Library

Not all post-installed mechanical anchors are created equal. There are key differences between screw and expansion anchor types — differences that include how they gain their holding strength, installation requirements, and overall anchor performance. In the following article, field...

With automated saws and auto-jigging tables, what remains is automated material handling, and that’s what we find at Builders FirstSource’s (BFS) Austin plant. House of Design’s (HoD) robotic roof line there extends the floor truss pre-plating methodology found at their Atlanta...

November is a time when we can reflect and be thankful for many things in our lives. But the truth is – anytime of year gives us reasons to be thankful for little things, even when those things are silly or trivial. The Monkey Wrench in the Plans For reasons unknown, when I attempted...

After Cal Jureit’s impressive debut at the 1958 NAHB Show, lumberyards and builders across America were anxious to start trussing, but they encountered several obstacles. Their deluge of inquiries couldn’t all be answered, and most were far away from the South Florida source of...

From the BCMC 2022 event, in which we displayed our Framing Line and several other pieces of machinery, it became apparent that our customers are hunting for ways to save labor and costs – which includes producing wall frames for their markets. We were overwhelmed in the Spida booth with...

Time and again, executives state they are having problems finding enough qualified people to staff all the needed positions within their company. The truth is that this problem will get much worse, and you need to understand why to fix it. TDC has found that companies with the best employee...

Face the facts—occasionally, it is necessary to replace connectors. It’s part of the manufacturing process. In my May 2016 article, Is There a Reduction For Plating in a Previously Plated Area?, we discuss the limitations and considerations of removing a plate, including upsizing the...

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with the origin of the phrase, The only constant in life is change. This couldn’t be more true in the world we live and work in today. Whether we are enduring labor shortages, a global pandemic, material shortages, input cost increases, or an...

The majority of our machinery installs are requested to be done over a weekend, usually starting on Friday. A weekend install requires key personnel to give up their weekend in order to minimize production interruption. The weekend of September 30, 2022 in Green Bay, WI was a particularly...

Today, linear saw technology provides unmatched efficiency with profound differences to productivity, service, and reliability. An automated linear saw can also reduce the lumber cut waste by batching and combining different cuts of various pieces known as lumber optimization. So what is the one...