On a recent truss plant visit, I watched a group of truss builders quickly assembling a structural gable truss. Most of the webs had been installed and the builders were top and back plating the truss. As I approached the builders, they relaxed their pace just a notch as I walked up to the web shown in the photo [for photo, See PDF or View in Full Issue]. The guy at the peak immediately realized my focus as the remaining builders continued to plate and back plate.
I am convinced that, had I not been present, this joint would have been plated just like you see it. My hope is that maybe, just maybe, the stackers might have caught the problem before the truss was vertically stacked, hiding this issue until the truss was delivered and hoisted to its new home.
They say a picture says a thousand words. Well, this photo screams! What does this photo say to you?
- Someone has not taken the time to train the truss builders on the importance of tooth count and the impact wane has on a connection.
- The table, or at least the specific builder, is unaware that wane provides zero tooth holding capability.
- The lumber picker is not up to speed on lumber selection and the impact of wane.
- The sawyer does not understand how important it is to qualify the lumber he loads into the saw.
- Some wane issues may be hard to determine—that is true. But this situation shouts the need for additional training.
- What would you say if you were buying a house and you saw this sort of quality? Being educated in the business, as some of our clients are, would you say this inspires confidence?
Here are two photos of less dramatic, but equally concerning, examples of excessive wane that I have observed at other plants [for photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue]. Would your shop have delivered these trusses to a jobsite?
Wane is the most common problem found by quality inspectors. It is one of the variables that will be around as long as we use naturally grown lumber. It must be addressed by training and review, so truss builders understand their responsibilities. Aside from the structural and safety concerns, at risk is your reputation as a responsible and trustworthy manufacturer.
An ANSI/TPI 1 3rd Party Quality Assurance Authorized Agent covering the Southeastern United States, Glenn Traylor is an independent consultant with almost four decades of experience in the structural building components industry. Glenn serves as a trainer-evaluator-auditor covering sales, design, PM, QA, customer service, and production elements of the truss industry. He also provides project management specifically pertaining to structural building components, including on-site inspections and ANSI/TPI 1 compliance assessments. Glenn provides new plant and retrofit designs, equipment evaluations, ROI, capacity analysis, and CPM analysis.