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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...

Floor trusses have been golden for the component industry for over half a century, and their origin is worth recounting and celebrating. Because of their flexibility and utility, wood trusses dominate apartment construction and have taken it up to 5 stories. Getting there, however, has required...

Spida Machinery specializes in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of various types of machinery for frame, truss, and component businesses throughout the world. With three remarkable, dedicated, and machinery-focused manufacturing sites across the globe, we bring together the best of...

Right now, many CMs are waking up to the increased pressures of a slowing home-building market, and all the capital investments they have made are just not going to be enough because all their competition has done the same. Now that the new build season is ramping up to full swing, the ones who...

Recently, when a building owner started getting leaks in the roof and noticed unusual variations in the ceiling, I was asked to do an inspection to determine the best way to correct a deflection problem. Upon inspection, it was very evident that the roof trusses had not been installed correctly...

A Gordie Howe hat trick is accomplished when a player gets a goal, an assist, and a fight in a hockey game. A “Feed the Beast” hat trick is accomplished when a team of machinery wranglers installs a Lumber PickLine to feed a 3rd party automated saw, a standalone auto-feeding...

The legacy of the Eide name runs deep. Established in 1927, Eide Saw Company was a saw blade repair and supply company in the heart of Minneapolis’ milling and lumbering industry. Over the past 96 years, however, we have grown and expanded to keep pace with the ever-changing woodworking...