Yeah, I ran into something similar a couple years ago when we were putting up a duplex. Thought we'd be clever and go with engineered studs to keep things straight and simple, but it didn't quite pan out that way. We had some minor bowing issues too—not enough to scrap the whole idea, but just enough to make finishing work a bit of a pain.
"Engineered stuff is great in theory, but sometimes old-school just works better in practice."
Exactly this. Dimensional lumber might not always be perfectly straight off the pile, but at least you can usually finesse it into place or shave off a bit here and there. With engineered lumber, once it's bowed or twisted even slightly, you're kinda stuck with it. Still think engineered products have their place—especially for longer spans or structural beams—but for studs and smaller framing jobs, dimensional lumber just feels more forgiving overall. Glad I'm not the only one who's had this experience...
Had a similar experience renovating our basement last year:
- Went with engineered studs thinking they'd save time and hassle.
- Ended up with slight twists that made drywalling a headache.
- Couldn't just shave or adjust them like regular lumber, had to get creative with shims and mudding.
"Dimensional lumber might not always be perfectly straight off the pile, but at least you can usually finesse it into place..."
Exactly my takeaway. Engineered stuff's great for beams, but for smaller framing jobs, I'll stick to old-school lumber next time.
Had a similar issue myself when I tried engineered studs in my workshop. They're great in theory, but like you said, once they're slightly off, it's a real pain to correct. Dimensional lumber might have its quirks too, but at least you can plane it down or shim it easily enough. Good call sticking with traditional lumber for smaller framing—sometimes the simplest solution is still the best one.
Totally get where you're coming from. I've found dimensional lumber to be much more forgiving too, especially when you're aiming for precision in smaller projects. Engineered studs do have their place—like longer spans or bigger builds—but yeah, for workshops or smaller framing jobs, traditional lumber just makes sense. Sometimes the elegance of simplicity outweighs the theoretical perks of more advanced materials... good decision trusting your instincts on this one.
You're definitely on the right track here. When I built my first shed, I struggled a bit with keeping walls straight too. One thing that helped me was laying everything flat on the ground first, squaring it up corner-to-corner, and then temporarily bracing diagonally before lifting it into place. Made a huge difference in keeping things aligned. Stick with it—sounds like you've got solid instincts already.
