I’ve had an upper hand in writing about wood components, having been immersed in this industry my entire professional life. My first job was testing connector plates, my second was writing truss software, my third was engineering trusses, my fourth was working at truss plants, and my fifth was visiting truss plants, leading to my present “job” writing about them. I wrote sporadically until, nearly 11 years ago, Anna Stamm gave me the great privilege of writing once a month (which grew to twice a month) with her as my editor. Now, Anna and I have published my writings with her companion essays in Transforming Construction Through Technology and Willpower.
The title, written by Anna, and the particularly apt word “transforming,” describes what I have been singularly blessed to be part of for 55 years. Not long after I learned in class how a truss worked, I saw truss connectors work in the lab. They had already begun transforming construction, which you can read about in Chapter 3, “The Development of the Truss Plate.” Interestingly, the connector I tested represented the belated acknowledgement that the truss industry was transforming from vertical presses to rollers, and from long-tooth to short-tooth plates.
On the day I finished testing at my college lab, Hydro-Air Engineering generously gave me the best slide rule made, the same type that Wernher von Braun used to get us to the moon. Then, they invited me to come to their office to work on software. So, ironically, with that classic slip-stick calculator in hand, I began programming its replacement, the machine that would transform truss engineering and much more, which you can read about in Chapter 8, “Fifty Years of Truss Design.”
Soon a PhD took my place running the computer at Hydro-Air and I was asked to test a brand new product that was transforming the way floors were being built, the wood web floor truss, which you can read about in Chapter 7, “The Expansion of Floor Truss Technology.” Later, after our engineers designed one of our first large floor truss jobs, I visited the site near Marietta, GA. (The next day, however, I reported for Airborne School at Ft. Benning, GA, because my low draft number compelled me to join ROTC and earn a stint in the Army.)
Returning after my last year of military service near the DMZ in Korea (fortunately by law, a company had to rehire a returning vet), I got to work directly for an industry founder, Walter Moehlenpah, and became involved in the machinery design that was transforming truss manufacturing in multiple ways, which you can read about in Chapter 5, “Roof Truss Equipment.”
My next assignment was in truss engineering, which is also described in Chapter 8, and the later transformation toward whole house design, which is detailed in Chapter 9, “Wall Panel Technology and Component Design.” After several years, Mr. Moehlenpah relinquished ownership of Hydro-Air and I joined the CM world, going to work for an apartment-oriented competitor of Trussway in San Antonio, TX. There, I witnessed the first evidence of the transformation of apartment structures from simple two-story, garden-style buildings to four-story monoliths, which is detailed in Chapter 10, “Wood Components in Multi-Family Housing.” During this time, I also helped launch, with neighboring plants, a truss association that would become the Truss Manufacturers Association of Texas (TMAT) and would join the national association that transformed an industry, now called SBCA, the progression of which concludes the book with Chapter 11, “The SBC Industry.”
During my seven years working in truss plants, I encountered Clary saws in Texas, DePauw saws in Arizona, and Idaco saws in Virginia. But, my most rewarding experience occurred after I took a sales job with Hydro-Air/MiTek. There, I witnessed the start of the most significant transformation in truss cutting with Jerry Koskovich’s Auto-Omni in 1989, followed by Jim Urmson’s TCT 10 years later. This continual progression in cutting prowess is described in Chapter 6, “Sixty Years of Cutting Technology.”
After retirement, I traced the origin of the component industry back to the turn of the 20th century, where, surprisingly, wall panels took the lead, with premade wood trusses taking a back seat for 50 years. This incredible transformation of building technology is detailed in Chapter 2, “The Mechanization of Home Building,” and Chapter 4, “Modern Home Building Technology.”
While covering this rich 72-year history of components, I have included the names of individuals I personally observed leading this ongoing transformation of construction. Although many have passed away, their incredible accomplishments live on, and their undaunted willpower continues to inspire those who follow.