Patent ID: 7181887

Claim:
A bundle of pre-marked framing lumber product, comprising: (a) a plurality of pre-marked elongate pieces of lumber operative to assist in layout and assembly of a wall, wherein such wall comprises a bottom plate and a top plate, and a plurality of dimension studs extending between the bottom plate and the top plate at one or more of a limited number of pre-determined stud spacings along the bottom plate and the top plate, wherein respective ones of pre-marked said elongate pieces of lumber are operative for use in the bottom plate and/or the top plate, each said respective pre-marked elongate piece of lumber having a first end and a second end, and a length therebetween, a front surface ( 10 F) and a back surface ( 10 B), opposing sides ( 10 L, 10 R) extending between the front and back surfaces along the length thereof, and a thickness dimensions between the front surface ( 10 F) and the back surface ( 10 B), and between opposing sides thereof; (b) a plurality of stud locator markings ( 12 ), reflecting application of the markings by at least one of a marking machine or a lumber-modifying process, not by a hand-held marker, the stud locator markings being spaced from each other along the lengths of said pre-marked elongate pieces of lumber, and disposed directly on the front surfaces ( 10 F) of said pre-marked pieces of lumber, each said stud locator marking having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and defining a position for placement, on the respective front surface ( 10 F), of an end of a stud dimension lumber piece having opposing front ( 22 F) and back ( 22 B) stud surfaces which face along the length of said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber, and a thickness dimension therebetween, to be joined to the respective said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber, the respective said stud locator markings on the front surface ( 10 F) of said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber indicating where the front ( 22 F) and back ( 22 B) surfaces of respective stud lumber pieces are to intersect the respective front surface ( 10 F) of said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber; and (c) at least one strap ( 18 ) securing said plurality of pre-marked elongate pieces of lumber together as said bundle, the stud locator markings ( 12 ) on a respective said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber being spaced from each other along the length of said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber by at least one of the limited number of pre-determined stud spacings, respective said stud locator markings comprising a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the leading edge and the trailing edge are displaced from each other by approximately a standard thickness of such stud lumber piece, said stud locator markings being visually conspicuous on the front surface ( 10 F) of said pre-marked elongate piece of lumber so as to quickly catch the viewer's eye.