Does Your Truss Plant Understand the Importance of Tooth Count? Glenn Traylor On a recent truss plant visit, I watched a group of truss builders quickly assembling a structural gable truss. Most of the webs had been installed and the builders were top and back plating the truss. As I approached the builders, they relaxed their pace just a notch as I walked up to the web... Read More February 2021 Issue #13259 Page 39
Can Automation Eliminate Paper in the Truss Plant? Glenn Traylor With the invention of integrated production methods, one of the greatest evolutions has been the electronic transfer of information from the truss designs to the computerized equipment, eliminating human error and translation issues. Automatic puck systems, lasers, ink jet marking, or shop... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258
All Things Wood: “Hybrid Lumber” Grade Stamps Require Special Attention Frank Woeste Lumber properties are influenced by species and growing region. Species with similar design properties are combined into species groups, as shown in Tables 4A, 4B, and 4F of the NDS Supplement[1]. For example, a common species group in the southeastern U.S. is Southern Pine (SP), which includes... Read More January 2021 Issue #13258 Page 78
Who is Responsible for Lumber Quality in Your Trusses? Glenn Traylor There are many steps in the process of bringing lumber to the truss plant to be used in our trusses. Lumber must be harvested then sawn. Drying and planing brings the lumber closer to potential use, but it is not until the lumber makes it through the grading process that it is suitable for use.... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 37
Automated Solutions for Roof Truss Manufacturing Shane Dittrich Using the Past to Build the Future The partnership between House of Design and Alpine, an ITW Company, is focused on helping clients address the challenges in the component manufacturing industry – labor and demand. The foundation of our truss system solution is robotics, helping... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 66
The Speed and Safety of Roof and Floor Cassettes Greg Watson In the quest for site speed and safety, panelized systems for components, such as roof trusses and floor joists, are the natural progression from installing single frames. In the United Kingdom, these panelized systems are becoming increasingly popular for volume house builders and Social... Read More December 2020 Issue #12257 Page 104
Addressing Labor Challenges with Robotic Automation Shane Dittrich U.S. manufacturing is faced with two challenges in today’s market – an aging population and a shortage of workers, both challenging issues for component manufacturers. However, rather than focus on the negative, let’s focus on the positive note that the demand for building... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 68
Robotic – Automated Solutions for CMs Shane Dittrich Alpine & House of Design are Partnering to Bring the Latest in Automated Solutions to Component Manufacturers At a trade show last fall, my business partner and I met a third-generation owner of a truss plant. He was in search of ideas, perhaps a fresh perspective, new technology maybe?... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 64
Sixty Years of Machines, Part IX: Automatic Setup Joe Kannapell “I think this will work,” said Dick Rotto at the unveiling of auto-jigging at the 1988 BCMC in Nashville. This was a high compliment from the founder of the most prolific truss business, Trussway, Inc. And Dick had no equipment compatible with auto-jigging in his highly productive... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 10
Sixty Years of Machines, Part VIII: Trackless Gantries Joe Kannapell In the 1990s, a storm began brewing in the component business. It started on the Eastern Seaboard when Carolina Builders bought a truss plant in Tidewater, Virginia. Later, it gained strength when Builders Supply & Lumber (BSL) opened a series of greenfield plants. And finally, it reached an... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 10