Residential Framing
Dr. Gene A Constant · the whole book, free to read here
- Roof.
- Walls.
- Openings.
- Floor.
- Sill and foundation.
Every pound in a house travels that path to the ground. When a floor dips or a window sticks, somewhere along it the path has failed. Read the book, listen to it while your hands are busy, and practice finding where the path broke before you tear anything out.
Safety first, every time. Wear eye and hearing protection around saws and nailers, and brace every wall the moment it stands. Follow your local building code. Changing a load-bearing wall, header, or beam in a lived-in house calls for a permit and a qualified professional.
The free class: six lessons
One lesson per chapter, in the book's order. Each one breaks the chapter into its ideas, gives you something to work, and asks new questions every attempt. All six are open. Free, no account, and your progress stays on your own device.
- 1The language of lumberGrades and species, pressure-treated lumber, inspecting boards, crowning the studs, and nails versus screws.Open
- 2The floor systemThe sill and its anchor bolts, joist spacing, crowning and blocking, and a glued, staggered, nailed subfloor.Open
- 3Wall framing 101Plates and studs, the parts of an opening, rough opening sizes, cutting jacks and headers, squaring and flashing.Open
- 4Wall layout and assemblyThe chalk line, pulling layout so sheathing lands on studs, openings and corners, building flat, raising and bracing.Open
- 5The roof, simplifiedPitch, the framing square, rafter length, the plumb cut, bird’s mouth and tail, ridge board or beam, and the right ties.Open
- 6The load pathTracing every load from roof to soil, around openings, point and distributed loads, and the sheathing that resists wind.Open
The Certificate of Comprehension
Thirty questions drawn from all six lessons, graded on our server; you need 80% to pass. A pass prints a serial-numbered certificate with a link anyone can use to verify it. It records comprehension of the book. It is not a licence or an industry credential.
Sit the exam Open the class pageThe Load Path Bench
Eight real framing problems drawn from the book, one or two from each chapter. Read what the framer sees and knows, then tap the part of the load path you think has failed. A wrong pick tells you why that part is not the one, so you learn from every tap.
Want the math behind the frame? The free Trades Geometry class covers stairs, rafters, and squaring a layout. This is practice, not a certification.