Abstract:
A stud spacer having a light frame with a row of stud-receiving spaced notches-with inverted U-shaped liners attached to forward and rearward walls. The frame is formed by two elongated sections of L-shape in cross section. Two legs of adjusting length support the frame. The liners have walls inclining outwardly at their lower ends.

Description:
THE FIELD OF THIS INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention is in the field of studding spaces for assisting a carpenter by holding studs at desired spacing preparatory to nailing the studs to top and bottom plates of a wall section.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The patents issued in the stud spacing art each show an advance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,567,586, issued to Werder, discloses a spacer with stud engaging lugs, which engages the end of the studs but not the tops thereof. Because the lugs project from the spacer frame, they receive less support. For this reason the lugs must be made of thick material such as thick steel thereby causing the tool to be expensive, heavy and unwieldy.  
           [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,973, issued to Liang, is drawn to a stud spacer used under the studs and hence does not disclose a reusable tool but an expensive permanent installation. The Currie invention of U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,320 is a layout template for making, only, and cannot physically hold stud-ends in place. The design taught by Diamontis in U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,415 must be dismantled.  
           [0004]    The spacer of Dreiling 4,527,337 is useful, but cannot be used without a chisel. The chiseling process would be labor intensive and time consuming. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,726, teaches a tool, which is designed as a heavy tool. The patent to Hardin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,921, is useful but complex and costly. The prior art studding spacers have been useful but are not on the market today to my knowledge.  
           [0005]    A special starting spacer with a large notch for a coroner stud, has long been needed. It would also need one or more single stud-notches to guide use of a later used longer spacer hereof, having many, many more notches.  
         OBJECTIVES  
         [0006]    An objective hereof is to provide a spacer that is hollow, light and easy to use. A hollow spacer could have the disadvantage of being: (a) too weak and bendable, or (b) or such heavy gauge metal as to be too heavy and too costly. But it is a purpose hereof, to overcome these disadvantages. He spacer hereof is strengthened by liners of inverted U-shape attached to the forward, and bottom walls of the frame. Each liner protects the light sheet metal edges of the frame at its notch.  
           [0007]    The formation of the box-like frame could be done by extrusion, but then the later cutting-in of the notches would be costly and slow. The solution, herein, is to make the frame of two L-shaped sections, each of one piece. The L-shaped sections are then attached together by welding to form horizontal and vertical walls of an elongated box-like configuration. This way, the notches can be done earlier and can be easily cut into the two frame sections, while each section is still flat stock, and before each is bent into an L-shape. Thus a strong, long-lasting spacer if formed at the lowest possibly cost, and yet of light weight and easy to maneuver.  
           [0008]    Adjustable legs under the new spacer support each spacer above a horizontal surface ready for placement of studs in the notches. The leg adjustability accommodates studs of varying dimensions.  
           [0009]    Easy stud placement in notches is provided by having the walls of each notch spaced further at their lower ends. The inclined walls of the notches then glide the studs into place.  
           [0010]    A handle at the center of balance makes for quick handling. A new special starting spacer is also provided herein, having a wide notch to receive a multiple-section, compound corner stud-group such a stud-group has two studs separated by spacers of stud thickness dimension. The new starting spacer also has one or more single-stud notches to guise use of a later-used, long spacer hereof. The starting spacer hereof can also be made longer, as disclosed herein, to serve as a single tool, rather than using two spacers.  
           [0011]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description and explanatory only are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.  
           [0012]    The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the specification, and illustrate embodiments, and principles of this invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    The numerous objects and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by those skilled in the art by following the drawings in which FIG. 1 is a frontal elevation of a starting spacer.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the starting spacer.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a top view of the starting spacer of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a left end view of the spacer of FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    Showing an end-closure wall. Another such closure wall is at the right end also.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a frontal elevation of a broken-away portion of a spacer modification having a notch liner.  
         [0019]    The remainder of this FIG. 5 modification is not shown, but it would be the same as FIG. 1, except that each notch would be lined.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 is a sectional view, somewhat as through FIG. 5 at a line  6 - 6 , but differing in that FIG. 6 shows a notch liner of the FIG. 5 type. FIG. 5A is a right end view of FIG. 1, except that the legs are not shown. The left end view is identical to the right end view.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a left end view of FIG. 1, but the left end wall is broken away in places and the legs are not shown.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is a front view of a second used spacer modification.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a bottom view of FIG. 8. 
     
    
       [0024]    No liners are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 as they are shown in FIG. 5 and  6 , but would be used in the FIG. 8 way.  
         [0025]    Notch liners are not shown in the notches of the spacer of FIG. 8 and  9 , because they are already illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, but liners would be used in the spacer of FIG. 8 also. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of FIG. 8.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]    In FIG. 1 is a starting spacer  10  and also a first used, first spacer  10 , having an elongated frame  12 , having a rearward surface  19 , FIG. 3.  
         [0027]    As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the frame  12  has a first notch  20  in the underside  21  thereof. The first notch  20  has a vertical, planar, right end starting surface  22  or first surface  22 , extending directly rearwardly from a vertical, planar, forward surface  23  of the frame  12 .  
         [0028]    There is a first distance A, of  16  inches, from the top of the left end, upwardly extending, right wall  24  of the first notch  20 , to the surface  22 . The center of a second notch  27  is spaced from the upper end of the left wall  24  by a  16  inch second distance B.  
         [0029]    Having the first and second notches  20  and  27 , the starting first spacer is capable of starting at different times, wall section stud spacing of 16 inches, and 24 inches, for 2×4 studs, and 2×6 studs respectively. In FIG. 1, the first notch  20  has its left upwardly extending wall  24  inclining with respect to a vertical dotted line  25  in a manner causing the lower end of the first  20  notch to be wider, left to right, for the easy entry of the studs not shown.  
         [0030]    The frame  12  has a third notch  28 , having upright, right and left, walls  29 , which are preferably inclined with respect to the vertical, so as to cause the lower ends of the sides of the notch  27  to be more widely spaced than there above. This provides easier entry and exit of studs.  
         [0031]    The same wall inching is also used on the walls of the third notch  28 . In FIGS. 1 and 7 the frame  12  is horizontally elongated having front and rear frame sections  46  and  48 , which are each I-shaped in cross section Horizontal frame portions  50 ,  52 , of the sections  46  and  48 , respectively, in FIG. 7 are provided. Each of the one piece frame sections  46 ,  38 , has a vertical portion  54 ,  56  respectively, and each-also has an integral horizontal portion  50  or  52 . The bottom horizontal portion  50  defines a bottom wall of the frame  12 , and the horizontal portion  52  defines a top wall of the frame  12 .  
         [0032]    In FIG. 1, a handle  40  is attached to the top of the frame above the center of gravity  42  of the first section  10 . In FIG. 7, each horizontal portion  50 ,  52  has its terminal end  62 , 64  connected by exterior welding  70 ,  72  to the vertical portions  56 ,  54  of the respective other one of the frame members  46  or  48 .  
         [0033]    Vertical forward and rearward planar surfaces  74  and  76  of the frame  12  are formed, FIG. 7, by the exterior of the vertical wall portions  54  and  56 .  
         [0034]    In FIG. 5A, right and left end walls  84  extend transversely to the frame  12 , closing the end of the frame  12 . The right and left end walls  84  of the frame  12  are identical.  
         [0035]    The end walls  84  are each secured by welding and are at 90 degrees to the forward and rearward side walls  23  and  19 . Notch liners are not shown in the notches of the spacer of FIGS. 8 and 9, because they are already illustrated in the FIGS. 5 and 6, but liners would be used in the spacer of FIG. 8 also. The frame  12  of FIG. 1 can have notch liners such as are shown in FIG. 6 and  7 , in the notches  20 ,  80  and  82 , but liner are not shown in figured.  
         [0036]    The frame  12  can be made of a simple inverted “U” shape and be without the notch liners  100 . But the more transverse connection structure there is between the forward and rearward sidewalls  19  and  23 , the better.  
         [0037]    In FIGS. 1 and 2, at each end of the spacer frame  12 , is one of two leg assemblies  90 , each having an elongated threaded shaft  92  with a foot  94  at its lower end. In example FIG. 2 each threaded shaft  92  extends upwardly from the foot  94  through a nut or threaded member  96  welded to the bottom wall  50 .  
         [0038]    Each shaft  92  extends upwardly into the frame  12  various distances. The length of the protruding part of a respective leg is rotationally adjustable.  
         [0039]    In FIG. 5, a sample notch liner  100  has a top wall  102 , and left and right sidewalls  104  and  106 , downwardly extending from the top wall  102  so that each liner is of an inverted “U” shape.  
         [0040]    The top and side walls  102 ,  104  and  106  are each welded to the front and rear walls  56 , and  54  of the frame  12 . The weldings are at  110 ,  112  and  114  in FIG. 5.  
         [0041]    The liners  100  are sized to removeably receive studs inserted into them and the notches are accordingly spaced along the spacer  10  so that when studs are inserted into the notches, the studs are appropriately spaced for the wall being built. After work on the studs is completed the studding spacer  10  may be easily removed from the studs and transported.  
         [0042]    In FIGS. 8 and 9, a second-used second spacer  160  which has a frame of a construction identical to the first used spacer of FIGS.  1  to  7 . Although the length of this spacer  160  is much longer.  
         [0043]    The frame  162  has a handle  190  attached to its top above its center of gravity  192 .  
         [0044]    Some notch spacing in FIG. 8 are of one greater dimension as at G, J, and K, others are different small dimensions as at H, I, J, and M.  
         [0045]    The second spacer frame  162  has notches  170 ,  172 ,  174 ,  178 ,  180 ,  182 , and  184  which are each of a width, from right to left, to receive studding commonly called a 2 by 4, or a 2 by 6 and the notch spacings are fit for such studdings.  
         [0046]    The studding spacers described herein are preferably composed of sheet metal. However, future developments of plastic and graphite compounds of sufficient rigidity, durability, and cost efficiency could be used.  
         [0047]    It will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangements of the components of the spacers hereof without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention and without sacrificing all of its material advantages.  
         [0048]    The form of the spacers above are merely explanatory embodiments. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include many changes.