Trusses and Mechanical Systems Joe Kannapell Truss designers be aware: energy codes are changing HVAC systems. Until recently, duct layouts were designed like truss layouts of the 1970s – hand-drawn on blue prints. Since Building Officials don’t require residential heating/AC layouts, you may have not known of collisions until... Read More November 2017 Issue #10220 Page 19
Remote Designer’s Glass Ceiling The Glass Ceiling is not just a gender or education-based obstacle, it can sometimes be created by career path choices. In our industry, a new Glass Ceiling is coming from Truss Designers deciding to pursue a Home-Based (Remote) position. By remote, we’re talking about at least 4 hours... Read More November 2017 Issue #10220 Page 83
Introducing the New and Improved Simpson Strong-Tie® Strong-Wall® Bracing Selector Caleb Knudson It’s been said that the World Wide Web is the wave of the future. Okay, maybe this is slightly outdated news, as it’s been 25 years since Bill Gates penned his internet tidal-wave memorandum, but it’s a good lead-in to this topic – web apps. More specifically, those apps... Read More November 2017 Issue #10220 Page 86
All Things Wood: The Pioneer of MSR Lumber Frank Woeste The knowledge we take for granted today on MSR lumber is due in large part to the pioneering work of Professor Robert Hoyle, P.E. In the early 1960s at Potlatch Forest, Inc., he conducted basic research on the relationship between stiffness and strength of lumber, paving the way for the MSR... Read More October 2017 Issue #10219 Page 74
Supply and Demand for In-Office Truss Design Candidates At the beginning of this year, the job opportunities JobLine had were mostly for in-office designers. Some employers were looking ahead to the summer rush and made a few proactive remote designer hires in March, but only a few. As the season approached, more remote options were on the table,... Read More October 2017 Issue #10219 Page 89
What You Need to Know About Differences in Wind-Speed Reporting for Hurricanes Darren Conrad With Hurricane Irma wrapping up, the cleanup after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation underway in Houston and more big storms already churning in the Atlantic, it seems like a good time to discuss hurricanes and high wind. There is a great deal of good information out there to help us better... Read More October 2017 Issue #10219 Page 92
Wall Panel Designer Primer Joe Kannapell In the 1960s, Ed Ryan set basic standards for panelizing walls, and for decades his homebuilding company (now NVR Inc.) followed his lead. His standards also made it easy for us to provide his wall panel equipment. The name we gave it, “Panel-Rite,” would have pleased Ed, since he... Read More September 2017 Issue #10218 Page 6
JobLine Compensation Calculators Back in 2006, we created a compensation calculator using data gained since we started recruiting back in 1992. Multiple factors go into determining total compensation and we have calculators for Truss Designers, Sales Reps, and General Managers in the Truss Manufacturing Industry. Every year, we... Read More September 2017 Issue #10218 Page 81
The Never-Ending Search for Truss Repair Information Kelly Sias Truss repair is one of the most frequently asked about truss topics. Not surprisingly, when we asked for suggested truss topics in a truss blog, truss repair made the list. Because the summer months bring about a peak in new construction – and plenty of truss repairs to go along with it... Read More September 2017 Issue #10218 Page 84
Accommodating Truss Movement (Besides Vertical Deflection) Kelly Sias Vertical deflection resulting from live and dead loads – of both roof and floor framing components – is an important serviceability consideration in the overall design of the building. And while this could be a topic in and of itself, this article is instead going to focus on two... Read More August 2017 Issue #10217 Page 82