Finally we are learning what the Canadians figured out: how to maximize the use of Southern Pine (SP) lumber. We are advancing truss equipment while they are transforming sawmills to enhance the quality of this once too-crooked product.
The Canadians are replaying the strategy that enabled them to begin capturing a lion’s share of the truss chord market in the 1970s. Back then, they used machines to select a competitive product, 1650f MSR SPF, from the mixed bag of weak and strong Canadian timber species. Today, they are using ultra sound and vision technology to produce a consistent MSR product from the SP mills they’ve acquired. And just in time to replace the higher grade lodgepole pine product that was depleted by the pine beetle.
We are developing truss machinery to improve truss quality on several fronts. For the first time, at BCMC, we will demonstrate automated lumber crowning prior to cutting, minimizing truss-to-truss variability. And when lumber reaches the saw, our Blade linear saw further improves the accuracy of cuts three ways:
- Grabbing boards tightly and holding them directly adjacent to the saw blade, instead of 8 to 10 inches away, as is the case with pinch roller feed systems. This further reduces bowing of boards between infeed roller and the saw blade.
- Using a sonar-operated Crooked Lumber Sensor to insure centerline cuts even with warped members.
- Cutting boards edgewise, in the same orientation as they are installed in roof trusses, not flatwise.
Additional quality improvements are realized with automated jigging, laser imaging, and trackless gantry roller systems.
For long spans, widely spaced agricultural applications, and attic spaces, Southern Pine will continue to be the prevalent structural solution. With modern grading and fabrication machinery and good in-plant quality control, this strong domestic resource will well serve the component industry.