Skip to content

Framing-O-Pedia

Anchor Bolts
(also called J-bolts) Bolts embedded in concrete foundation used to hold sills in place.
Balloon Framing
A special situationally required type of construction with studs that are longer than the standard length..
Beam
A horizontal structural member running between posts, columns or walls.
Bearing wall (aka partition)
A wall which carries a vertical structural load in addition to its own weight.
Blocking (aka backing)
A non-structural 2x framing support (i.e. for drywall)
Board Foot
The equivalent of a board 1’ square and 1” thick.
Box Header
A horizontal structural member over an opening having a rectangular cross section with a hole in the middle, which we fill with insulation.
Cased Opening
An interior opening without a door that is finished with jamb and trim.
Ceiling joist
One of a series of parallel framing members (not part of a truss) used to support ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams or bearing walls.
Chase
A framed enclosed space or channel in a wall, or through a ceiling for something (usually duct work or plumbing) to pass through.
Cricket
A second roof built on top of the primary roof to increase the slope of the roof, de- signed to encourage water drainage to a scupper on a flat roof.
Cripple
Short vertical framing member installed above or below an opening.
Delamination
Separation of the plies in a panel due to failure of the adhesive, usually caused by excessive moisture.
Eaves
The horizontal exterior roof overhang at the bearing wall.
Fascia
Lumber (usually 2x6) attached to rafter/truss ends at the eaves and outriggers at the ga- bles.
Flashing
Sheet metal or other material used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water seepage.
Framing
The act of building the house frame. Lumber used for the structural members of a building, such as studs, joists, rafters and trusses.
Gable
The end, upper, triangular area of a home, beneath the roof.
Girder truss
A large or principal truss used to support concentrated loads at isolated points along its length.
Glulam (Glued Laminated Beam)
A structural beam composed of wood laminations or lams. The lams are pressure bonded with adhesives to attain a typical thickness of 1 ½" . (It looks like multiple 2x's are glued together). Be sure to identify and install TOP side up.
Gusset
A flat member used to provide a connection at the intersection of wood members. Most commonly used at joints of wood trusses.
Header
The horizontal structural member over an opening (e.g. over a door or window).
Heel cut
A notch cut in the end of a rafter to permit it to fit flat on a wall and on the top, dou- bled, exterior wall plate.
Hip
A roof with four sloping sides. The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides of a roof.
Hip roof
A roof that rises by inclined planes from all four sides of a building.
I-joist
Manufactured structural building component resembling the letter "I". Used as floor joists and rafters. I-joists include two key parts: flanges and webs. The flanges of the I joist may be made of laminated veneer lumber or dimensional lumber, usually formed into a 1 ½" width. The web or center of the I-joist is commonly made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Large holes can be cut in the web to accommodate duct work and plumbing waste lines. I-joists are available in lengths up to 60 feet long.
Joist hanger
A metal "U" shaped fastener used to support the end of a joist or truss and at- tached with hardened nails to another bearing member.
King stud
The vertical, full height "2 X" framing member that runs continuously from the bot- tom plate to the top plate.
Ladder blocking
Pieces of cross blocking used to connect building members.
Ledger
A structural member attached to the face of a wall which supports a joist or truss.
Load bearing wall
Any wall that carries structural load. Normally, any wall that has a double horizontal top plate.
Manufactured wood
A wood structural product such as a gluelam or microlam, or sheet goods such as OSB, MDF, particle board or finger jointed trim, which are manufactured out of smaller wood pieces and glued to form a larger piece.
Microlam (aka laminated veneered lumber [LVL])
A manufactured structural wood beam. It is constructed of pressure and adhesive bonded wood strands. They have a higher strength rating than solid sawn lumber. Normally comes in l ½" thickness' and 9 ½", 11 ½" and 14" depth.
Nonbearing wall
A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.
O. C. (On Center)
The measurement of spacing for studs, rafters, joists and trusses in a build-ing from the center of one member to the center of the next.
Oriented Strand Board (aka OSB)
A manufactured 4' X 8' wood panel made out of 1"- 2" wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitute for plywood.
Outrigger (aka Lookout)
An extension from a rafter or truss beyond the wall line to form roof overhang on a rake end, as a rafter tail or truss tail does on an eave.
Overhang
Outward projecting eave-soffit area of a roof; the part of the roof that hangs out past the outside wall.
Parapet
An extension of a wall past the plane of the roof to hide roof clutter (i.e. the Territori- al look) and originally intended as protection, though now mostly decorative.
Particle board
Plywood substitute made of course sawdust that is mixed with resin and pressed into sheets.  We use it for shelving.
Penny
As applied to nails, it originally indicated the price per hundred. The term now serves as a measure of nail length and is abbreviated by the letter "d". Normally, 10d (10 "penny") nails are used for framing.
Pitch
The slope of a roof expressed as vertical rise to horizontal run (i.e. 4/12 means a 4” rise for every 12” of run).
Plan view (aka Floor Plan)
Drawing of a structure with the view from overhead, looking down.
Plate
Normally a 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 that lays horizontally within a framed structure, such as:  Sill plate- A horizontal member anchored to a concrete or masonry wall. Top plate- Top horizontal member of a frame wall supporting ceiling joists, rafters or other members.
Ply
A term to denote the number of layers in built-up materials, or in any finished piece of such material (i.e. plywood).
Plywood
A panel (normally 4' X 8') of wood made of three or more layers of veneer, com- pressed and joined with glue, and usually laid with the grain of adjoining plies at right angles to give the sheet strength.
Post
A vertical framing member (often a 4" x 4" or a 6" x 6”) usually designed to carry a beam.
Post-and-beam
A basic building method that uses just a few hefty posts and beams to support an entire structure, in contrast to our usual stud framing
Pressure-treated wood (aka green board)
A wood product that has been impregnated with chemical preservatives to prevent rot and infestation.
Rafter
One of a series of single roof frame pieces spanning between supports to carry the roof sheathing and roofing.
Rafter, hip
A rafter that forms the intersection of an external roof angle.
Rafter, valley
A rafter that forms the intersection of an internal roof angle. The valley rafter is normally made of double 2x members.
Rake
Sloped or slanted.
Rake fascia (aka Barge Rafter)
The vertical face of the sloping end of a roof eave.
Ridge
The horizontal line at the junction of the top edges of two sloping roof surfaces.
Rim joist
A joist that runs around the perimeter of the floor joists.
Riser
Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.
Roof joist
The rafters of a flat roof.
Roof sheathing or sheeting
The wood panels (OSB) fastened to the roof rafters or trusses on which the shingles or other roof covering is laid, and which creates a structural diaphragm.
Roof valley
The "V" created where two sloping roofs meet.
Rough opening
The horizontal and vertical measurement of a window or door opening at rough framing
Sandwich header
a horizontal structural member over an opening made of 2xs or 2xs and sandwiched OSB.
Sheathing, sheeting
The structural wood diaphragm covering, usually OSB, used over studs, floor joists or rafters/trusses of a structure.
Shed roof
A roof containing only one sloping plane.
Sill
(1) The 2X wood plate framing member that lays flat against and bolted to the foundation wall (with anchor bolts). The sill plate is treated lumber. (2)  The member forming the lower side of an opening, as a door sill or window sill.
Sill seal
Foam insulation installed between the foundation wall and sill (wood) plate, which is designed to seal any cracks or gaps.
Soffit
The area below the eaves and overhangs. (2) An area of dropped ceiling such as above cabinetry.
Solid bridging
A solid member placed between adjacent floor joists near the center of the span to prevent joists or rafters from twisting (a type of blocking).
Stringer
The supporting member for stair treads. Usually a LVL member notched to receive the treads and risers.
Stud (aka wall stud or king stud)
A vertical framing member, attached to the horizontal bot- tom plate below and the top plate above (2x @92 5/8"for an 8’ ceiling).
Stud framing
A building method that distributes structural loads to each of a series of relative- ly lightweight studs (how we build). Contrasts with post-and-beam.
T & G, tongue and groove
A joint made by a tongue (a rib on one edge of a board) that fits into a corresponding groove in the edge of another board to make a tight flush joint (our sub- floor sheets are T & G).
Teco nail
The type of hardened nail used to attach metal straps.
Toe-nailing
To drive a nail in at an angle to connect two members.
Top chord
The upper or top member of a truss.
Top plate
Top horizontal member of a frame wall supporting ceiling joists, rafters, or other members.
Tread
The walking surface board of a stairway with a 10” minimum depth.
Treated lumber (aka green board)
A wood product which has been impregnated with chemi- cals and pesticides, to reduce damage from wood rot or insects. Used for the bottom plates of a structure which are likely to be in contact with moisture.
Truss
An engineered and manufactured roof or floor support member with internal "zig-zag" webbing.
Truss Joist or TJ
A brand of manufactured structural building component resembling the let- ter "I". Used as floor joists and rafters. I-joists include two key parts: flanges and webs. The flange of the I joist may be made of laminated veneer lumber or dimensional lumber. The web or center of the I-joist is commonly made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Large holes can be cut in the web to accommodate duct work and plumbing waste lines. I-joists are available in lengths up to 60'' long.
Warping
Any distortion in a material.