Question about a framing trick I saw at a job site in Boise

I was helping a crew frame a garage in Boise last month, and the lead guy showed me how he uses a 3-inch deck screw to temporarily hold a top plate in place while he nails it off. He said it lets him get the alignment perfect without a second set of hands. I tried it on a shed build last week and it saved me a ton of time. Has anyone else used screws for temporary framing holds, or is that a bad habit to get into?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_blake4d ago

Ever think about what that screw is doing to the wood fibers when you drive and then back it out? You're basically drilling a hole twice. On wet or engineered lumber, that could leave a weak spot that splits later when you nail near it.

felix4784d ago

Worry about the wood fibers getting torn up, especially with how fast-grown and wet a lot of framing lumber is now. That screw hole basically becomes a pre-split line. I've seen a 2x4 crack right along the grain after pulling a temporary screw, then trying to face-nail an inch away. It's not worth the risk on anything structural.