Trimmers for Dummies

trimmers in framed wall

It is quite common for our staffers to read through content crafted by content-farming freelancers and see self-appointed "expert researchers" who knew so little about the topic at hand that they missed the main point of their post. That's what drew one staffer's attention to the InfoBloom.com post, "In Construction, what is a Trimmer?" penned by frequent awardee Mary McMahon (pounded out at WiseGEEK way back in 2010 while she still pretended to be named S. E. Smith). 

Before we get into the details of McMahon's dumbassery on the topic, let's define a trimmer, or trimmer stud. Also known as a "jack stud," a trimmer is the framing member that a header rests upon. In most cases, framers place a trimmer at each end of the header. For very large openings, framing plans may call for a trimmer or trimmers within the opening, much like a column in the middle of a large, open doorway.

Here's how Mary defined a trimmer:

"A trimmer or trimmer stud is a component of a framed structure that provides additional support for an opening such as a door or window. Trimmers are needed to ensure that the structure remains stable and retains its structural integrity despite the creation of openings, because openings can create weak points in a structure."

You can see where Mary nibbled around the edges of the definition. She caught the bit about framing and openings, although the notion that trimmers supply support for "an opening" is rather bizarre. She did not, however, seem to understand that a trimmer stud supports a header spanning said opening. No kidding: her ONE mention of headers in this post is,

"It is possible to install separate trimmers to support the header and the sill..."

Which, we would like to point out, doesn't say squat about the importance of a header or its relationship to the trimmers. That's not to say that McMahon's information dump was otherwise useful. Here is more Mary-esque bogosity:

• "...studs run the length of the wall, connecting with the floor and roof joists." – Actually, studs run vertically, connecting the top plate to the sill.
• "Trimmer studs, along with other supportive members like king studs, distribute the weight of the structure above the opening around the opening..." – Gee, Mary, don't you think NOW would have been a good time to mention the header?
• "...ensuring that [the weight] dissipates evenly through the floor." – No, Mary, the weight dissipates (if you insist on using that word) through the foundation into GROUND, not "the floor."

McMahon finished with bizarre, off-topic blather about framing walls on the ground and raising them into place as a unit... apparently she didn't have enough words to meet WiseGEEK's minimum. Perhaps she should have said more about headers?

The reason why we give people like McMahon the Dumbass of the Day awards – ten of them, in Mary's case – is simply because we're tired of their contributions to the stupidification of the internet!

SE - FRAMING