Design Connections: Is There Ever Just One Right Way? Geordie Secord If you have spent your truss career in one region, and even more so with just one company, you will have seen that, generally speaking, your competitors and co-workers tend to frame houses essentially the same way. Only when you are exposed to a different company or region do you start to see... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 80
Truss Plates and Nail Inventions from Finland Tuomo Poutanen In his series on The Development of the Truss Plate, Joe Kannapell is recounting many interesting details on the evolution of truss plates in the U.S. For another perspective, this article will focus on eight relevant nail plate truss inventions from Finland —two made by Matti Turulin, two... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 86
Deals Report 2022: Tracking the Openings, Closings, and Acquisitions Craig Webb Where you wanted to be and what you wanted to sell both figured mightily as factors in construction supply’s acquisition, openings, and closures activity in 2022. Deals were almost as numerous as in 2021, but big deals were rarer. Meanwhile, greenfield openings were far more... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 90
Minimum Uniformly Distributed Live Load For Habitable Attics MiTek Staff Attic truss with 7 feet room height – should it be designed for 20 psf (pounds per square foot), 30 psf or 40 psf room live load? IRC (International Residential Code) defines Habitable Space as a space in a building for living, sleeping, eating, or cooking. Per IRC 2018 Table... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 93
Reviewing 2021 IBC Changes for Cold-Formed Steel Light-Frame Design Jeff Ellis “Change is the only constant in life” and “When you are finished changing, you are finished” are quotes from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus and Benjamin Franklin, respectively. I’m reminded of them as I review the numerous changes to codes and standards... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 100
The Last Word: Is the Future Flat? Joe Kannapell Seeing so many flat roofs early this year made me wonder if the future of truss building will be flat. During the January SBCA Phoenix Open Quarterly Meetings, some of us saw Truss Fab Components’ yard loaded with flat trusses, and others saw the flat roof lines of Frank Lloyd... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 128