Advertiser Forum: Issues, Articles, and Omaha Anna Stamm If you’re like me, you’re away from your computer on the first day of October, choosing instead to attend the industry’s annual trade show, the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC). Held in Omaha, Nebraska this year, it has promised to be an exciting event. To... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 6
Home Building Technology, Part X: Competing Connectors Joe Kannapell, PE In multiple jurisdictions across the country, building code authorities questioned the viability of the curiously shaped metal plates being used on trusses during the last half of the 1950s. In South Florida, for example, four radically different looking plates appeared, with different... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 10
What If You Could Build Any Wall on One Line? Wendy Boyd Wall frame fabricators across North America are facing tighter timelines, fewer skilled workers, rising material costs, and increasing variation in project build types (from single-family homes to large-scale multi-unit developments). All of this comes while they strive to maintain quality and... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315
Far More Than Simple Cost Saving with TDC Time Standards Used with Paragon and AppWright Todd Drummond Last month’s article, “Pure Online Magic with Paragon, TDC Time Standards, and AppWright Job Management,”introduced the new and powerful synergy of Paragon and AppWright, which includes the TDC time standards offering. TDC time standards (R.E., S.U., or Man-Hours based on time... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 28
Do You Know Your ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3 Numbers? Glenn Traylor Inspired by frequent requests for a quick reference, I’ve created a single-sheet ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 3 guide—similar to a CliffsNotes version of the standard. Please note that important details are omitted; for a complete understanding, consult the full standard, National Design... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 33
Three Options, No Waiting – The RetroC Auto-Feeding SmartConveyor Edmond Lim, P.Eng. More than 120 proud RetroC owners will tell you that the auto-feeding of lumber is the most powerful feature of the Enventek RetroC automated component saw. Auto-feeding is made possible with Enventek’s SmartConveyor integrated with the RetroC’s clamping material feed chains. To... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 38
Rethinking Shear Transfer at Floor Transitions Jeff Vance Still defaulting to rim boards at every floor edge? In modern wood-framed construction, it’s worth taking a closer look at several detailing options including ribbon boards or top chord bearing detailing. These options can simplify construction and reduce blocking material while still... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 46
Alpine Linear Saw 5.0: A New Standard in Small Parts Handling Alpine Team Building on the legacy of over two decades of proven reliability and precision, the latest version of the Alpine Linear Saw (ALS) continues Alpine’s proud tradition of innovation. Designed and engineered to optimize cutting and material handling workflow, the ALS introduces a key... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 57
From Sketch to the Production Floor: How Prefabricated Construction Elements Become Reality with WEINMANN Machines Jesse Southard With my background working with woodworking manufacturers and the construction industry, I have always joked that a construction building is not that different from a cabinet: it is just a lot bigger and has many more parts and pieces that go into it. The truth is it is not that far from... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 62
From Idea to Market: The Journey of Building a New Machine Marco Gagnon Every piece of innovative equipment starts the same way — with an idea. But between that first spark of inspiration and the day the machine hits the market lies a long, intricate path of research, design, problem solving, and teamwork. At Element Equipment, part of the GOW Group, we are... Read More October 2025 Issue #17315 Page 75