February means different things to different people – Valentine’s Day, the Super Bowl, Family Day (in Canada) – but to me, February is also the anniversary of my most complicated and challenging installation. What’s more, the installation was completed in the middle of...

The 2022 MSR Workshop will take care of the details – all you have to do is show up! “From production and grading, to sales and distribution, to end users putting MSR lumber to work on jobsites across North America, the MSR Workshop has always been about getting a variety of...

“Chaotic”...the Perfect January Tag If there was ever any doubt as to what we should expect from January Chaos, 2022 is a textbook example. Traders (buyers and sellers) enter the month with new year expectations that either repeat or improve upon the previous year. These...

Face the facts. Trusses are large and bulky. They take up a lot of space and often cannot be stored inside. They have a shelf life. What are the factors that need to be considered? Are there ways to extend the shelf life of trusses? Are any of the methods currently used counterproductive? In...

Feed the Beast! That’s what I call it — and that’s what I suggest to every component manufacturer striving to optimize their plant. A Lumber PickLine will ensure that your saw never goes hungry for lumber. Using inefficient, expensive, and labor-intensive “forklift...

Another Recurring Phenomenon: Starts to Completion Ratios If ever I look down and see a penny on the ground, I always pick it up and, without fail, I always do the same thing next. That is scan the surrounding area for another penny. I have been blathering on about the spread between...

Can you make substitutions of different lumber grades and species? The short answer is: yes. Even so, you have to take several factors into consideration when making a substitution. To narrow the discussion, let’s focus on southern pine. The substitution must have design values equal to...

Discount the Most Recent Past How should we process the cumulative life experiences that determine our next course of action? We might say, “That depends on the circumstance.” If I got mugged today for the first time in my life, it is likely I am going to be more aware of...

At least two months of hard work remain before you can finally ease up and enjoy the Holiday season. Between now and then lie numerous tasks, some ordinary (next year’s budget) and some unusual (COVID vaccination rules). Here are four vital challenges you’ll confront in coming weeks,...

I’m hearing two conversations. Mills wonder where all the wood is going and buyers wonder if there is going to be pull back to buy, particularly in the south. Granted those are not abundant conversations because most folks are sitting fat and sassy; perfectly comfortable. Will we get a...