Shoutout to the old timer who watched me fight a twisted stud

I was framing a garage in Tacoma last month and hit a wall, literally. This one stud was so twisted my level looked like a banana. Everyone on the crew said to just pull it and cut a new one, which meant taking off the sheathing we just nailed up. I was fed up, so I tried something my grandpa mentioned once. I cut a 3 inch kerf down the middle of the bad face with my circular saw, soaked the cut with water from my bottle, and clamped it straight to a good stud overnight with three bar clamps. The guys laughed, but the next morning it was dead straight and held. Saved us half a day of rework. Has anyone else used a wet kerf to pull out twist, or is that just asking for trouble down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

jakelee4d ago

Oh man, that's the classic fix! I did the exact same thing on a porch beam last summer, dry as a bone and still holding true. It feels like magic when you unclamp it in the morning.

quinn9584d ago

That wet kerf trick is LEGIT old school. My boss calls it "giving the wood a drink before its nap." The water helps the fibers on the cut side swell and stretch, so when it dries in the new shape, it's more likely to stay. You just have to make sure it's bone dry before you close up the wall or you're asking for mold. Smart move saving all that sheathing work.