Joe Kannapell, PE

Floor Truss Technology, Part I: Parallel Chord Trusses

Joe Kannapell, PE

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...

#15287 Cover image
June 2023
Issue #15287
Page 10
Antoniya Evans

Collect, Analyze, and Take Action with IntelliSheets By Alpine

Antoniya Evans

Alpine’s iCommand® IntelliSheets takes business management to the next level, saving time with tools created for designers and managers. Originally introduced with IntelliVIEW® 22.02 software release, IntelliSheets creates custom job lists, tracks progress, and shares live reports...

#15287 Cover image
June 2023
Issue #15287
Page 96
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Development of the Truss Plate, Part X: Split Decision on Truss Plates

Joe Kannapell, PE

Four distinctly different types of truss plates came onto the market in the 1950s, but only two made it into the 1960s: the short toothed and the long toothed, neither requiring nails. These two types continued to evolve over the next decade, although along distinctly different paths, and under...

#15286 Cover image
May 2023
Issue #15286
Page 10
Glenn Traylor

Should We Seal All Engineered Drawings?

Glenn Traylor

Recently, while conducting an ANSI/TPI audit, a splice caught my eye. When I investigated further, I realized that the bottom chord of the truss I was investigating had a very short, 2” chord segment. I immediately assumed the truss builders had cut a short block to make up for a miss-cut...

#15286 Cover image
May 2023
Issue #15286
Page 37
Rob Bellian

Wall Fabrication Solutions from Vekta

Rob Bellian

Skills shortages, increased costs, margin pressures, and continued demand for new builds across the housing market have in recent years accelerated the focus on automating the prefabrication of lumber wall frames, roof trusses, and lumber floors. Today, the prefabrication of lumber wall frames...

#15286 Cover image
May 2023
Issue #15286
Page 50
MiTek Staff

Correctly Defining Truss Members

MiTek Staff

When designing trusses for special loads or special conditions, it is important to define the individual truss members correctly. Without proper member definitions, trusses could be inadvertently under-designed and/or have incorrect analog. The most common member types are webs and chords. Top...

#15286 Cover image
May 2023
Issue #15286
Page 92
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Development of the Truss Plate, Part IX: The Case of the Century

Joe Kannapell, PE

Among our industry’s unsung heroes, Walter Moehlenpah takes a close second place behind Cal Jureit. Both built pivotal, pioneering businesses, Jureit through his truss plate and Moehlenpah through his truss machine. Yet Jureit was bound to have the upper hand, as he was the truss...

#15285 Cover image
April 2023
Issue #15285
Page 10
Rob Bellian

Backwards Compatibility: Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Investment

Rob Bellian

Backwards compatibility is a feature that allows newer versions of software or hardware to successfully work with older versions. This point came to mind during my recent visit to one of our long-time Vekta customers. This plant in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, Australia has been operating...

#15285 Cover image
April 2023
Issue #15285
Page 54
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Development of the Truss Plate, Part VIII: Patent Skirmishes

Joe Kannapell, PE

As builders began demanding Gang-Nailed trusses, imitators answered their call with little concern for violating Cal Jureit’s patent. Even though his claims were technical triumphs, vetted by D.C. patent experts, they were quickly contested by two now-familiar figures, Bill Black and...

#15284 Cover image
March 2023
Issue #15284
Page 10
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Development of the Truss Plate, Part VII: Contentious Competition

Joe Kannapell, PE

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...

#15283 Cover image
February 2023
Issue #15283
Page 10
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