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
How Do I Choose Which Plates for a Critical Plate Inspection? Glenn Traylor The requirement is: an inspector will, on average, inspect one critical plate for every inspection made during a week. That requirement is the baseline number for the quantity of critical inspections to perform—but because some trusses do not have critical plates, it’s necessary to... Read More May 2019 Issue #11238 Page 36
What Decisions Should Truss Builders Be Able to Make? Glenn Traylor In the November 2017 article, “So Who Exactly is Responsible for Lumber Quality?”, we discuss the abundance of quality building materials and the responsibility of the fabricator to evaluate their application in products. We should recall the ultimate decision maker in determining... Read More April 2019 Issue #11237 Page 34
How Should Defects Be Recorded When Inspecting a Critical Plate? Glenn Traylor A critical plate is a plate with a Joint Stress Index of 80% or greater. The ANSI/TPI 1–2014 Standard stipulates that critical plate inspections must be conducted when completing the three inspections per station/per shift/per week requirement. On average, the standard requires one... Read More March 2019 Issue #11236 Page 34
How Does a Fabricator Gain From a 3rd Party Audit? Glenn Traylor When a 3rd party inspector inspects a licensed plant, what exactly are the auditors looking for? And what can the fabricator get from the experience? What the inspection is NOT, and why that matters: The part 1 audit of the in-house paperwork is not a grade on neatness. It’s an... Read More February 2019 Issue #11235 Page 34
Is Automation the Right Direction to Take? Glenn Traylor After recently upgrading to a newer vehicle, I have been amazed at the new safety features. While it’s not self-driving, the features are definitely approaching an autonomous car. The basic functions are things like active cruise control with the “stop&go” function, which... Read More January 2019 Issue #11234 Page 32
How Important is Angulation? Why is It Important? Glenn Traylor Per ANSI/TPI 1–2014, National Design Standard for Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Construction, plates should be installed within a 10 degree tolerance. So what happens when the plate is rotated and exceeds this requirement? The simple answer is: the configuration and design of... Read More December 2018 Issue #10233 Page 33
Are Roof and Floor Trusses the Only Components that Need a Quality Assurance Program? Glenn Traylor Roof and floor trusses are important components that need special consideration to insure their correct manufacture. Components built to the IRC and IBC require the manufacturer to adhere to specific requirements. These requirements provide a blueprint to facilitate the manufacturing of a... Read More November 2018 Issue #10232 Page 31
Material Quality Isn’t the Only Metric to a Quality Product Glenn Traylor Many years ago I worked construction as a teenager, and I recall the framing lumber I used to see as a framer’s helper. My teacher was a gentleman by the name of Otho Tew. Otho was a seasoned experienced homebuilder who had learned his trade from his father and probably his father before.... Read More October 2018 Issue #10231 Page 28
Does Your Lumber Have a Shelf Life? Glenn Traylor Just like some foods, lumber kept in the right environment will store for an indefinite length of time. But just like food, lumber kept in sub-par conditions will have a shortened storage period. If you’re not storing your lumber properly, you may have to question whether it can/should... Read More September 2018 Issue #10230 Page 32