ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Pre bored studs

Why can't they design a stud (2x4, 2x3) with pre bored holes for our wires and pipes ? Or do they and I have been doing it the hardway for all these years ?

Sort of like a metal stud with pre punched holes only made out of lumber.

Could I be on to something here ?

The framers wouldn't line the holes up for you ,
just like metal framers
I went to a wood framed job once where there were holes already drilled in the studs.
I thought the carpenters had done me a favor.
The GC said that it was Canadian lumber, and by drilling a hole in each 2x4 they became a "manufactured product" . Thus they were not subject to an import tax on lumber.
Can anyone confirm?

Also heard similar reason from local lumber yard, less Tax, although he said they call it Used lumber because of the pre-drilled holes.

CMC

We've had pre drilled studs for a while here. Just can't find any framers that have enough sense to turn them all the same way.

We've had the predrilled studs here inTN for about five years. The big blue box store sells them,so they ain't used much. The first time we saw them I took a guy I worked with to go get some lumber and he got to a stack of them and started loading them when he realized they had holes in em. He showed me and said look somebody drilled em and brought em back. We didn't know the difference back then. The local lumber yard don't keep em. Now when can we get predrilled top plates 16" O.C., yeah right.