New Acoustic Calculator Calculates Sound Transmission Through Wood-Frame Assemblies Robert Glowinski Excessive sound and noise have become such an inundating part of our daily lives that we may hardly notice it (except of course when trying to put the kids to sleep or giving a presentation on Zoom). And nowadays noise comes at us from so many places that at times it’s hard to even... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 100
Lumber Briefs: Why Housing is So Artificially Strong Matt Layman Just like the lumber market, housing has benefitted from the unfortunate situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. One must wonder why? The answer is simple if we just listen to the narrative provided by builders and the usually lopsided media. Folks are fleeing to the suburbs. The pandemic has... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 102
Harnessing Technology for the LBM Industry Paul Dean I’ve been in the lumber and building materials industry for most of my career and have always had an interest in technology. It seems not too long ago when I was running seminars to display this “new thing” called the internet to dealers; at the time, nobody knew what was going... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 104
Webinar Alert: Choosing the Right Connections for Wind-Resistant Design Bryan Wert According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “The only constant in life is change.” When the latest Wood Construction Connectors catalog (C-C-2019) was published, my colleague, Paul McEntee, PE authored an excellent blog post to announce some big changes within the catalog. He... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 116
Everyday Heroes are Real Bill Blades The component manufacturing business is full of great people who care about the well-being of others—and here is tremendous proof of that. On Thursday, July 16, Rene Granados from CraneCo in Glendale, AZ was expecting an ordinary drive to work. Instead, he witnessed a truck cross over... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 130
The Last Word: The Last Word on Our Defenders Joe Kannapell The time was right to bring the defenders of our freedom together to honor one of their own, especially since they were under attack across the nation. The poignant occasion was to honor Sgt. Thomas Brennan with the blessing of a mortgage-free home. This was the culmination of a three-year... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 131
Advertiser Forum: Making Mistakes Anna Stamm We’re all adults, so we can admit that we all make our share of stupid mistakes. I’m not talking about important mistakes that have real consequences. I’m talking about the small, annoying, obnoxious mistakes that make us shake our heads and wish we could go back and correct... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 6
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
Navigating Your Future with Spida Wendy Boyd What a diverse, interesting, and sometimes scary world we live in. As we navigate our own patch of turf and crystal ball gaze about what the future holds, we are mindful of the differences in the world business landscape. Spida Machinery operates three distinct manufacturing facilities, in... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 16
The Battle Within Our Operations Ben Hershey Does this conversation sound familiar? “How fast can we reliably supply that component job to our customer?” asks the sales manager. “And don’t make us look like fools by telling me a date that will never be met or is too far out!” “I will tell you how... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 26