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Unlike solid-sawn lumber, the mechanical properties of some materials are greatly affected by ambient temperatures and solar-radiation heating, as depicted by the photograph. However, while the engineering design properties of solid-sawn lumber are not affected by ambient temperatures, they can...

A quick glance through the Simpson Strong-Tie® Wood Construction Connectors catalog shows that we manufacture at least 29 different models of face-mount wood-to-wood joist hangers, three separate models of face-mount wood-to-masonry hangers, 42 different models of top-flange wood-to-wood...

For those who just came here and those of us who have been here a long time, this a fine place to be. All of us are reaping the benefits given us by two generations who built a solid foundation for our industry, and a third generation now coming into its own. Not unlike our great country, which...

For most of us, the majority of our time we do things in the way we’ve done them before, for the reasons we’ve had before, and expecting the typical results. For many projects, that’s exactly how to operate! When we follow our habits and procedures, we’re able to capture...

Each and every machine, employee, and environment has unique limitations. It’s knowing how to exploit the strengths of each that will contribute to the success of the company and the success of each product line. We recognize the strengths of unconventional wall framing for the North...

German invaders have landed on our shores intent on leapfrogging our component industry. Their huge investment and their unconventional processes are now being tested on a jobsite not far from their high-tech, 200,000 sq. ft. Baltimore plant. Their name, Blueprint Robotics, invokes a...

What once was frowned upon has now become very common. Off-site designing and off-site sales individuals or teams can be a very good way to expand your company’s capabilities. The biggest driver of its emerging acceptability is the fact that the pool of talent is larger when looking...

Using a 6 x 6 plate instead of a 3 x 6 plate can make the Plate Placement Method fail the polygon rule. So what is happening? And how can this be resolved? What’s Happening In the image, the yellow area represents the connector optimal placement for the designed size of a 3 x 6...

Part 2 in our TIMWOODS Series When we last left off in our series, I introduced you to my friend, TIM WOODS. TIM WOODS is actually an acronym for the eight deadly wastes (Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-Processing, Over-Production, Defects, and Skills). While the acronym...

Engineers Week is February 19 – 25 February 19 – 25 is National Engineers Week. The week celebrates the impact engineers make on our daily lives and encourages young people to consider engineering as a career. For a trade association, AWC employs a lot of engineers and we see the...