MiTek Staff

Wood Member-To-Wood Member Gaps

MiTek Staff

MiTek engineers are often asked what maximum gaps are allowed for wood member-to-wood member in metal-plate-connected wood trusses. Gaps between wood members are addressed in Chapter 3 Quality Criteria for the Manufacture of Metal-Plate-Connected Wood Trusses of the ANSI/TPI 1-2014 (National...

#15291 Cover image
October 2023
Issue #15291
Page 113
Glenn Traylor

Should We Seal All Engineered Drawings?

Glenn Traylor

Recently, while conducting an ANSI/TPI audit, a splice caught my eye. When I investigated further, I realized that the bottom chord of the truss I was investigating had a very short, 2” chord segment. I immediately assumed the truss builders had cut a short block to make up for a miss-cut...

#15286 Cover image
May 2023
Issue #15286
Page 37
Geordie Secord

Design Connections: Is There Ever Just One Right Way?

Geordie Secord

If you have spent your truss career in one region, and even more so with just one company, you will have seen that, generally speaking, your competitors and co-workers tend to frame houses essentially the same way. Only when you are exposed to a different company or region do you start to see...

#15284 Cover image
March 2023
Issue #15284
Page 80
Russell Tangren, PE

Understanding Plate Tooth Count and Placement

Russell Tangren, PE

Imagine a third-party truss inspector is in the yard checking truss plates as part of quality control. The plate placement diagram indicates the web needs twenty-five teeth; however, the inspector counts twenty. Even though the shop positioned the plates as designed, is the plate placement...

#14281 Cover image
December 2022
Issue #14281
Page 80
MSR Lumber Producers Council

Building Confidence: Understanding the Technology Behind MSR Lumber

MSR Lumber Producers Council

In our October article, Because Good Ingredients Matter, we focus on the word quality and the many ways that MSR lumber has become synonymous with high quality structural building components. Having laid the groundwork for why MSR has become so important for optimizing truss designs and an...

#14281 Cover image
December 2022
Issue #14281
Page 94
Glenn Traylor

Are You Counting Your Teeth Correctly?

Glenn Traylor

On occasion, we are required to utilize a detailed tooth count to qualify a connection on a metal plate connected wood truss. Fortunately, we have several tools that can assist us. My June article, “Which is Better: Plate Placement Method or Tooth Count Method?”, includes a...

#14279 Cover image
October 2022
Issue #14279
Page 33
MSR Lumber Producers Council

Because Good Ingredients Matter

MSR Lumber Producers Council

Since the 1960s, fabricators have used machine stress rated (MSR) lumber of all species to improve the performance and reliability of their engineered components and structures. Nowadays, you don’t have to look far to find a successful component manufacturer who relies heavily on MSR...

#14279 Cover image
October 2022
Issue #14279
Page 90
Geordie Secord

Design Connections: Design: Software Power or Brain Power?

Geordie Secord

I sometimes wonder if I am at risk of becoming the truss designer version of the grouchy old man that sits on the front porch yelling at the neighborhood kids to “get off my lawn.” When I hear some newer designer criticize the limitations of today’s truss layout and design...

#14278 Cover image
September 2022
Issue #14278
Page 86
Glenn Traylor

What is the Value of a Floating Chase?

Glenn Traylor

The development of the 4 x 2 floor truss system revolutionized the truss industry. Plating to the narrow edge of the chord members presented some issues, but all in all it allowed component fabricators another product offering, expanding their potential business. In the original designs, it was...

#14277 Cover image
August 2022
Issue #14277
Page 29
Glenn Traylor

Which is Better: Plate Placement Method or Tooth Count Method?

Glenn Traylor

To answer the question of which is the better method, we should start with a little background. A critical plate is a plate with a Joint Stress Index of 80% or greater. The ANSI/TPI 1–2014 Standard stipulates that critical plate inspections must be conducted when completing the three...

#14275 Cover image
June 2022
Issue #14275
Page 39
123456

Search By Keyword

Issues

Book icon Issuu Bookshelf