LA Subway Gives Treated Lumber a Second Try

lltHEN a fire ripped through the !f subwav tunnel under construction in Los Angeles two years ago, the LA Metro banned the use of treated lumber as lagging throughout the subway structure. According to the Los Angeles City Fire Marshal, hot slag from a cutting torch started the treated pine lagging, used to support the tunnel, to smolder. Then, without noticing, workers installed a plastic vapor liner over the smoldering wood. The lagging may have smoldered for eight hours or more before breaking into open flame and igniting the liner.

LA Metro's decision against treated lumber alarmed members of the wood preservers industry - treated wood has long been the material of choice used as support lagging. Not only did the subway project represent millions of board feet of lumber, but the decision against treated wood could have affected its future use in similar applications.

John Culp, senior engineer at the Western Wood Preservers Institute (WWPI), had been following the subway project because, as he puts it, "At WWPI, a project that size doesn't go unnoticed. " Culp immediately contacted Tim Smimoff, chief tunnel engineer on the project, and urged him to reconsider the decision against using lumber.

Research has shown that the chrome used in the pressure-treated pine lagging was the real problem - when heated, chrome glows. So the goal was to provide LA Metro with a wood treatment that would meet Smirnoffs preservative requirements and mitigate his concerns about fire.

Smirnoff consented to hear Culp out. Smirnoff explains, "Pressure-treated wood has traditionally been used by contractors to build tunnels. Its low cost and high strength in comparison to other materials make it the best for the job. And it's important that we let our contractors compete."

It was suggested that they (LA Metro) do some tests of theirown. They discovered that a 100-watt light bulb will cause chrome in treated pine to glow. In contrast, ignited Chemonite@ (ACZA)-treated Douglas fir extinguished itself. Utility companies have known this for years. Brush fires go right around Chemonite-treated poles. With the assistance of J.H. Baxter Company, Smimoff was presented with tests on the flame-resistant properties of Chemonite conducted by United States Testing Company, Los Angeles. From these tests and the reputation of Chemonite as a preservative, LAMetro reversed its decision, permitting Chemonite-treated Douglas fi r to be used in the construction of the station houses.

Culp is pleased with the decision. He credits their success to good detective work and one-on-one communication, adding that wood has a competitive edge over other products.

Elecks BEAMS Bulkheads DocLs BUMPERS GUARD RAILS

For over half a century, Chemonite has provided unparalleled protection of Douglas fir, and other hard-to-treat wood, against

Regnier Brothers Building Material, Bend, Or., is building a new, 12,000 sq. ft. warehouse and showroom on Highway 20 with plans to move this summer ...

Simon Home Centers, Walnut Creek, Ca., tripled the size of its kitchen and bath dept. to 4,000 sq. ft. with 15 model kitchens at a cost of $75,000 All American Home Centetr Downey, Ca., will have a grand re-opening March 10, to celebrate remodeling ...

Opening of Eagle Hardware & Garden Inc. in Bellewe, Wa., may be delayed 6 months if a recent court ruling requires a new environmental impact statement; Kennewick. Mount Vernon and Puyallup, Wa., and Honolulu, Hi., stores are scheduled to open this year, future sites have been selected in Lynnwood and Evcrett, Wa. (see story p.24)

HomeBase opened an eighth Wasrungton location in Lacey Feb. 13 ... construction of a Home Depot in Encinitas, Ca., was temporarily shelved by the City Council; a Tacoma, Wa., unit opened; a proposed Issaquah. Wa., unit was scrapped; ground was broken for a Rancho Mirage, Ca., stofe; construction continued on a Victorville, Ca., warehouse; permits were granted for a Federal Way, Wa., site and a Bellevue, Wa.. location was beine considered...

Barmon Lumber Monroe, Wa., was named Lumber Dealer of the Year by Jensen-Byrd Hardware ... Copeland Lumber closed a wholesale warehouse in Modesto. Ca. ...

EI Gato Bailding Materials, Los Gatos, Ca., closed with the retirement of owners Walt Pierce and Jack Vodden ... a vacant ex-

Builder's Emporium store burned in Araheim, Ca. ...

Lane Stanton Vance Lumber leased I1,496 sq. l-t. in San Bernardino, Ca., for a distribution/retail center Caffall Bros, Wilsonville, Or., opened a sales div. in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Landmark Forest Products is a new Riverside. Ca.. wholesale distributor established by former staffers of the Marquart-Wolfe plywood operation: Lance Duke, Tom Stanford and Rick Hovick gen. partners ,Sncvely International is a newly organized subsidiary of Snavely Forest Products, .Inc., with headquarters in San Francisco. Ca. ...

Brazier Forest Industries, Seattle, Wa., will close its Molalla, Or., large log mill March 9, retaining part of the crcw to work in a stud mill due 1o open on lhe site April7

Arcato Redwood Co., Arcata" Ca., will close its small llngerjoint plant located next to its main remanufacturing plant due to log supplies March l; main plant is unaffected ...

Western Cal Industrial Lunber has moved to a Long Beach, Ca., location with full yard and mill services .,. Vancouver Door Co., Puyallup, Wa., is building a new operation to replace facilities destroyed by fire last fall and expects t0 begin shipping by early spring...

For the record: oriy Panel-Tex, not sister company Accurate Planing Mill, declued Chapter 11 bankruptcy...

MnckIanburg-Dtrncan, Oklahoma City, Ok., acquired

Wedge lrtnovutiorts lrc., San Jose, Ca., for an undisclosed price Owens- C orning, Toledo, Oh., restruclured its Conslruction Products Group, creating retail and distribution, insulation, roofing and asphalt, and windows divisions, construction products group operations, finance, planning and growth, Owens-Corning Canada and Owens-Corning Europe ...

Wellmade Products, Oakland, Ca., has emerged from bankruptcy protection and relocated mfg. to Merced, Ca. ...Standard Brands Paint Co., Torrance, Ca., expects to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy prolection this spring

American Plywood Association is now recognized in Canada as an accredited tesling and certifi cation agency and can supply trademarks indicating conformance to Canadian standards (see related story p. 28) ...

International Hardware Distributors Associalion is the name selected by merging National Whole sale Hardware As soc iation and American Wholesale Hardware Association; Smith, Bucklin & Associates, Inc., will manage it ... National Forest Praducts Association, America Paper Institute and American Forest Council have merged as the American Forest & Paper Association (see story p. 31)...

National Wood Window & Door Association and Califomia Association of Window Manufacturers are the first Independent Certification and Inspection Agencies licensed by the National Fenestration Rathg Council to provide fenestration product thermal performance certification services "

Housirtg st(/r/s rose 18.57o last year to the highest level in three years and the first increase in six years starts in Dec. (latest flgs.) climbed 5.SVo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.302 million units single family starts increased 3.77o: multis L9.4Vo: building permits 7Vo ... analysts credited the overall improvement to lower interest rates ...

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Hem-Fir Hemlock

Douglas Fir

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PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER