Metal stud

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Attention is first directed to FIG.
1, which shows an insert 10 which includes a main wall 12 having parallel side edges 14 and 15, from which two parallel lateral walls 18 and 19 extend in the same direction.
Before completing the description of the insert 10 of FIG.
1, attention is directed to FIG.
2, for a description of the main stud 20.
As can be seen, the stud 20 has a flat, upstanding main wall 22 with two opposed parallel edges 24 and 26, and two similar parallel side walls 28 and 30 extending in the same direction from the edges 24, 26 respectively, and integral with the main wall.
Each side wall 28, 30 has, remote from the main wall 22, and integral flange 32 extending toward the opposed side wall.
As can be seen particularly in FIGS.
2, 3 and 5, the insert 10 is configured and sized to be snugly and slidably received within the metal stud at one end, such that the parallel lateral walls 18 and 19 lie inwardly along the side walls 28, 30 respectively, of the stud 20.
The lateral walls 18, 19 are provided with recess means located so as to allow fasteners to secure a sheet of covering material to the respective side wall of the main stud without interfering with the ability of the insert 10 to move longitudinally with respect to the stud 20.
More particularly, the recess means is constituted, for each lateral wall 18, 19, by a generally centrally positioned, elongate slot 34 which is disposed parallel with the edges of the respective lateral wall 18, 19.
The provision of the slot 34 allows fasteners to secure a sheet of covering material to the respective side walls 28, 30 of the stud 20, without interfering with the ability of the insert to move longitudinally.
As can be seen, each of the parallel lateral walls 18, 19 has, at one end (the top end) of the insert 10, an outwardly stepped, integral end portion 40 configured such that the distance between the outer surfaces of the outwardly stepped end portions is substantially identical with the distance between the outer surfaces of the side walls 28, 30 of the metal stud 20, thus allowing the outwardly stepped end of the insert 10 to be snugly receivable within a horizontal upper track 42 of conventional nature, sized to receive either end of the metal stud