Automation is Easy with the Right Support Wendy Boyd From the initial discussion with you about the needs of your factory through to installation, it’s a surprisingly straightforward experience – but it will succeed or fail based on the quality of service and know-how available to you. From purchase through installation to on-going... Read More March 2022 Issue #14272 Page 19
What Can We Do About Missing Connector Plates? Glenn Traylor Previously, we’ve reviewed the top manufacturers’ defects according to a survey of In-house inspections. (See my April 2020 article, “How Do Your Manufacturing Errors Rank on the List?”, for the top ten items and ways to correct them.) While wane in the plated area topped... Read More February 2022 Issue #14271 Page 43
BCMC Reflection and Christmas Cheer! Wendy Boyd As we head towards Christmas and think about a well-earned break, I can’t help but reflect on the work done in 2021 and the wonderful support received from our customer/partners. Spida again demonstrated our machinery at BCMC – and were embraced by our customers and new friends to... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 19
How to Lose Millions of Profits with Linear Saws and Two-Person Crews Todd Drummond There has been a big push to reduce labor. In response, more than one equipment vendor has suggested that component manufacturers (CM) should purchase linear saws directly tied to roof gantry tables. The idea is simple: fewer crew members and more automation to increase efficiencies and reduce... Read More December 2021 Issue #13269 Page 35
Roof Truss Lines: Should I Buy New or Retrofit? Sean Hubbard Determining whether to purchase a new Roof Truss Table Press with Spida Jig-It Rails or retrofit an existing system is not a simple decision. We are often asked to quote one system or the other, but rarely both. Even so, it is important to spend time researching both avenues to a more productive... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 17
The Last Word: The Last Word on Roof Truss Wizards Joe Kannapell Four roof truss innovators have changed our industry, from its beginning to the present day. Their names may be largely unknown now, but their work lives on and is worth assessing. The most notable is A. Carroll Sanford, whose machines are still cranking out trusses (see my March 2020... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 144
Sixty Years of Machines, Part IX: Automatic Setup Joe Kannapell “I think this will work,” said Dick Rotto at the unveiling of auto-jigging at the 1988 BCMC in Nashville. This was a high compliment from the founder of the most prolific truss business, Trussway, Inc. And Dick had no equipment compatible with auto-jigging in his highly productive... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 10
System Installations Sean Hubbard Thirty years ago, equipment installations looked considerably different. Often, the equipment was installed using the customer’s maintenance staff and even the truss building crew. Working with new crews on a weekly basis, who were skilled in component manufacturing but had limited... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 16
Sixty Years of Machines, Part VIII: Trackless Gantries Joe Kannapell In the 1990s, a storm began brewing in the component business. It started on the Eastern Seaboard when Carolina Builders bought a truss plant in Tidewater, Virginia. Later, it gained strength when Builders Supply & Lumber (BSL) opened a series of greenfield plants. And finally, it reached an... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 10
Sixty Years of Machines, Part VII: Gantries—Running Off the Rails Joe Kannapell One glaring gantry glitch, truss plates falling off, still needed to be addressed in the early 1990s. Missing bottom plates interrupt production, or worse, compromise quality. Sometimes an uneven table surface is the cause. But often the gantry mechanism is to blame. Tolerances are surprisingly... Read More June 2020 Issue #12251 Page 10