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Those of us who have been around this industry long enough have a general feeling of cautious optimism. We have all been through the economic ups and downs, the building cycles, and all the rest. We have sat listening to economists at BCMC every year. We have read so many detailed articles over...

Two very distinct aspects of the bidding calculation could be costing your company tens of thousands of dollars. If you were shown a better bidding method, would you allow your pride to prevent you from testing it and, if it works, taking the time to embrace it to improve your company’s...

Once saw and table setups are automated, what about improving the rest of material handling? Can we lessen the 5 “touches” involved: fetching lumber, feeding saws, catching, transporting to tables, and feeding jigs? And can we better account for the cost of these indirect labor...

From the office, the sound of the steady bam, bam of hammers is music to your ears – but did you know it could also be the sound of plate abuse? Since the invention of the connector plate, the preferred method for initially seating the plate has been using a hammer. Often folks think,...

When it comes to Truss Designers accepting an offer, it’s in the details. We asked Truss Design Professionals what they wanted to see in an offer, or to be happy at their current job. The results are in...

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As we head into the fall, families across the country have been spending more time in the backyard, often on their porches or decks. This fact serves as a good reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety of the outdoor spaces we enjoy so much. Unfortunately, deck collapses all too often...

On the right you will see the four week performance of our weekly, short-term August buying strategies. The results show 2x4 #2 SYP, Canadian SPF, and western U.S. Dry and Green Fir as well as 7/16 OSB southeast and southwest. The buying strategies are simple. In rising markets, buy...

A lot of people have been talking about production tracking lately, so now is a good time to talk more in depth about some of the issues involved. With increased demand for the handling of metrics, levels of complexity and ever-changing conditions, manufacturers have been moving toward more...

This article discusses how to select holdowns and tension ties, which are key components in a continuous load path. They are used to resist uplift due to shearwall overturning or wind uplift forces in light-frame construction. In panelized roof construction, holdowns are used to anchor concrete...

Overview Progressive roof collapse is a roof collapse in which the failure of a single structural component triggers a chain reaction of failures that result in a large portion of a roof collapsing onto the contents below. The shifting of continuous lateral restraint is well known as a...