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When I got the plan for the Edwards Residence, a two story home in Midland, Texas, the Architect had already worked with a Structural Engineer to come up with a framing plan. I worked closely with Siboney Diaz-Sanchez with Overland Partners Architects to be sure that our truss designs would meet...

Part 3 in our TIMWOODS Series Our friend, TIM WOODS, has been busy in many LBM and component operations and, as we continue our series, he has been seen sweeping “Inventory” down several operations’ drains. Inventory is another waste word in our TIMWOODS acronym for the...

Mass timber, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), has been in use worldwide for over 15 years, but most notably in Europe. However, North American designers and engineers are increasingly showing interest in picking up the trend. Building with mass timber for taller buildings has...

Have you heard the news? Lumber prices are up? Feel like punching me in the throat, don’t you? Over the past several months, we have been looking at ways to save money in the lumber market. Saving money adds money to your bank account, which means that saving money is part of our business...

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...