Antiracking support brace for a building wall

Claim 1

In a building wall having upper and lower plates connected by corner posts and having a plurality of substantially equally spaced generally upright studs between said posts, at least certain of said corner posts and studs having a pair of spaced saw kerfs aligned with saw kerfs of adjacent posts and studs, and at an angle to said upper and lower plates, an antiracking support brace connected to at least three of said posts and studs, said brace including an elongated generally U-shaped member having a relatively wide web portion with a relatively narrow flange extending entirely along each side thereof, each of said flanges being of a width less than half the width of said web portion and seated within said saw kerfs, each of said flanges having a plurality of spaced instruck generally triangular teeth, each of said teeth having a penetrating point located out of the plane of the flange and engaging the wood adjacent to said saw kerf and resisting outward movement of the brace, said elongated member being constructed of approximately 20-gauge sheet metal having high tensile strength, said web portion having a multiplicity of spaced openings arranged in longitudinal rows and transverse columns, said openings being spaced apart a short distance whereby at least three openings are in alignment with each of the posts and studs which the brace crosses, fastening means having a shank portion and a head portion securing said brace to said posts and studs, each of the openings of said web portion being initially of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the shank portion of the fastening means, the walls defining the openings being deformed by and gripping the fastening means and the head portion preventing the fastening.