Lumbermen To Cruise TheMexicanRiviera

Hoo-Hoo International is taking to the high seas this fall for its 107th annual convention.

The meeting will be held Oct. 3-10 aboard Carnival Cruise Line's new ship, the Elation, as it cruises the Mexican Riviera.

The fraternal lumber industry organization has opened the cruise to everyone in the lumber industry and their friends. Membership in HooHoo is not required. Aside from board and committee meetings, most of the Hoo-Hoo International functions will be held the final day of the cruise, including elections, award presentations and installation of officers.

After departing Los Angeles, the ship spends two days cruising down the Pacific coast, before arriving in Puerto Vallarta. Then it heads north to Mazatlan, then Cabo San Lucas, and eventually, back to Southern California.

The Elation's lobby is the social centerpiece of a magnificent six-story Atrium. The majestic vessel features miles of deck for sunning and strolling, resort-calibre spa facilities, Las Vegas-style casino and entertainment, fine dining, plus a huge outdoor entertainment area with three pools, six whirlpools and a spiral waterslide.

Daylong stopovers at Mexico's most popular resorts offer watersports, duty-free shopping and sightseeing.

Deadline for reservations and payment is July 9.

For more information, call (800) 454-7174 or (253) 845-5330.

Condo Project Opts For Glulams

A new condominium complex in Lake Tahoe, Ca., specified special glulams rather than laminated veneer lumber in its I-joist floor systems, as well as for door and window headers and roof framing.

that eliminate nailing pieces of LVL together at the job site. "When we use the Power Beams for headers, floor and roof supports, it saves time because no site fabrication is needed," explains the project's contractor, Rick Beck, Iftump Construction. "We can use one beam for the typical span rather than nailing two or three pieces of LVL together."

The supplier, Logan BMC West Lumber, Reno, Nv., has been stocking more Power Beams because of their onepiece stability, zero camber and strength for longer spans-an important factor with the heavy snow loads of the Reno-Tahoe area.

Logan BMC West promotes engineered wood to its customers throughout Nevada and Northern California with technical presentations, design assistance, computer-aided design programs, and on-site supervision.

Due to their extra strength, builders report that the glulams permit a smaller size beam of equal or greater strength for comparable spans. Their l-joist compatible depths (9-112",ll-718", etc.) avoid the problem of shims or overlapping edges.

The Hyatt Regency Vacation Club, a time-share vacation project, used Anthony Forest Products' extra-strength Power Beams, which are manufactured in l-joist depths.

One reason fbr the choice was the shortage of skilled labor, because the beams are solid, one-piece components

"The glulam beam system worked out better than other materials because its design values are stronger than LVL or parallel strand lumber," says structural engineer Cliff Johnson. "Also, the roof system provided higher ceilings because we nailed sheetrock directly to the glulams, and avoided the dropped or suspended ceiling that would have been required with steel framing."

The complex includes six structures: an administration building, an activity building with pool, two three-story structures, and two two-story buildings housing 60 time share units.

Littleton Lumber Clerk Arrested

A clerk at a local Hugh M. Woods Lumber store has been arrested for reporting to police that he sold bombmaking materials to the two Littleton, Co., high school students who went on a shooting rampage, killing 15, according to Sheriff John Stone.

Salesman Gary Sowell, 50, claimed Columbine High School students

Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, wearing trench coats and heavy boots, visited the store as many as a dozen times to purchase materials such as propane tanks, wire, nails and screws.

"When I asked them, 'What are you using it for?,' they said, 'School,"' reported Sowell.

Since the April l3 attack, at least 5l pipe bombs were found in and around the school and at the Harris home.

Stone said investigators examined inventory receipts and concluded that Sowell lied about selling the materials. Sowell was charged April 29 wih making a false report to authorities, a misdemeanor, and was booked into the county jail on $1,000 bond. "Maybe this will slow down some of these crackpot calls that we're getting," Stone said.

HomeBase's New Poison Pill

The board of HomeBase. Irvine. Ca., adopted a new "poison pill" shareholder rights plan to ward off takeover bids considered unfair to shareholders.

Under the new plan, the board has l0 days after an investor amasses over l5Vo of the company's shares to decide if the move is a takeover attempt and if the plan should be instituted. Ifso, the board can give away or sell stock at a discount to existing shareholders, but not the new investor, diluting the value ofthe l57o stake.

Under the previous plan, which was expiring, directors had less time to analyze offers before deciding whether to trigger the plan, said cfo Bill Langsdorf.

Door & Window Groups Unite

Realizing they share common concerns on building code and regulatory issues, eight different door and window organizations have formed the Fenestration Industry Alliance to better represent the industry at code hearings.

Initial members: Window & Door Mfrs. Assn., Builders Hardware Mfrs. Assn., Door & Hardware Institute, Sealed Insulating Glass Mfrs. Assn., Primary Glass Mfrs. Council, Glazing Industry Code Council, National Fenestration Rating Council, American Architectural Mfrs. Assn.

Plastic Lumber In The West

After Werner Zink invented a machine that removed glue and labels from recycled plastic bottles, barrels, jugs and cartons, he sensed an opportunity to capitalize on the decline of lumber sales.

Resco Plastics produces 2x4 to l2xl2 dimension lumber for bench frames, posts, and mailbox posts, with hopes to eventually manufacture tongue-and-groove plastic decking. "We're slowly creeping up on the wood guys," Zink laughs. The lumber comes in brown, gray and blue, with a wood-like grain.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Manase- ment in eastern Oregon's Prineville district is using the firm's 4x6s for campground picnic tables. While not as cool as wood to sit on, the plastic doesn't need painting and is more durable against vandalism. "It costs probably a third more than wood," says BLM's Roy Tidwell, " but in the long run we'll do better because the tables won't need any maintenance."

According to Zink, Resco Plastics is the only plastic lumber producer between Vancouver, British Columbia, and San Francisco. "We're ready to rock and roll," Zink says, adding that his plastic lumber can also be used for skids, pallets and pier bumper boards.

Ergonomics Proposal Costly

An ergonomics regulation proposed by OSHA could increase business'cost from $180 per back injury to $21,660, according to Deborah Hayden, v.p. of operations, Tindell's Builders Supply Inc., Knoxville, Tn. "(OSHA) can ruin us with one erroneous interpretation, and this draft standard is rampant with possibilities," warned Hayden, one of 20 small business representatives hand-picked by the Small Business Administration and OSHA to evaluate OSHAs Draft Ergonomics Program Standard.

One of the biggest problems with the draft cited by Hayden is a Medical Management Removal provision in conflict with many state workers' compensation plans. The provision would allow employees up to six months to recover from their Workplace Muskulo-skeletal Disorders (WMSD) at l00Vo wages/salary plus benefits.

OSHAs definition of a WMSD would include back strain, sprains, swelling, etc., related to heavy lifting or repetitive motions. Hayden contends that the nature of the building supply industry and the necessity of manual handling would subject the industry to excess scrutiny by OSHA inspectors.