took me several weeks of evenings and weekends, but I was in no hurry, so working solo wasn't a problem.

Keep up the good work, but don't overdo it in the heat.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Something I learned from working on several(more than 30) HfH homes was rough framing is a game of 1/8" adjustments or as perfect as possible 90° corners in some areas of framing and not a big deal in other areas.

Example: kitchen built with three walls with the counters on three walls. If the corners are not 90° on the two inside corners within 1/8" between opposite walls, the cabinet/countertop installers have a heck of a time.

Not as big of a deal in a garage or bedroom.

The chapter often had pro's install kitchen cabinets and countertops. Once we started squaring kitchen walls(crew of three of us spending a half hour of quality time with accurate measuring and my 8# fine adjusting sledge), the folks we used started getting their work done much faster because they did not have to cut drywall to fit countertops.

It just occurred to me had the inside wall(the one we adjusted) been installed with screws, that that kind of adjusting would have been much more difficult!

[jteneyck]

You guys are right about 1/8" being a good target for most things related to framing, but not always.  The rafter ends were within 1/8" or so, for the most part, but then I realized the soffit board was still going to look wavy, and then I realized the overhang was going to be about an inch more than I really wanted.  So I snapped a chalk line on the tops of them at the overhang I wanted and recut them.  It was actually easy with the adjustable speed square guiding the circular saw, even 8 ft off the ground on a ladder.  Now when I look down the ends they are definitely within 1/8".  

I'll have some photos soon of the sheathing.  The walls are done and I've started on the roof.  Working alone you learn to use aids in order to accomplish what two people could do w/o much thought.  You also learn to quite when it gets hot, and it's hot already today.  But it's supposed to cool off tonight, and maybe even rain, so after I finish an install job tomorrow I might make some good progress.  I sure would like to get the roof on in the next week or so before we get any extended periods of rain, not that any are forecast.  It's dry as popcorn here.  

John