ANSI/TPI 1: The National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction Jay Jones, P.E. After more than three years in development, I’m pleased to announce the publication of ANSI/TPI 1–2022 National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction. Including a Commentary & Appendices, this standard is available for purchase in print and... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 90
Flat Top Chord Bracing MiTek Staff Top chords are usually braced by roof sheathing. Roof sheathing provides effective lateral bracing when nailed directly to the top chord. In cases where roof sheathing cannot be directly applied to the top chord, purlins are used to prevent lateral buckling of truss top chords. The Truss... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 96
Simplify Your Wall Panel Production Process with the Panel Stacker Diego Polanco Component manufacturers are continually improving production environments to optimize performance in order to maintain market position. Planning and organizational tools are essential for streamlining the production workflow. Wall panel projects in particular require careful planning in order to... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 102
Why Fire-Rated Hangers Are Required in Type III Wood-Frame Buildings Paul McEntee One of the first mixed-use designs I worked on as a consulting structural engineer was a four-story wood-frame building over two levels of parking. Designing the main lateral-force-resisting system with plywood shearwalls was a challenge for this project that required new details to meet the... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 108
Floor Truss Technology, Part II: Early Machinery Joe Kannapell It wasn’t enough for Jack Schmitt, President of Truswal, to introduce wood-web floor trusses. He also had to demonstrate how to build them, and that required a special machine. Schmitt turned to his trusted associate, Carl Virta, to come up with a process, and Carl knew who could help him.... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 10
Increase Net Profits by Properly Understanding, Scheduling, and Processing Rush Orders Todd Drummond The summertime build season is upon the industry. For most wood component manufacturers (CM), and other manufactured suppliers of building materials, the lead time of new orders typically easily exceeds four weeks. Inevitably, a salesperson will ask, “Hey, can you do me a favor? I have an... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 25
Are We Designing Our Components to Benefit Our Truss Builders and End Users? Glenn Traylor Many years ago, early in my career as a truss designer, I was interrupted by the production manager. He loudly entered my office with a piece of 2 x 12 and a circular saw and abruptly slammed both on top of my drafting table that was sporting a newly created truss layout. (We did not have... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 35
All Things Wood: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the CM Frank Woeste 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... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 66
Design Connections: Reducing the Risk of Truss Collapse Geordie Secord 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... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 84
Highlighting Precision at Tennessee Building Components Tennessee Building Components Team 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... Read More July 2023 Issue #15288 Page 90