In the photograph, the side grain is shown to provide understanding of what constitutes a knot defect when the truss member is cut perpendicular to this face. Each dark line of grain indicates an annual growth ring. In the sections marked A, the face of a sawn member would not show any knots...

Part One in the Save Money Series Over decades of purchasing for a large component manufacturer and trading as a lumber broker, I bought and sold well over 25,000 loads of lumber. The most valuable asset I brought to the table as the truss plants’ lumber buyer was confidence to purchase...

What has changed? In my early childhood, you could ride around town on a Sunday morning and notice and obvious quietness. Certainly not everyone was preparing for church, but the overwhelming majority of families were tidying up, putting on their Sunday-go-to-meeting attire, and heading out...

On the right you will see the four week performance of our weekly, short-term August buying strategies. The results show 2x4 #2 SYP, Canadian SPF, and western U.S. Dry and Green Fir as well as 7/16 OSB southeast and southwest. The buying strategies are simple. In rising markets, buy...

And, the MOST Important Buying Decision..."Buy Now or Delay?" I read this week that this is no longer the lumber business, rather it is the construction business. Absolutely, the traditional contractor yard wears many hats, however for sawmills, lumber brokers, wholesale lumber...

A contract, for the purposes of this discussion is an agreement to sell or buy a predetermined quantity,size and grade of lumber or panels, typically between a consumer and a producer...priced at current market value, "Friday Prior to Shipment." The buyer is assured of receiving...

Isn't it interesting how time changes meanings? A couple of decades ago we coined the phrase "multitasking" to justify, even encourage, having our plates over loaded. Instead of acknowledging our inability or unwillingness to finish one project at a time, we adopted a new...

When a connector has been installed on a joint and it is determined the plate does not meet the requirements of the design standard, then the truss designer has to make a decision. The connection can be repaired by removing the plate, or there may be a way to facilitate the repair leaving the...

"Why do we do the things we do?" is not a rhetorical question or psychological evaluation. It is important that we understand the reasons why we work in a specific category of the lumber industry...or any profession. It is important because, subconsciously, our customers and suppliers...

Connectors are essential to the integrity of the truss.  It is imperative the plate is properly pressed in order to insure effective lateral load transfer from truss member to truss member.  Since on occasion modern and older equipment does not press the plate completely into the...