In the shop or on a job site, a stick is simply an individual piece of lumber. Carpenters use the term to refer to standard dimensional boards, such as a two-by-four or two-by-six, before they are cut or installed. It is a universal shorthand for raw framing material.
Heard on the job
We're going to need about forty more sticks of two-by-four to finish framing this basement.
Insider tip
Framing carpenters often refer to building a house from standard lumber as stick-framing, distinguishing it from timber framing or modular construction.