Studding. The studs of a house are generally spticed 16" between centers, in order to accommodate the laths, which are 4' long. It is always best to use stuff which has been run through a planer and sized down to an even width, as time will be saved in straightening up the partition, and a much better job of plastering can be made than if it depended upon the plasterer to make a straight wall.

Fig. 30. - Bridging.

The best constructive practice is to bring the partitions directly over one another as much as possible, as in Fig. 31, supporting the upper by the lower, with a scantling plate between the two to prevent the passage of fire and vermin, and to support the floor joists. This method of putting in the partitions minimizes the danger of plaster cracks in the corners, as the partitions of both floors are supported by the girt of the lower floor, thus making the shrinkage of the house practically the same in the partitions and outside walls. If a house is built by laying a floor and constructing the partitions upon it, there will always be cracks in the plastering, as soon as the building seasons. This method has nothing to recommend it but its inexpensiveness, and is used only upon the cheapest class of houses, except as it is the method by which a closet or other unimportant partition is built.

In setting a partition, care must be used that the studs are set upon a straight line, with straight, double studs at the openings and angles. If a stud is so crooked that the laths and plaster will not cover the defect, say, over ¼" in the height of the partition, straighten it by making a saw cut in the the concave edge, and driving in a wedge as shown in Fig. 32. Nail a fishplate upon one side of the stud to give stiffness as indicated. A scantling which is badly sprung should be cut for headers and other short pieces, unless it is to be used in a place where it can be spiked straight.

Fig. 31. - Partitions.

Partitions should be bridged as at b, Fig. 21, for the reasons discussed in Topic 19. This is rarely done upon cheap balloon buildings, and it is this, more than anything else, which has won for this type of building the name of "fire trap." Unless necessary for stiffening, this bridging is often omitted in building a full or half frame house, as the solid girts close the fluelike spaces between the studs.