Customer Reviews

Commercial Metal Stud Framing

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a foreman for a Drywall/Metal framing company. I bought this book to pick up a few tips here and there. This book was a great help to me. It explains everything in detail. Again the detail in this book is excellent. I would recommend this book to anyone getting started in metal framing, and to anyone looking to pick up some tips.

I'm not sure who this book is written for. It has a lot of nice pictures, and some details about the more simple parts of framing with metal studs. But it leaves a lot out. Whenever anything gets complicated Mr. Clark says, "your foreman will tell you" what to do. He doesn't explain to the reader how to decide what will be wanted. That leaves out every reader who is a foreman level and above. It's not a book for builders, contractors, architects, designers, engineers, supervisors, or anyone wanting to convert from light frame wood construction to metal framing construction. For example, there are no structural calculation tables for bearing walls and no reference to where one might look to find structural calculation data for metal framing. One chapter talks about structural framing and mentions that the components are a heavier gauge than non-structural walls, but there is nothing to say how much heavier gauge is needed where, or how light of a gauge can be used in non-bearing walls either. There is nothing about how to select the gauge or type of material for particular applications. All of that kind of information is left to "your foreman will tell you."

And, it's not very good for the workman on the job either. My son bought my copy because he was out working on a commercial job where metal framing was required. By the time he had gotten around to buying the book after working a few days, he had learned just about everything he needed to know from other workers. It's not all that hard or complicated to bend down a few tabs. He gave the book to me saying that he found little or nothing he could use on the job. Yes, there are a few helpful hints here and there in this book, but overall it's a real disappointment whether you're a workman on the job or a supervisor wanting to know how to select material for the job. Maybe it could be used for a classroom teaching of beginner framers. They could get some good ideas before starting on the job site.

Despite the reviews and the suggestive title, this book will NOT provide a grounding in metal framing for those wishing to convert from traditional skills. Designers/architects will learn nothing regarding metal framing compared to wood framing. Little or nothing in the way of loading is provided. This book may have tips for seasoned experts but it certainly assumes that you come to the table with plenty of metal framing experience.

I am a general contractor that needed good and reliable information on metal framing. This book is well worth the money and has allowed me teach in house crews how to properly work with metal framing components. This book shows a variety of procedures and a lot of "tricks" of the trade. I can honestly say that this book will take you from zero knowledge to actually being able to frame a decent size job starting with proper layout and moving onto framing around obstacles and a variety of different things like headering doors and windows, framing soffits, framing for suspended drywall ceilings, furred walls, interior and exterior walls, etc.

This book has saved me hours of time right after I read it and started applying the information. My crews can cost me over $100/hr when they stand around trying to figure out something or have to redo work. Having them read this book before a job has saved hundreds of dollars and has produced a much better end product than we have had in the past.

If you are new to metal stud framing, you need this book.

Ray Clark's "Commercial Metal Stud Framing" is a thorough, detailed, and very clearly worded manual. This is one of, if not the best, professional how-to book I have ever read. Clark has a real talent for narrative explanation, mixing technical terms (always clearly defined) and informal jargon (also well-defined) to lead you through the many processes that this craft requires. There are lots of photos, and they are well-integrated into the narrative. This has been a great learning experience for me.

This is a great beginner book for anyone wishing to get into metal framing. It covers all your basic cuts as well as the basic methods for leveling, plumbing and squaring. This book tells you how to build various walls, soffits, chases as well as introduce one to various headers and layout techniques. I used this book to educate myself on metal framing but discovered quickly, that when you do it in the field, it is not always as easy as it may seem in the book. Having said that, if you understand plumb, level and square then you can probably adapt to just about anything in the field with the techniques shown in the book.

I am a practicing structural engineer. I have designed many light gage frames and seen them built in countless time. I have used custom structural details or typical details from SSMA. This book is a good reference book which summarizes what really happens out in the field. I remember when I came out of school as a green engineer, I sometime received comments like "your detail does not work", "it's always different in reality than what you draw in office". I wished there is a book out there to show me what the installer was thinking and how the frames were put together in reality. I finally found this book after several years. It shows, in step by step, how to install load bearing/non-load bearing stud walls, soffit, headers, interior partition walls w/ defl. tracks, etc. A lot of pictures to illustrate the installation procedures and contractor terms, such as 'dog ear', 'shoe cut', etc.

I have to admit that there are some structural terms in the book that were incorrect, such as it refers precast-prestressed double T system as "truss system" as page 16; but overall, the book was well written in simple and clear format. Certainly, this book is not intended to teach you how to design light gage framing. So, if you are looking for a book to show you the formulas or engineering mechanics of light gage design, this is not the book for you.

I recommend this book to all practicing structural engineers who desires to know every detail of how light gage framing get built in reality, especially those that you draw in your drawings, and typical details that you have seen for thousands of time.

I was looking for a book to help me complete an architectural drawing for office partition wall framing with metal studs. I found this book is not written for readers who want to find details in architectural drafting and design of metal stud framing in order to comply with commercial building codes.

The author admits he wrote this book to assist with classroom teaching. As an additional explanation to a teacher explaining it, the book would be great. The problem is his explanations are hard to follow and the picture angles and lighting make it hard to see many of the details he refers to. I ended up skimming the book for good basic ideas. He obviously is very knowledgable in the field.

I am a building contractor who deals with wood, so I know how to put things together. I recently picked up a commercial job with metal studs. I thought by buying this book it would help me be better able to make the conversion to metal. I was wrong. I found the information in the book and the pictures to be lacking detail(the pictures are dark and non discriptive with no illustrations). There are some good tips but overall I found it to be useless. The information that I needed was not in the book. If you are experienced in metal the book might have some merrit. I had to use other sources to get the information that I required.