The Last Word: Can Crooked Lumber Defeat Robotics? Joe Kannapell, PE A robot visited the BCMC Show floor again this year, and, for the first time, really showed its stuff, picking truss plates like there was no tomorrow. And its dynamic demo couldn’t be missed, as House of Design (HoD) positioned their Nail Plate Picking Cell right at the exhibit’s... Read More October 2023 Issue #15291 Page 134
Floor Truss Technology, Part IV: Second Generation Machinery Joe Kannapell, PE Seeing floor trusses for the first time, Dick Rotto immediately pursued an order, even before he had a floor machine or the know-how to build floor trusses. He and his young crew at Trussway had many questions though, as did every CM taking on this intriguing new product. What kind of table... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 10
Race to Indy for BCMC 2023 Tracy Roe The word is out — component manufacturers design faster, reduce costs and waste, and build more with our trailblazing TrueBuild® software suite and connector products. Now, are you ready to learn more about what Eagle has to offer? If so, come see us at BCMC! Our industry’s #1... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 49
Scale Your Business & Profits MiTek Staff As a component manufacturer, you enable better building. As a partner to CMs across the country, MiTek does the same — from advanced design software and automated production equipment to innovative and integrated technologies that lead to a more profitable and stable future for your... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 54
Introducing the New Raking Wall Framer By Vekta Ed Serrano Vekta is known in the industry for our market-leading Razer V5 Linear Saw, but it’s our culture of innovation that defines our unique product and systems solutions. Today, Vekta’s current system technologies range covers many of the manufacturing processes involved in producing... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 74
The Last Word: The Last Word on Seventy Years of Service Joe Kannapell, PE As we celebrate SBCA/WTCA’s forty years, let’s also recognize the entrepreneurs behind them, especially these twelve who made outstanding contributions. While each of them added something unique, their work was interrelated, and formed the foundation for today’s truss industry.... Read More September 2023 Issue #15290 Page 139
Floor Truss Technology, Part III: Floor Design Intricacies Joe Kannapell, PE The advent of floor trusses gave us new insights that continue to be refined today. They also gave us a peek into whole house design with the promise of a fully componentized house. For the first time, they challenged us to build something that people could live on top of, rather than just... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 10
The Last Word: Two Titans: Denig and Toombs Joe Kannapell, PE With the recent passing of Tom Denig, which was not long after Gene Toombs’, we should take a moment to reflect on their stunning success, gained while working separately and together. They both took over highly technical companies in the early 1990s, Denig at Trus Joist and Toombs at... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 136
Floor Truss Technology, Part II: Early Machinery Joe Kannapell, PE It wasn’t enough for Jack Schmitt, President of Truswal, to introduce wood-web floor trusses. He also had to demonstrate how to build them, and that required a special machine. Schmitt turned to his trusted associate, Carl Virta, to come up with a process, and Carl knew who could help him.... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 10
The Last Word: The Rise of the Floor Truss Joe Kannapell, PE Among the first advocates for floor trusses were two men who would later create an acclaimed component plant. Dwight Hikel and Chris Ditzel made early inroads at Fort McHenry Lumber, such that Ditzel declared in 1972, “I think we will be eventually doing 2-1/2 times the volume in floor... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 132