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AI isn’t new, just in the national news lately. Recently, I visited a former student who did his PhD research on AI applications about 35 years ago at Texas A&M University. During our conversations, he shifted to the AI subject in his current work and suggested I try using...

MSRLPC President George Hamilton summed up this year’s MSR Workshop in three simple words: quality time together. “The Workshop has always been centered on networking and education but this year’s event was particularly focused on the opportunity for people to enjoy some...

Since breaking ground, the progress made by the foundation and framing crews has been amazing. I know everyone says the fastest part is drying it in, but still I was surprised with the speed everything happened. The foundation crew, an Amish group out of Logotee Indiana, about 2 hours away,...

Last month’s article, Preventing Truss Collapses, talks about some of the job site mistakes that can lead to truss collapses. I have no scientific data to back this up, but it is my belief that all truss collapses could be prevented by following proper lifting methods and bracing of the...

At Tennessee Building Components, we take pride in delivering the highest quality trusses to our customers, and this recent project was no exception. These photos of the Provost Apartments project, manufactured for Patton and Taylor Enterprise, LLC in Southaven, MS, showcase our attention to...

MiTek Engineering software gives you two options to input snow load – Ground Snow and Roof Snow (flat roof snow). What is the difference between ground snow and flat roof snow? Ground snow load, pg, is obtained directly from the American Society of Civil Engineers Standard (ASCE 7)...

Efficient troubleshooting minimizes downtime and disruption in the production workflow. It is critical to understand best practices for seamlessly troubleshooting equipment. Alpine® Equipment Support utilizes a six-step process for troubleshooting that helps find and fix problems faster,...

Simpson Strong-Tie recently released an updated model of our H1 – now the H1A. As a consulting engineer, I remember how much I disliked updating my standard details when products were discontinued. I thought it would be informative to explain the modifications and some of the reasons for...

Among the first advocates for floor trusses were two men who would later create an acclaimed component plant. Dwight Hikel and Chris Ditzel made early inroads at Fort McHenry Lumber, such that Ditzel declared in 1972, “I think we will be eventually doing 2-1/2 times the volume in floor...

When I saw New York was going to ban gas stoves, my immediate thought was – damn, it’s CCA all over again. Making a complicated story very short – someone discovered that chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated playground equipment had leached arsenic into a playground, so...