GB2275280A

GB2275280A - Spacer for structural elements,eg wall studs

Info

Publication number: GB2275280A
Application number: GB9403248A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Warren Eberschlag
Original assignee: BRIG EEZ Inc
Current assignee: BRIG EEZ Inc
Priority date: 1993-02-19
Filing date: 1994-02-21
Publication date: 1994-08-24
Also published as: GB9403248D0; CA2089989A1

Abstract

A spacer for structural elements such as wall studs comprises a main plate 32 with side flanges extending along its longitudinal edges. Alignment tabs 16 are struck perpendicular to the main plate, and locking tabs 20 are struck from the side flanges so that the end of a stud may be press-fitted against the alignment tab and locked into place by the locking tabs. A pair of such spacers oriented in opposite directions act as a top plate 30 and shoe 32 for a wall frame, into which a stud can be inserted by tilting the stud and aligning it with the space between the side flanges, and then righting the stud to press-fit its ends into locked engagement with the spacers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPACER FOR STRUCTUkn ELEMENTS This invention relates to construction framing materials. In particular, this invention relates to a metal stud spacer for structural elements in lightweight construction applications.

Framing for residential and other lightweight construction still relies heavily on the use of wooden or metal joists and studs. A conventional wood frame wall consists of a series of studs, usually of 2x4 or 2x6 lumber, nailed at their top and bottom ends to a top plate and a shoe, respectively. The studs must be vertical in the finished frame and spaced at specific intervals, usually 16 or 24 inches on centre, to allow for proper mounting of finishing surfaces such as wallboard, wood panelling etc. which are available in sheets sized to some multiple of 4 feet.

Conventionally, workmen must arrange each stud at the proper interval along the top plate and shoe, using either a measuring tape or a spacer block which can be cut to the desired length from scrap lumber, and then secure the stud by nailing through the top plate and shoe into the end of the stud. This is time consuming and subject to human error.

Moreover, in a typical situation the wall frame will be fully constructed on the floor or ground, and then erected in the desired position. This can make it difficult to nail the studs in place, especially if the construction area is confined so that the wall frame cannot be laid flat when constructed. Further, there is no guide for a workman nailing through the top plate or shoe, and a misdirected nail which protrudes from the crown of the stud can interfere with proper flush mounting of the finishing surface.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a spacer which acts as a top plate or a shoe for a wall frame, into which the ends of studs can be press-fitted in the proper spacing and alignment. The spacer includes locking tabs which engage each stud in the proper position against an alignment tab, and the stud may be nailed through its broad face, thus reducing the likelihood of misdirected nails. The invention can also be used for spacing joists, posts, railing pickets or any other structural element used in construction applications.

Summary of the Invention The present invention thus provides a spacer for structural elements comprising a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof; alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof; and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a structural element to be engaged therebetween.

The present invention further comprises a method of constructing a wall frame using studs and a pair of spacers each comprising a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof, alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof, and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a stud to be engaged therebetween, comprising the steps of securing a first spacer to a ceiling, securing a second spacer to a floor, in alignment with the first spacer, orienting a stud with its ends in a direction of press-fit engagement with the alignment tabs, aligning the ends of the stud with the space between the side flanges of each spacer, and forcing the ends of the stud against the alignment tabs to engage the stud into each spacer.

The present invention further comprises a method of erecting pickets in a railing comprising a pair of spacers each comprising a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof, alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof, and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a picket to be engaged therebetween, comprising the steps of securing a first spacer to a rail, securing a second spacer in alignment with the first spacer, orienting a picket with its ends in a direction of press-fit engagement with the alignment tabs, aligning the ends of the picket with the space between the side flanges of each spacer, and forcing the ends of the picket against the alignment tabs to engage the picket into each spacer.

Brief Description of the Drawings In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the spacer; Figure 2 is a side elevation; Figure 3 is an end elevation; Figure 4 is a partial perspective view showing studs engaged in position; Figure 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating a manner of mounting studs in top and bottom stud spacers; Figure 6 is a partial perspective view showing a modification of the locking tabs; and Figure 7 is a partial perspective view showing a further modification of the locking tabs.

Detailed Description of the Invention The invention will be described with reference to a preferred embodiment for use as a stud spacer for studs 2 in a wall frame. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the spacer 10 can be used for joists, posts, railing pickets or any other structural element spaced at even intervals. The spacer 10 is formed from suitable gauge sheet metal, such as galvanized steel, and comprises a main plate 12 having side flanges 14 extending generally orthogonally to the main plate 12 along the longitudinal edges thereof. The main plate 12 provides a surface against which the studs 2 are seated, and the space between the side flanges 14 is sufficient to retain the studs 2 therein in proper lateral alignment. The main plate 12 may include cutouts 13 to minimize its weight.

Stamped out of the main plate 12 at the desired interval, which generally will be every 16 or 24 inches, are alignment tabs 16, which are bent to extend generally orthogonally to the main plate 12 and may be provided with nailing holes, as best seen in Figure 4. The ends of the studs 2 will abut the alignment tabs 16 and can optionally be nailed, screwed or otherwise secured thereto.

Locking tabs 20 are struck out of the side flanges 14 inwardly toward the main plate 12, at the same intervals as the alignment tabs 16, with the free ends 20a of the locking tabs 20 extending into the space between the side flanges 14 and spaced from the alignment tabs 16 according to the thickness of the studs 2. In the case of wooden studs this is usually 1.5 inches; metal studs may be somewhat narrower. According to this construction the end of a stud 2 can be seated against the main plate 12 and press-fitted past the locking tabs 20 to abut the alignment tab 16. The locking tabs 20, being resilient, will snap inwardly once the stud 2 has passed their free ends 20a, and will thus lock the end of the stud 2 into position against the nailing tab 16 for nailing. It will be appreciated that only a single locking tab 20 needs to be associated with each corresponding alignment tab 16, but a pair of opposed locking tabs 20, one struck from each side flange 14, is preferred.

In use, one stud spacer 10 is secured to the ceiling joists or other structural members, to act as a top plate 30, and another stud spacer 10 is secured to the floor to act as a shoe 32. As shown in Figure 5, the top plate 30 is aligned over the shoe 32, but is oriented in the opposite direction; in the example illustrated the top end of the stud 2 is press-fitted against an alignment tab 16 of the top plate 30 from the left, but the bottom end of the stud 2 is press-fitted against the corresponding alignment tab 16 of the shoe 32 from the right.Thus, once the top plate 30 and shoe 32 have been secured into position, studs 2 are mounted therebetween by tilting each stud 2 so that its ends are oriented toward the side from which they will be fitted to each alignment tab 16, aligning the ends of the stud 2 between the side flanges 14, and righting the stud 2 to the vertical, thereby simultaneously forcing the ends of the stud 2 past the locking tabs 20 in each of the top plate 30 and shoe 32, as shown by the arrows in Figure 5, and thus engaging the stud in each of the stud spacers. The stud 2 is thereby locked into position. This process is repeated until each stud 2 has been set into place. The wall frame is thus effectively constructed already erected in its proper position, and very little floor space is required in the process.It will be appreciated that so long as the top plate 30 is properly aligned above the shoe 32, the studs 2 in the resulting wall frame will all be vertical and properly spaced for mounting finishing materials.

This method works equally well for erecting pickets or balusters in a railing, wherein the top and bottom spacers 10 are oriented along the hand rail and the floor, respectively, in opposite directions. Also, if space permits, the top and bottom spacers 10 may be oriented in the same direction and the stud, picket or other structural element may be force fitted into the spacers 10 from one side of the alignment tabs 16.

Figures 1 through 5 show locking tabs 20 die cut from the side flanges 14 in a rectangular configuration, preferred for wooden studs 2. Modifications of the locking tabs 20 are illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 shows locking tabs 20 cut in a triangular configuration so that the free ends 20a come to a sharp point, to assist in engaging wooden studs, pickets or the like. In Figure 7 the locking tabs 20 are.cut from the side flanges only along the line of the free ends 20a, and are struck to convexly protrude inwardly into the space between the side flanges 14, which configuration is preferred for metal studs.

The embodiments of the subject invention having thus been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that certain modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope of invention s set out in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A spacer for structural elements comprising: a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof; alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof; and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a structural element to be engaged therebetween.

2. The spacer of claim 1 including a locking tab protruding from each side of the spacer.

3. The spacer of claim 1 in which the locking tabs protrude from the side flanges.

4. The spacer of claim 3 in which the locking tabs are struck from the side flanges.

5. The spacer of claim 1 in which the alignment tabs are struck from the main plate.

6. The spacer of claim 1 in which the locking tabs are rectangular.

7. The spacer of claim 1 in which the locking tabs are triangular.

8. The spacer of claim 3 in which the locking tabs are convex and cut from the side flanges only along free ends of the locking tabs.

9. A method of constructing a wall frame using studs and a pair of spacers each comprising a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof, alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof, and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a stud to be engaged therebetween, comprising the steps of:: securing a first spacer to a ceiling, securing a second spacer to a floor, in alignment with the first spacer, orienting a stud with its ends in a direction of press-fit engagement with the alignment tabs, aligning the ends of the stud with the space between the side flanges of each spacer, and forcing the ends of the stud against the alignment tabs to engage the stud into each spacer.

10. A method of erecting pickets in a railing comprising a pair of spacers each comprising a main plate having side flanges extending generally orthogonally thereto along longitudinal edges thereof, alignment tabs extending generally orthogonally to the main plate at selected intervals along the length thereof, and a locking tab protruding into a space between the side flanges at the selected intervals, the locking tab being spaced from the corresponding alignment tab to permit a picket to be engaged therebetween, comprising the steps of: : securing a first spacer to a rail, securing a second spacer in alignment with the first spacer, orienting a picket with its ends in a direction of press-fit engagement with the alignment tabs, aligning the ends of the picket with the space between the side flanges of each spacer, and forcing the ends of the picket against the alignment tabs to engage the picket into each spacer.