EDITORIAL

New contenders tor old crowns

llt HEN 1992 concludes, it may eam the title: It Year of the Substitutes. It may also be the first of many years when comfortable purchasing pattems are replaced with a scramble to get something at any price just to complete the order.

Ducking and weaving to avoid the body blows by environmentalists to raw material supply, wood products buyers are increasingly using fancy footwork to meet their customers' needs.

Old distribution pattems are undergoing radical changes. Southem yellow pine no longer stays below the Mason-Dixon Line. In the past two years SYP has made inroads on the Pacific Coast, following the lead of the southern yellow pine plywood that preceded it about l0 years ago.

In hardwoods, meranti, for example, is filling in for lauan in some applications as crimped sources of supply have changed availability. Reports indicate that old favorite red oak, once in plentiful supply, is no longer as readily available, resulting

DAVID CUTI,ER publisher

in abrupt shifs in purchasing as buyers seek suitable replacements. Melamine now routinely fills in forsomescarce and/orexpensive hardwoods. Some foresee designers specifying it, fearful that the hardwood they prefer won't be available at any price.

Moulding and millwork operations are increasingly using radiata pine from Chile and especially New Zealand as domestic pine vanishes behind a curtain of land lockups inspired by preservationist efforts. Douglas fir is as vulnerable as pine to the wilderness hysteria, so we may well see far more wood from Canada this year than in any year in the recent past. Countervailing duty headaches or not.

Steel, aluminum, concrete, masonry, plastic and other wood substitutes stand eagerly by the ring, ready to jump in and fight to fill the void. No one product isgoing to winby a knockout, butthebrawl is likely to go the full 15 rounds.

National Evaluation Report first high temperature strength test reFor Hoover's FRTW Products sultsforroofapplications,thefirstthird

Pyro-Guard fire retardant treated partykilnmonitoringprogramseparate plywood and lumber produced by from UL follow-up service, the first Hoover Treated Wood Products, lnc., New York State Smoke Toxicity test Thomson, Ga., has been issued Na- results showing smoke toxicity no tional Evaluation Report No. 457 by greater than untreated wood and the the council of American Building of- first FRT lumber and plywood warficials-National Evaluation Service ranty,Wilsonadded. (CABO-NES).

"NER-457 is unique because it states that strength and span adjustments are based on a predictive period of 50 years," Glenn Wilson, a Hoover spokesman, said. "Issuance of this report is expected to result in increased acceptance of Pyro-Guard by architects, building officials and builders."

Properties evaluated by CABO reviewers include elevated temperature testing for roof applications, method of relating test results to actual geographic location, corrosiveness, hygroscopicity and flamespread per ASTM E-84. CABO-NES consists of engineers and building officials from the three major U.S. Building Codes, SPECS, UBC and BOCA.

Pyro-Guard has achieved several FRTW "firsts," including the first Code Compliance Report with evaluation of high temperature strength testing, the

New Building Products Expo

National Building Products ExPo hasg2Vo ofthe show floor sold out and an education program developed for retailers who attend the premier exhibition, Au;g. 14-17 at the Hyatt Regency Exhibition Center, Chicago, Il.

Eljer Industries, PrimeSource, GAF Building Materials, Wayne Dalton, Abitibi Price, Clopay Garage Doors, Weyerhaeuser, Universal Forest Products, Taylor Doors and Precision Moulding are among companies plaruring to exhibit.

Executives from Home DePot, Payless Cashways, Moore's Lumber and Building Supplies and HomeBase are committed to participate in the programs. The show will be held in connection with the National Hardware Show and Hardware Industrv Week.

APA Division Melgerc & Moves

American Plywood Association is reorganizing quality services and field services divisions, moving Coeur d'Alene, Id., activities toTacoma, Wa., headquarters and merging Florence, S.C., and Dothan, Al., laboratories at Atlanta, Ga.

Jerry Bird, Coeurd'Alene manager, is now in Tacoma. Jim Cole, Dothan regional manager, is managing Atlanta operations with Phil Sutton, Florence, and Jay Peters, Dothan, assigned there.

Dennis Millman has moved to Shreveport, La., with the retirement of Bob Cotant, regional manager there. Steve Blankenship, Florence, is replacing him in Duluth, Mn. Bob Elliott will manage the Eugene, Or., region and laboratory when Ralph Johnson retires in the second quarter. Ed Underwood is now manager of central and western field service divisions which have merged in Dallas, Tx.

1992 Dubbed A "Two-H" Year

" Call L992 a' Two-H Year'," George A. Christie,F. W. Dodge'schief economist, said. "Homebuilding and highwaYs are where the action is."

Installing the ProfitMaster point of sale system is like having Superman behind your check.out counter. All of a sudden he knows exactly what's in inventory. He can "package sell" a redwood deck as a unit and easily capture all the component stock information. He eliminates the need to batch enter the day's invoices. And he serves your customers with increased speed and accuracy. You know, a lot of computer companies talk about a good point-of.sale system. But ProfitMaster delivers. Ask us. r0ile'll give lllolley renlo(lll rerlnys, stirrrrr- ldeal prodrrcts are those lriglrly cle sire<l by honreowrrers but rarely stanclard orr new hornes. Nowadays, they are rnore furrctiorral than Iuxury itelns, arrd easy elrough to irrstall by the aver, age do it-yourselfer. Tlrey include:

(l) Stornr arrd screen doors; tlrey add irrstarrt security, energy efficiency and curb appeal. Not difficult to install, storrn doors are now available in top quality rnaterials, including beveled glass and Italian brass. And screen doors come vastly irnproved over the flirnsy aluminum models of yesteryear.

(2) Yard and patio lightirrg offers easy installation, safety, security, cosrnetic and outdoor entertainment advantages. Low voltage lnodels are increasirrgly affordable to purchase and operate; bulbs last frorn months to years and are easily replaced.

(3) Other security devices are colnrnon d-i-y installations, including stateof-the-art full house security and video intercom systems. Quicker projects include adding a heavier duty lockset, deadbolt, kickplate, door/window pin or bar system, wider scope peephole and motion sensor.

(4) Fire safety items, especially smoke alarms, can also be hot sellers. Add fire extinguishers, second story window escape systems, first aid kits.

(5) With thebabyboornofthe 1990s, an increasing number of homeowners may be looking to childproof their homes. Stock an endcap with devices designed to make homes safer for small children and keep them out ofcabinets, drawers and fireplaces. Add netting for blocking off doorways and stairways, child resistant outlet covers, caps and pads for covering fumiture corners and other exposed dangers, night lights. Try intercom systems to keep an ear on kids from another room. Andersen Corp. has also produced a free hand-out bro-