Do you prefer using a linear saw or a component saw? Both saws can cut lumber cleanly, so other factors need to be considered, especially when batching your cutting. Often, batching decisions are made solely on cutting quantity. While this is a very important factor, the decision is more...

When one of the largest truss companies came to see JAX The Wood Retriever picking for three saws, they asked, “Why not five saws?” Watching our one gantry doing a good job, it became obvious that the JAX system could operate with more than one JAX gantry, like a roof truss...

For component manufacturers who rely on machine stress rated (MSR) lumber in their day-to-day operations, the annual MSR Workshop continues to distinguish itself as one of the most valuable events on the industry calendar. The 2026 Workshop, held at the end of April in Orange Beach, AL, once...

Technology, like we observed at last month’s Annual MSR Workshop, is the main reason Southern Pine has surpassed Douglas Fir as the predominant truss material. But, making this challenging transition has taken the work of lumber producers and their truss plant consumers. What’s more,...

Purchasing the correct grade of lumber to match your design drawing requirements is only one step in selecting the right lumber. Previously, we’ve discussed lumber quality in “Who is Responsible for Lumber Quality in Your Trusses?,” but let’s expand that discussion with...

In hockey, “Dump and Chase” is highly effective depending on how deep the puck is dumped into the opposing team’s defensive zone, and how hard the dumping team will chase and fight to get back possession of the puck. The strategy is to physically punish the defending team and...

Structural building component manufacturers across North America often track metrics like walls, floors, and trusses shipped each day, labor hours per unit, machine uptime, and on-time delivery. These numbers are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. There’s a quieter...

I’ve been to Boston a few times, but like most business and installation trips, it usually goes the same way: fly into the airport, drive a few hours, get the work done, and head straight back home. There’s never any time to actually pause and “stop to smell the...

When we launched JAX over 2½ years ago, we knew we were building something special even though JAX breaks no new ground in technology. JAX uses a proven industrial-grade material handling system combined with vacuum-operated lumber pickup heads, which can be configured in multiple ways to...

The MSR Workshop has a solid reputation for providing practical, real world learning, and this spring’s program in Orange Beach, Alabama is shaping up to be one of the strongest yet. The 2026 agenda features two concentrated blocks of educational sessions — Thursday morning (8 am to...