Is This Happening at Your Plant? Glenn Traylor At a recent TPI 3rd Party Audit, the In-Plant Inspector (IPI) and I were inspecting trusses coming off the line as is normal in an audit. A stacked truss caught my eye, mainly because the top plate did not line up with the plate on the opposite side of the truss. Upon careful examination, indeed... Read More September 2019 Issue #11242 Page 38
Do Connectors on Both Sides of a Truss Ever Need to be Placed Exactly? Glenn Traylor 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... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 38
All Things Wood: The Critical Job of Truss Builders Frank Woeste 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... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 56
How Do I Choose Which Plates for a Critical Plate Inspection? Glenn Traylor 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... Read More May 2019 Issue #11238 Page 36
What Decisions Should Truss Builders Be Able to Make? Glenn Traylor 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... Read More April 2019 Issue #11237 Page 34
Errors in Substituting Dead Load for Live Load in Wood Design Scott Coffman Introduction Custom kitchens, with high-end appliances, granite countertops, and central islands, are becoming more and more prevalent in the home market today. These products and finishes are heavy and the dead loads from the central islands and/or cabinets positioned along interior... Read More October 2018 Issue #10231 Page 48
What is the Most Common Fabrication Issue That Impacts a Truss? Glenn Traylor The most common problem typically encountered is excessive defects in the plated area of the truss. While some defects are acceptable in the plated area, the degree of defects depends on the actual joint situation and forces at the joint. Connector sizes are controlled by design, handling,... Read More August 2018 Issue #10229 Page 32
When Fashion Affects Structure—Floor Design Considerations for Preventing Tile and Stone Cracks Frank Woeste Two kinds of designers are involved in home construction—design professionals responsible for the structure and the interior-focused designers responsible for the final appearance. Although these roles can overlap, it is important for design professionals to be aware of in-service demands... Read More June 2018 Issue #10227 Page 60
So What is the Big Deal About Member to Member Gaps? Glenn Traylor Compliance with ANSI/TPI 1–2014 requires maintaining member to member gaps at less than 1/4 inch. An exception would be for floor truss chord splices where the limit is 1/16 inch. Let us take a look at two different situations, the first being a roof truss and the second being a 4 x 2... Read More June 2017 Issue #10215 Page 30
When is a Member Gap Not a Member Gap? Glenn Traylor Building trusses with tight member to member joints insures accurate truss profiles and consistency between setups. The member to member gaps are limited to 1/8” and 1/16” on floor truss chord splices. This requirement is primarily concerned with compressive joint situations where... Read More July 2016 Issue #09204 Page 27