Powered by people, a manual line in an average component plant is composed of a rough opening station, a subcomponent station, a framing station, a squaring station, and a sheathing station. In the configuration, typically 8 people are on this line, and 1000 LNFT of output is the average goal...

Once in a while, I’m asked—Is there ever an occasion when connectors on both sides of the truss need exact placement? Well, the answer might surprise you. There are, in fact, several situations where the top face connector and the bottom face connector need to be exactly...

Last month’s fine article by Glenn Traylor, “How Do I Choose Which Plates for a Critical Plate Inspection?”, reminded me of investigative experiences I’ve had throughout my career. The work of truss builders is extremely important, as evidenced by instances of truss...

The requirement is: an inspector will, on average, inspect one critical plate for every inspection made during a week. That requirement is the baseline number for the quantity of critical inspections to perform—but because some trusses do not have critical plates, it’s necessary to...

In the November 2017 article, “So Who Exactly is Responsible for Lumber Quality?”, we discuss the abundance of quality building materials and the responsibility of the fabricator to evaluate their application in products. We should recall the ultimate decision maker in determining...

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 inspections per station/per shift/per week requirement. On average, the standard requires one...

When a 3rd party inspector inspects a licensed plant, what exactly are the auditors looking for? And what can the fabricator get from the experience? What the inspection is NOT, and why that matters: The part 1 audit of the in-house paperwork is not a grade on neatness. It’s an...

Despite our reservations about Southern Pine lumber, the timber industry is betting billions that we’ll buy it. Soon the output of SYP mills will race past other domestic species. Fortunately, technological improvements, both at the saw mill and in our component plants, aim to overcome our...

After recently upgrading to a newer vehicle, I have been amazed at the new safety features. While it’s not self-driving, the features are definitely approaching an autonomous car. The basic functions are things like active cruise control with the “stop&go” function, which...

Per ANSI/TPI 1–2014, National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction, plates should be installed within a 10 degree tolerance. So what happens when the plate is rotated and exceeds this requirement? The simple answer is: the configuration and design of...