Old timer at the lumber yard changed my mind about pre-cut studs today

I've always been the guy who buys 16-footers and cuts everything myself. Thought it saved money and looked cleaner. This gray haired guy named Frank saw me loading up and just goes "you know they sell pre-cut 92 5/8 for like 30 cents more?" Then he showed me his pickup bed full of them and said he framed his whole basement in 2 days without a saw. Made me realize I've been wasting time measuring every single stud when the waste is basically nothing. Has anyone else switched to pre-cuts and regretted it or been happy?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_chen10d ago

Pre-cuts are a no brainer until you hit a ceiling that dips or an old house with wonky floor joists. Anyone who swears by them has never tried to fit a 92 5/8 into a 92 inch space.

jana_lewis1610d ago

And then you add in an old foundation that's settled a quarter inch on one side, now your plumb cuts are all over the place. Pre-cuts are fine for new construction on a perfect slab but they're basically useless once you hit any real world variables. Why would anyone trust a factory measurement over actually measuring the damn space yourself?