Learning building is easier than you think 👍 #build #sheathing #learn #carpentry

Your house is made of two shapes. You have squares for your walls and triangles for your roof. Squares are weak and triangles are very strong. When downward forces are applied, the top is in compression and the bottom is in tension. So, these fasteners is all that holds this structure from spreading apart. So, to keep a house from falling over, we need to add more triangles. As a house is built, it'll get diagonal bracing. This is to help with shear forces before the sheathing gets installed. Keep in mind, all we're doing is making more triangles. We'll add another stud and since this is still weak, we'll add our sheathing. Adding sheathing makes our hinge points very strong. It's important to use the proper fasteners and spacing. Remember, the nails are what resist shear forces. You're more likely for a nail to shear than the sheathing pulling apart in tension. So, now we have triangles here, here, and here. Also, all throughout the sheathing and in multiple directions. In older homes that use slats, often the one buys would shrink with time and you get gaps between all these boards. If there was no bracing installed on the studs, shear forces would cause the house to rack. These gaps pinching each other is what keeps it from racking more. This is super common in old structures. Wood frame walls are great with compressive strength, but not great with shear strengths. This is how shear forces affect your structure. Uneven roof loads can cause a structure to rack, same with high winds, or other seismic stuff like earthquakes. Proper sheathing can keep a structure straight and strong and this helps with shear forces. Thanks for watching.