Construction tool and method of use

A tool for laying out stud marks on the sill and rafter of a building having a pitched roof so that stud marks can be marked on the sill and rafter, so that the stud marks on the rafter will be vertically aligned with corresponding stud marks on the sill, and so that studs can be fastened to the sill and rafter at the locations of corresponding vertically aligned stud markings and thereby be in vertical positions, the stud marks on the sill being at a predetermined center-to-center spacing and the stud marks on the rafter being at a center-to-center spacing greater than said predetermined spacing, comprising:

• an elongated measuring bar having oppositely extending center portions and opposite end portions extending from the center portions, the end portions being of reduced width relative to the center portions and terminating in end edges;
• measurement markings on the end portions of the measuring bar;
• a center stud-marking arm attached to the measuring bar in right-angular relation thereto and midway between said opposite end portions;
• elongated mounting bars telescopically adjustable slideably attached to the opposite end portions of the measuring bar and being of a width corresponding to the width of the center portions, each mounting bar having an end edge in right angular relation to the opposite end portions of the measuring bar and in opposed relation to its respectively adjacent end edge thereof, each mounting bar being movable from a retracted position with its end edge in engagement with its adjacent end edge of the measuring bar and extended positions with its end edge in spaced relation to its adjacent end edge of the measuring bar;
• end stud-marking arms individually attached to the mounting bars in parallel relation to and on opposite sides of the center stud-marking arm and being thereby adjustably mounted on the measuring bar, the marking arms extending outwardly substantially the same distance from the measuring bar, the center-to-center spacing between each end marking bar and the center bar being representative of said predetermined center-to-center spacing when the end edge of its respective mounting bar is in said retracted position;
• fasteners releasably interconnecting corresponding end marking arms and opposite end portions of the measuring bar so that the end marking arms can be maintained in predetermined spaced relation to the center stud-marking arm;
• a table on one of the arms and the measuring bar that sets forth the relationship among various roof rises and stud spacings on sills and rafters for a given sill stud spacing;
• and
• an indication on one of the arms and the measuring bar that sets forth said sill stud spacing.

A method of laying out stud marks on the sill and rafter boards for a pitched roof using an adjustable layout tool having at least a pair of transverse marking arms attached to a longitudinal measuring bar wherein one of the marking arms is adjustable along the measuring bar relative to the other marking arm, comprising the steps of:

• placing the layout tool along a first of the boards with the marking arms in a first predetermined spaced relation to each other depending on the desired spacing between marks to be made along the first board;
• marking the first board with marks at the locations of each of the marking arms;
• adjusting the spacing between the marking arms to a second predetermined spaced relation to each other depending on the desired spacing between marks to be made along the second board;
• placing the layout tool along a second of the boards with the marking arms in said second predetermined spaced relation to each other;
• and
• marking the second board with marks at the adjusted locations of each of the marking arms.

A tool for laying out stud marks on construction elements intended for use as the sill and the rafter of a structure having a pitched roof so that corresponding stud marks on the sill and rafter for a each stud are vertically aligned and so that each stud will be vertical when erected with its ends located at the corresponding vertically aligned stud marks, the stud marks on the sill to be spaced apart by a predetermined center-to-center dimension and the stud marks on the rafter to be spaced farther apart than said predetermined center-to-center dimension in order that corresponding stud marks will be vertically aligned, comprising:

• an elongated measuring bar having inner and outer portions and a measuring scale providing measurement subdivisions that represent center-to-center dimensions of the stud marks on the sill and the rafter, the dubdivisions increasing in small increments of said predetermined center-to-center dimension outwardly along the measuring bar from an initial subdivision adjacent to the inner portion representing said predetermined center-to-center dimension to an outer subdivision that represents the center-to-center spacing of the stud marks on the rafter that will achieve said vertical alignment of corresponding stud marks and said vertical positioning of the studs;
• an inner marking arm attached to the inner portion of the measuring bar;
• a mounting member longitudinally adjustable mounted on the outer portion of the measuring bar having a measuring indicator alienable with the subdivisions on the measuring bar during such adjustment;
• and
• an outer marking arm attached to the mounting member in opposed spaced relation to the inner marking arm and movable toward and away from the inner marking arm upon longitudinal adjustment of the mounting member along the measuring bar,
• each of the marking arms having a pair of adjacent spaced straight edges extending outwardly from the measuring bar, and
• the center-to-center distance between the marking arms when the measuring indicator is aligned with the initial subdivision being representative of said predetermined center-to-center dimension and the center-to-center distance between the marking arms when the measuring indicator is aligned with said outer subdivision being representative of said center-to-center spacing of the stud marks on the rafter that will achieve said vertical alignment of corresponding stud marks and said vertical positioning of the studs.

A stool for laying out stud marks for positioning studs against construction elements intended for use as the sill and the rafter of a structure having a pitched roof so that the stud marks on the sill and rafter will be vertically aligned when the studs is erected, the stud marks on the sill to be spaced apart by a predetermined center-to-center dimension and the stud marks on the rafter to be spaced farther apart than said predetermined center-to-center dimension in order that corresponding marks will be vertically aligned, comprising:

• an elongated measuring bar having a pair of outer portions extending outwardly from a center portion and measuring scales on each outer portion, each scale having measurement subdivisions on its outer portion of the bar that represent center-to-center dimensions increasing outwardly along its measuring bar form an initial subdivision representing said predetermined center-to-center dimension;
• an inner marking arm attached to the center portion of the measuring bar;
• a pair of mounting members individually longitudinally adjustably mounted on the outer portions of the measuring bar and thus on opposite sides of the inner marking arm, each mounting member having a measuring indicator alienable with the subdivisions on its portion of the measuring bar;
• and
• a pair of outer marking arms individually attached to the mounting members and thus on opposite sides of the inner marking arm and in opposed spaced relation to the inner marking member,
• each of the marking arms having a pair of adjacent spaced straight edges extending outwardly from the measuring bar, and
• the center-to-center distance between each outer marking arm and the inner marking arm when its respective measuring indicator is aligned with its respective initial subdivision being representative of said predetermined center-to-center dimension.