Sell panelized builders a better header

hEALERS and wholesalers that I-f sell to panelized builders realize that the most important consideration in the panelized construction industry is time. From the time it takes to frame a building inside their facility, to the time it takes to have a completed building on the job site-time is key.

"The whole heart-throb of panelization is cost reduction, not only at the job site but within the plant," confirms Phil Barkey of panelized builder LRC. Suppliers, therefore, should find attentive listeners when pitching timesaving new framing products, such as the new breed of engineered headers and beams.

Many of these products are lighter than solid sawn lumber, making them much easier to maneuver in the shop, and consequently the completed wall islighter and easier to erect in the field. They may cost more than green timber, butdon't ignore the hidden cost savings.

Bob Sargent, Advanced Building Components in Nebraska, says that weight is probably the number one issue in the panelized industry when dealing with larger materials for headers and such. "Material handling, whether it's on the shop floor trying to get it built and out the door, or being out on the job site and standing it up. You want products that will meet the criteria of the engineered specifications and you want them lightweight and user friendly."

Rosboro Manufactured Timber, or RMT, is said to be thelightest engineered product on the market. Rosboro claims that the only lighter option is Douglas firlarch timber that has been kiln dried to a moisture content of l5%o or less-nearly impossible to find nowadays. One reason that RMT is so light is because the individual lams are kiln dried before assembly. Bonding agents are the only reason it isslightly heavier than dimensional lumber of the same moisture content.

For example, a typical garage header cut form solid Douglas fir with industry standard 507o moisture content can weigh almost 260 lbs. A RMT of the same size would weigh just over 200 lbs., for a savings of almost 60 lbs. An average wall with a door and a window in it would have a total header weieht of over 150 lbs. using solid lumber, and total header weight of just over 120 lbs. using RMT. With a 30-lb. saving on just one wall, adding up all the headers that are part of a typical residence could realize a total savings in excess of 300 lbs. reduction, not only at the job site but within the plant,"

This drying process prior to manufacture ensures that the product will not twist, split, cup or warp.

RMT is manufactured from dimension lumber that is end-joined to produce an endless piece, and then layered and bonded with multiple layers of the same. Because it is so much like a regular solid sawn timber, it is less dense than other products made from smaller pieces of lumber that are then pressed together and saturated in a hard epoxy.

According to Sargent, "Almost all other EWP products on the market are heavier and denser. Because of that high density, most are more difficult to nail." Removing and replacing bent nails is definitely not a time saver in anyone's book. Even having to finish driving a nail takes time-and costs money.

Because it is an EWP, you can get lengths up to 60 ft., cutting down on waste. Pratt's Jaime Ziparo says they like the 60-footers: "Whatever the longest length we can get."

Another benefit to EWP is that most are shipped wrapped in protective material. RMT is shipped with a protective layer called Liquid Wrap that retards moisture transfer and protects it from uv rays. If the product is exposed to moisture while in transit or storage, this slows the absorption and evaporation process, increasing stability.

In hot, dry climates, keeping a board straight can be a tough fight. According to Ziparo, "The main reason why we pick (RMT) is because it's hard to keep a 7 or 8-ft. piece of Douglas fir timber straight and clean when it's down in the climates we work in-Arizona and Nevada. We don't have to throw any away. We can leave it out in the elements for years."

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