Library

All human beings are flawed, some more so than others. When I think of Dan Holland, I cannot remember a time when he was anything less than a very good man. For more than a decade, I worked with Dan at WTCA/SBCA, both in his role as WTCA President and as Chapter President of the Mid South...

To complete this floor series, it’s worth examining how we’re doing against I-joists. [For all graphs and images, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] Mixed Signals: Many CMs think trusses are slowly making gains, and this is backed up by the brisk sales of floor machines. However,...

Over 7 years ago, we introduced the first of our new generation Spida Wall Extruders to the market. Today, we have taken a massive step further and it just keeps getting better. Recently demonstrated at BCMC 2023, the Spida Raked Wall Extruder can do it all – and it is only one part of an...

The winter months are normally the time to make changes to your processes within your area of influence. Depending on how your company is structured for decision-making, your influence and actions to stay competitive in the face of ever-increasing challenges will determine the long-term...

Originally intended as an improvement in lumber manufacturing, most dimensional lumber used for framing has a radius corner created during the planing process. The rounded corner radius is intended to make the lumber easier to handle and can improve the lumber’s performance because sharp...

Catching and stacking lumber can make or break productivity at the truss build tables. In an imaginary world where money is irrelevant, a linear saw in front of each automated truss jig would be ideal, cutting pieces in order from, let’s say, 60 ft finger-joined lumber, and robots grabbing...

The question of what’s the difference between a lease and a loan comes up often, and there are some clear differences that can affect how a client decides to finance their commercial equipment. When a client decides to lease equipment, they make regular lease payments for the right to...

Beginnings always feed the temptation to look ahead and make predictions, and recent economic news, podcasts, and websites have featured their fill. 2024 went out on a fairly positive note and it was tempting to try to extend that optimism beyond the first few weeks of January. But despite...

In the dynamic landscape of corporate growth, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become a common strategy for companies aiming to expand their market presence and enhance their capabilities. While these endeavors hold promises of increased efficiency and amplified market share, the process...

Over the course of 38+ years in the truss and component business, I’ve had the opportunity to see many unusual approaches to designing single family homes. Some I’ve thought were interesting, some were puzzling, and some were just odd – at least to my eye. Here are some that...