Truss Plates and Nail Inventions from Finland Tuomo Poutanen In his series on The Development of the Truss Plate, Joe Kannapell is recounting many interesting details on the evolution of truss plates in the U.S. For another perspective, this article will focus on eight relevant nail plate truss inventions from Finland —two made by Matti Turulin, two... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 86
Reviewing 2021 IBC Changes for Cold-Formed Steel Light-Frame Design Jeff Ellis “Change is the only constant in life” and “When you are finished changing, you are finished” are quotes from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus and Benjamin Franklin, respectively. I’m reminded of them as I review the numerous changes to codes and standards... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 100
The Development of the Truss Plate, Part VII: Contentious Competition Joe Kannapell The plated truss industry went bonkers around 1961. Truss fabricators were besieging suppliers for product and were willing to try nearly any plate or machine. Plate suppliers had to conform to the new testing and QC required by TPI-60, but machinery vendors had no guidelines beyond satisfying... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 10
Design Connections: Building Information Modeling for the Component Business? Geordie Secord If I compare the truss layout and design software used in the early 1980s to what is available today, it’s mind boggling. Actually, comparing layout software wouldn’t be possible since the first layout software at our company didn’t show up until around 1989! Up to that point,... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 84
Effects of Ripping Structural Truss Lumber MiTek Staff How does ripping lumber, cutting a board along its length, affect its grade or strength values? Structural lumber is graded or inspected which provides designers, through the National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction, the strength/design values for the lumber members.... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 112
The Development of the Truss Plate, Part VI: An Industry Established Joe Kannapell On July 5, 1960, in a marathon session, a dozen entrepreneurs set standards for a brand new industry, and, in the process, met a government deadline. These early truss plate adopters came well-prepared and didn’t hesitate to make far-reaching decisions. Fortunately, they left a detailed... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 10
Are You Making Correct Substitutions and Placements When Upsizing Connectors? Glenn Traylor Sometimes it is necessary to deviate from the truss design drawing and use a different connector. This may happen when a specific size connector is not available or when the original connector has been removed. Per ANSI/TPI 1 Section 3.6.3, a metal connector can be substituted if the new... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 35
Building a Gold Standard Design Service Dave Walstad I’ve been in the truss business for 42 years, starting out as a Truss Designer and Architectural Draftsman for the family lumber company in Madison, Wisconsin. After relocating to Green Bay in 1986, I spent 10 years with Stock Lumber as Project Engineer and Plant Manager. Then, I left the... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 66
Truss Properties Manager with IntelliVIEW Suite 22.02 John Croll The Truss Properties Manager makes it easier for designers to review the trusses in the job and confirm they are designed as expected. Truss designers must consider a variety of factors when creating designs. They are expected to work quickly to produce low-cost and highly accurate jobs per... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 76
Design Connections: Cost-Saving Measures and Memorable Debacles Geordie Secord A recent truss and EWP project had so many site-related problems, it must go down on my list of most memorable for all the wrong reasons. Like many of you, I’ve certainly experienced challenging jobs in the past, but it seemed like the stream of problems just never ended. As is often... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 92