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Now 39 years into this lumber gig, there is one thing I have more confidence in than anything else. It is the foundation of my entire lumber career and reason for my success forecasting lumber market timing. The repeating lumber market cycle. Some of it sloshes around, yet, in spite of all the...

Of course you know about creating a continuous load path with either connectors or rod tiedown systems, but have you considered using fasteners instead? In this article, Bryan Wert follows up on our May 2 webinar, Drive a New Path: Resisting Uplift with Structural Fasteners, by answering some of...

I was usually the voice on the other side of the phone or computer during my 13 years with WTCA/SBCA, but Ken Cloyd was a person I had the pleasure to meet face-to-face. And believe me, you don’t forget meeting Kenny. Even though it’s been nearly two years since we’ve had an...

Now is the time to consider Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) as a substitute for Southern Pine (SP). As noted below, #2 SPF’s 19% higher bending value and only 10% lower compression value usually enables longer spans. Cull rates are generally lower with SPF, and it is lighter and easier to...

I get it—people are BUSY. I know life is jam-packed with all kinds of commitments and time constraints. Sometimes, we just don’t know how we’re going to finish all of the essential things we have to do, much less the optional activities. That’s the primary reason why I...

Part Four:  Apartment Trends of the 1990s and Beyond What was true in the Nineties is just as true today, that large apartment jobs can crowd out single family orders. But with the proper mix of work, a plant can achieve more steady production. Since 1993 was nearly as dire as 2010, most...

This month continues our review of equipment for roof trusses as we take a look at Roof Truss Tables and Roof Truss Conveyors. Next month, we’ll wrap up our four months on roof truss production before moving over to walls. As I’ve been doing since beginning this series in January,...

As an industry, there are many times I believe we have been behind the curve in adopting/taking on new technology or hardware in our operations. Over the past 15 years or so, we have seen incredible growth in the use of automation, software, etc., but other industries have far exceeded the...

Everyone knows that member gaps can be caused by uncalibrated saws and poor jigging stops during truss set-up. But did you know the most likely cause of member gaps is the lumber carriage shifting or moving the lumber at an angle, thereby causing a skewed cut? This is especially true when a gang...

Most people have a mistaken belief that my services are all about making component manufacturing more efficient. Actually, more than half my time during a consultation is taken up reviewing things like management practices and the sales process. Fact is, sales—correction, healthy...