What's your

F AX machines are becoming almost as common as F the telephone for a varietyif communication purposes.

From 1984 to 1986. 433.000 fax machines were sold. In 1987, 424,000 machines sold. In 1988 that figure doubled to 864,000. Industry predictions call for it to double again this year to about 1.6 million.

Today, the fax for many people is a substitute for a stamp or a telephone call. Once the initial cost, which ranges from under $1000 for the most basic to $5000 for the model with all the options, is made, operation expense is nominal.

Slory at a Glance

Fascination with faxes will double this year . . ways to help you get the most for the least out of your equipment. .. a collection of practical suggestions and tips.

Fax fanatics claim sending a document by fax costs only pennies as opposed to dollars for overnight delivery. They also recommend faxing as a way to avoid the telephone tag syndrome.

The following is a collection of ideas to help you get the most use out of your fax for the least cost.

o While many companies have incoming and outgoing fax machines, it is more economical to have two or more machines connected with lines that rotate or hunt. This will make both (or all) machines available for either incoming or outgoing documents and allow incoming calls to be switched to a machine that is not occupied.

o Many fax owners are concerned about junk faxes or unsolicited faxes clogging their fax line and wasting fax paper. While there is legislation proposed in some states to stop this practice, it will probably continue much like unsolicited telephone calls. About the only solution, other than warning maverick senders by return fax that you don't want their material, is to pull the plug on your machine. Since most unsolicited faxes come after business hours, this may not be as drastic as it sounds. Of course, this won't work if you are receiving legitimate faxes 24 hours a day.

. Although the fax provides a fast, eflicient way of placing orders, receiving confirmation order, shipping manifests, copies of credit invoices and checks, it can be used by unscrupulous persons to bill you for unprovided services. The most common scam is sending a bill requesting payment for a fax directory listing. All invoices arriving by fax should be carefully checked before payment.

. Another hazard of faxing is the number of eyes to which material is exposed before reaching the recipient. Confidential or personal information should never be sent via fax.

o Documents sent by fax are perishable. Copies start fading in as little as a week and may become illegible after a time. Light accelerates the fading. Decomposition of the chemical coating used on the paper to create the facsimile image causes the fading. Faxes should be photocopied if the information is to be kept in permanent storage.

o When you can't reach a person by phone and your messages are being ignored, fill out a standard phone message slip with a detailed note, enlarge it on a photo copier and fax it to the hard-to-reach person. Communication experts say it brings results.

Engineered Products Are Hot

Retailers and home centers that want to increase contractor sales are turning to new engineered building component products for greater volume at higher margins. Glulam, I-Joist and LVL floor and roof beams, headers, joists and purlins are beginning to replace conventional stick-built framing throughout the nation.

Weyerhaeuser Co. now supplies all three of these components to building material retailers. The company is the only producer that manufactures most of its components and distributes a complete line through local customer service centers.

Retailers report that "once a builder uses an engineered beam or header, he will almost always order more." Builders and architects are specifying more components because they want the extra margin of strength and stability they provide.

Frank Harrington of Schubert Lumber in Knoxville, Tn., reports that "laminated veneer lumber (LVL) has really taken off with our contractor customers." He says that builders prefer the simplicity and strength plus the faster construction time of LVL, vs. old fashioned flitch

Arrowood Retums To Market

Fibreboard Technologies Corp. plans to bring Arrowood back on the market late this year.

A completely new structural framing product, Arrowood is the result of l3 years of research by the U.S. Forest Service. The product, which meets or exceeds all requirements for composite structural framing, is produced by combining the strength and qualities of LVL (laminated veneer lumber) and OSB (oriented strand board).

plate beams made up on the job site with dimension lumber and steel plates.

builder has found he can build homes up to 300/o faster with components, vs. conventional construction.

Harrington also notes that the trend toward building more "bonus rooms" over garages has increased components use because of the longer spans involved and the need to provide strong floor supports without post or columns in the middle of the garage area.

Spike Cissel of Manning Building Supply in Jacksonville, Fl., says that most of his builder customers are using some kind of engineered components.

"There are several trends which are making builders and architects order more engineered components from retail dealers. The so-called European Style designs have more complicated roofs with a lot of dormers, hips, and vaults. With conventional stick built construction, you can't frame these complex roofs. You need the strength and rigidity of a manufactured lumber beam. It also reduces the call-backs you get when dimension lumber twists and moves after it is in place," Harrington says. He also notes that one large tract

"You can't get dimension lumber to work on the 28 foot and longer spans that are needed in today's home construction," Cissel says. Manning supplies engineering help and technical assistance to builders who bring in their construction plans.

Weyerhaeuser inventories glulam, I-Joist and LVL components at its customer service centers and through independent distributors. They are available in a variety of widths and thicknesses for different span and load requirements. They are cut to specified lengths for fast local delivery.

While other engineered lumber products use the same combination of materials, two significant factors make Arrowood different from any other engineered structural framing product on the market today, Fibreboard Technologies spokesmen say. First, Arrowood is produced entirely from hardwood species. Secondly, and most important to the builder, Arrowood (unlike the wood l-beam) is produced in "full dimension" sizes. In other words, a2" x 10" is 1-l/2" x 9-l/4"',anda2" x 12" is l-7/2" xlll/4". This produces an engineered structural framing member that cuts, nails, and can be handled just like sawn lumber.

"That is the real secret of Arrowood's appeal," says Bill Jordan, sales manager. "Sawn lumber has become difficult to get in the wider widths and longer lengths. Many designers and builders looked to the wood l-beam as an answer to their problems, but the product has some very definite drawbacks. Arrowood gives the designer and builder the consistent quality of an engineered product without the special handling problems associated with wood lbeams, and all at a more competitive price."

Arrowood will be produced in 2" x 8", 2" x 10", 2" x 12", 2" x 14", and 2" x 16" sizes in lengths of 12 feet, up to and including 36 feet, with no added premium for the longer lengths. Precision end trimming will be available at no extra charge.

Arrowood was sold successfully into all markets for most of 1987. "The confidence that those customers had in the product, particularly the builders, convinced us to take a serious look at this acquisition," says Ed McDonald, president of Fibreboard Technologies Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fibreboard Corp., Concord, Ca. The $35 million Arrowood plant sits on a 30 acre site just north of Roxboro, (Please