Serving Central California
from Bakersfield/San Luis Obispo north to Sacramento/Santa Rosa

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PO Box 487, Mariposa, CA 95338

Wood-Framed Shear Wall Construction-- an Illustrated Guide Currently out of stock --please order from the publisher (enter 4020S as the "product ID"). If the above link does not work, visit www.iccsafe.org/STORE and click on "Quick Order" on the left side of the page.

Got questions about Shear Walls? Collectors? Hold-downs? Find the answers in Wood-Framed Shear Wall Construction-- an Illustrated Guide by Thor Matteson, Structural Engineer View the Introduction or Table of Contents of the book, or book reviews.

Reviewed in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of Light Construction "easy to understand... In my opinion, it should be required reading for superintendents, inspectors, and anyone who leads a framing crew. " --Tim Uhler HTML Version of Review Or: PDF Version of Review (Note: this file may only be available to JLC Online members...)

This guide will help carpenters, builders, designers and inspectors understand the construction of wood-framed shear walls. Written by a former carpenter in terms that carpenters will understand, this 8-1/2 x 11, 100-plus page guide contains over 140 photos and diagrams. Carpenters and builders will find this book indispensable. Students, engineers, designers and inspectors will discover valuable information and tips throughout the guide. The International Code Council, or ICC--the same organization that publishes the International Building Code--released Wood-Framed Shear Wall Construction--an Illustrated Guide in March, 2004. Introduction This guide will give carpenters and others interested in residential construction an understanding of one of the most important building components in today's typical homes: the wood-framed shear wall. As a Structural Engineer and former carpenter, I have many years of experience in residential construction, both designing and building. I began to wonder why I kept seeing the same shear wall problems repeated throughout the West, and offered to give a talk to the local contractors association on shear wall basics. While preparing for this presentation I looked for any references I could suggest for those seeking more information on shear walls. I reviewed dozens of books on carpentry and construction, but did not turn up anything I felt addressed many of the conditions carpenters must often deal with in the field. Engineers have many resources on shear wall design. I present much of this knowledge in terms that will make sense to builders. This guide fills the void between what current publications present about shear wall construction and what engineers always thought carpenters knew. The first sections of this guide cover the basic principles of shear walls. This will not make you an engineer, but will show you the essential five ingredients in any shear wall. The Construction Requirements section covers many basic situations carpenters encounter while building shear walls, and the correct ways to approach them. The "Quick Start" figure on the inside cover illustrates many of these requirements. The last sections present several advanced topics related to shear walls, such as collectors (drag-ties or drag-struts), shear walls with sloping tops, openings in shear walls, building shear walls on stepped footings, etc. Back to top Table of Contents Background Information Purpose of Shear Walls Why Shear Walls Matter Some Misconceptions About Shear Walls Damage Control Versus Life-Safety Why so Much Fuss About Shear Walls Recently? Shear Walls and the Building Codes How Shear Walls Work Basic Shear Wall Concepts Five Essential Shear Wall Principles Generic Wood-framed Shear Walls (Beyond the Schematic Diagrams) What Happens to Shear Walls in Laboratory Tests Example: Shear Wall on a Slab Foundation, with Real Numbers Construction Requirements Basic Shear Wall Requirements and Solutions to Common Problems Action--Getting the Loads into the Shear Wall Reaction--Transferring the Load From the Shear Wall to the Structure Below Shear Strength--Making the Wall Strong Enough to Resist the Load Tie-downs--Keeping Your Shear Walls from Rocking Up and Down Bearing Capacity at End Posts--Keeping Your Shear Walls from Punching into the Structure Below Myths That Cost You Time and Money Related Topics Foundation Considerations Prefabricated Shear Walls and Bracing Panels Collectors (Also Known as Drag-Struts or Drag-Ties) Wood Shrinkage Advanced Shear Walls Openings Through Shear Walls Shear Walls with Sloping Tops Stepped Footings--Hillside Anchors Hardware Manufacturers Miscellaneous Hardware Prefabricated Shear Walls or Bracing Panels Appendix A--Australian Approach to Shear Wall Tie-downs Appendix B--Engineering Principles of Shear Walls with Sloping Top Plates Glossary References Back to top What the reviewers said: "Wood-Framed Shear Wall Construction-an Illustrated Guide should be required reading for every builder, building inspector and engineer." Alfred Commins Commins Manufacturing Inc. Friday Harbor, WA January 2003 "Well done! I would like a copy for each job foreman in my company. I'd like to get a copy for the building inspectors and engineers, too." Jesse Christensen Christensen Brothers Construction Castro Valley, CA "Good work. This will fill a real need." Nels Roselund, SE the Roselund Engineering Company Rosemead, CA "A great addition to any construction person's library" John Gardner Gardner Estimating Services Paso Robles, CA "Very well written" Ian Cadell, General Contractor Sequim, WA "Good work! A lot of practical insight. I'll definitely recommend it to people." Zeno Martin, Professional Engineer APA--the Engineered Wood Association Tacoma, WA "I believe it will help both the builder and inspector." Theodore L. Droessler, PE, Principal Engineer Clark County Department of Development Services, Inspection Division Las Vegas, NV Back to top Interested parties may download a non-printable PDF version of APPENDIX B of the Guide, "Engineering Principles of Shear Walls with Sloping Top Plates." (This is provided as a public service to the engineering community in the hope of promoting better design of sloping shear walls.)

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