Library

Optimization is a crucial part of success and profitability in our industry. It is something that every component manufacturer works at daily in some form or another. At the same time, however, the word has so very many different interpretations that few have exactly the same approach. In this...

In the Design, Make, Build (DMB) approach to construction, we’ve focused on the importance of collaboration. By bringing together the component manufacturers (CMs) and trades with the designers and architects early in the Design phase, they can provide feedback on what is possible around...

As prefab manufacturing continues to have a spotlight thrust upon it, new factories are popping up nationwide. If you have ever been a part of a new factory startup, you probably have the scars to prove it – mentally, emotionally, and physically. Every new factory startup is a lot of work...

On the Cover: This impressive project of mixed use retail and residential units has been fabricated by Cussewago Truss of Cambridge Springs, PA. [For photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] Located in Chili, NY, this project is known as Mid-Lakes Greenwood and will contain: 22...

Are you considering working remotely? If so, there are many challenges to consider. One of the biggest challenges is having reliable cell and WiFi signals. In your home office, this may be a challenge that is easily met. On the road, however, this is a challenge that may-or-may-not by easily...

In our January 2021 issue, Frank Woeste and Don Bender wrote, “Hybrid Lumber" Grade Stamps Require Special Attention. This article provided information on how to recognize hybrid grade marks and how to calculate hybrid lumber values for truss design. Included was this caution: A...

Through the Rear View Of all the lumber folk I know, I am the self-proclaimed King of checkers of rear view mirrors. I use the accuracy of frequency of past repeating patterns to give me confidence in making forecasts for the future. The FDP’s have been fine tuned year over year for 30...

With the economy in the United States on the rebound, truss designers are in unusually high demand. Unlike other professionals in the building industry, a truss designer is not required (at present) to have any formal education or any type of college degree. Fact is, there is presently nowhere...

As lumberyards continue to recover from pandemic-related supply issues, there’s been an ever-increasing shortage of building materials, creating many challenges for building contractors. These shortages have impacted availability of wood structural panel sheathing and, as a result, our...

With surging housing demand, 1981 was much like 2021. Yet, in the midst of overflowing residential orders, a gutsy CM decided to take a chance on a different line of business. His painful memories of housing’s boom-bust cycles, and his Harvard education, told him to diversify. Ricks...