The bottom plates of your walls are straight because they’ve been nailed to chalklines. The top plates should be fairly straight if you used straight stock when plating. But walls can deviate from straight at the top plate, and that’s where we need to check them. The easiest way to line a wall is to hop up on a ladder and look down the top plate to see if it’s straight. A lot of carpentry is done by eye.
Learn to trust vour eve. If something looks
* 4 C7
good, it is good. On long walls, it may be best to stretch a line (string) the length of the wall, as shown in the top photo at right. Nail a 2x block to each end of the wall and stretch the line tightly from one block to the other. Using another scrap of 2x as a gauge, slide it along the wall and check for a consistent 1 i^-in. space between the line and the wall.
To straighten a crooked walk you’ll need to move it in or out. To move a wall out, use two Шnails to secure a 2x brace to the nearest
and bend the brace upward. As the brace Hexes upward, the top plate moves in. This works especially well on a wall that is badly out of line.
Make sure you use enough temporary — braces as you plumb and straighten the walls to keep every wall in place. Put braces on straight walls as well. Using plenty of braces ensures that the building will be held plumb and straight. Leave all the braces in place until the roof trusses and sheathing have been installed to prevent any frame movement.
