Do Connectors on Both Sides of a Truss Ever Need to be Placed Exactly? Glenn Traylor Once in a while, I’m asked—Is there ever an occasion when connectors on both sides of the truss need exact placement? Well, the answer might surprise you. There are, in fact, several situations where the top face connector and the bottom face connector need to be exactly... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 38
All Things Wood: The Critical Job of Truss Builders Frank Woeste Last month’s fine article by Glenn Traylor, “How Do I Choose Which Plates for a Critical Plate Inspection?”, reminded me of investigative experiences I’ve had throughout my career. The work of truss builders is extremely important, as evidenced by instances of truss... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 56
Questions Answered: Strong-Wall® Site-Built Portal Frame System Simpson Strong-Tie Staff In this article, we follow up on our April 17 webinar, Meeting Braced-Wall Requirements: A New Portal Frame Solution, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. During the webinar, we discussed how the Strong-Wall site-built portal frame system (PFS) provides... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 98
The Last Word: I-Joists vs. Floor Trusses Joe Kannapell The advantages of open-web floor trusses are beginning to decelerate the growth of EWP. Though I-Joist sales per housing start have increased about 6% over the last two years, the trend has slowed considerably. Some of the small gain is due to the continuation of the replacement of solid-sawn... Read More June 2019 Issue #11239 Page 113
All Things Wood: Addressing the Roof Truss Design Note: “Provide adequate drainage to prevent water ponding.” Frank Woeste The purpose of this article to examine the significance and implementation of a typical note that appears on metal plate connected roof-truss drawings when a top-chord-pitch of ¼:12 or less is specified by the Construction Documents. Three questions will be addressed: What is the... Read More January 2019 Issue #11234 Page 46
Questions Answered: Making Wood Connections Work for Two-Hour Fire Walls Paul McEntee In this article, Paul McEntee follows up on our July 25 webinar, Making Wood Connections Work for Two-Hour Fire Walls, by answering some of the interesting questions raised by attendees. We presented an hour-long webinar recently about using fire wall hangers in Type III wood-frame buildings,... Read More November 2018 Issue #10232 Page 90
Still Using Lag Screws? Consider Self-Tapping Wood Screws Instead Aram Khachadourian, P.E. Lag screws are traditionally specified for many structural loads in wood construction. However, recent innovations in engineering for self-tapping wood screws have made them an increasingly popular, labor-saving alternative to lag screws. In the following, Aram Khachadourian, P.E., of Simpson... Read More October 2018 Issue #10231 Page 108
When Fabricating Components, Always Consider the End Result Glenn Traylor How the product will be used is a very important consideration when designing components, and it also comes into play during fabrication. The attic trusses in the photograph have a wedge installed at the wall–ceiling intersection. This is the intended design. Deeper in the rack,... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 30
Questions Answered: Resisting Uplift with Structural Fasteners Bryan Wert Of course you know about creating a continuous load path with either connectors or rod tiedown systems, but have you considered using fasteners instead? In this article, Bryan Wert follows up on our May 2 webinar, Drive a New Path: Resisting Uplift with Structural Fasteners, by answering some of... Read More July 2018 Issue #10228 Page 96
Multi-Ply Beam Load Transfer Paul McEntee Larger beams are often built up out of smaller 2x or 1¾” members. This can be done for several different reasons: for the convenience of handling smaller members on the jobsite, or because solid 4x, 6x or glulam material is not readily available, or for reasons of cost. Engineered... Read More April 2018 Issue #10225 Page 98