The Last Word: The Last Word on Spruce vs. Southern Pine Joe Kannapell Now is the time to consider Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) as a substitute for Southern Pine (SP). As noted below, #2 SPF’s 19% higher bending value and only 10% lower compression value usually enables longer spans. Cull rates are generally lower with SPF, and it is lighter and easier to... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 109
What is a Building Designer? Steve Mickley Generally, building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering, and technical applications to the design of buildings. Therefore, all building projects require the services of a building designer. Statutorily, the required credentials of a building’s designer vary from... Read More June 2018 Issue #10227 Page 38
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
Where are the Designers Who Will Relocate? Not too long ago, before remote design was an option, relocation was one of the best ways in our industry to advance. Candidates, who were ready to take the next step in their career but were stuck in their job for many reasons, would look for better opportunities by changing companies,... Read More June 2018 Issue #10227 Page 68
Remembering the “I” in BIM Steve Mickley Building Information Modeling (BIM) has started to become a common practice in the architectural, engineering, construction, and facilities management industries. The benefits of BIM have been recognized in commercial and industrial development, but the potential of BIM technology to facilitate... Read More May 2018 Issue #10226 Page 46
The Art of the RFI Shawn Overholtzer Nothing will ruin your day faster than getting a call from a builder reporting an issue with trusses you’ve designed. You hear their frustration as they are faced with a potential delay and additional work to implement a fix. We all desire to eliminate those calls from our daily business,... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 26
Multi-Ply Beam Load Transfer Paul McEntee Larger beams are often built up out of smaller 2x or 1¾” members. This can be done for several different reasons: for the convenience of handling smaller members on the jobsite, or because solid 4x, 6x or glulam material is not readily available, or for reasons of cost. Engineered... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 98
Industrial Engineers Needed in Our Wood Component Manufacturing Industry Todd Drummond Industrial engineering – “The branch of engineering that is concerned with the production of industrial goods, especially by the design of efficient plants and procedures and the management of materials, energy, and labor.” (Source – The Free Dictionary) The Lean... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 30
Wedges—Misunderstood and Underappreciated? Glenn Traylor The lowly wedge sometimes gets very little respect. If your plant is doing it right, the wedges usually are cut from drops or culls. That’s a good way of doing it, and it sounds very simple, but not just any piece of wood is suitable for a wedge. There are important qualifications that... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 36
Good Bones Dave Pasolli If you enjoy watching any of the many home improvement shows where the hosts pick an older home to renovate, you notice they always talk about the “bones” of the house. In their opinion, this is one of the most important features of any potential renovation job. Typically, they... Read More March 2018 Issue #10224 Page 74