DFPA's Sensotionql New 'Plyclips' Development Proves Amqzing Sovings in Building Projects

New Fostening Edge Blocking

Cuts Cost

All too often, the necessity for stifiening unsupported ed'ges bettseen primar^t sttfl>orts in a plywooC roof-dechi'ng job has blocbed the sale of ltlywood. Now the Douglas Fir Plywood' Association has develolted. a tninimutn-cost substitute for this forru of stifieninq that it bnows will develop a substantial interest from bui,lders and, logically, the lumberyard and building materials dealers in a position to swpply builders.

That is not an idle statement.

The Douglas Fir Phutood Association ran an aduertisbment ertolling the ztirtues ol /a-inch plyzuood, deching oaer sufports on 4-foot centers. The builder had wsed another z,ersion of a clip rnanwfactured on a custono basis at substantially greater cost than the cost at zuhich the PlyClips reported, in the story belout are now aaailable. There was onl\ a ltassing reference to the Clilts but the ad prod,uced a tremendous response.

That interest in tke Clips continued and the DFPA was helpless in ztiew of the fact that they were not aaailable nationally at any kind, of reasonable cost.

With that bacleground,, the Douglas Fir Plywood, Association had its Research Foundation deaelop the idea as an actual frod,uct, and PlyClips are the result.

The following story is of more-thon-usual New Products interest to The MERCHANT's readers and we hope you see ;t that zuay, too. The DFPA will suffly any further information or detail need.ed.

A simple new fastening that stiffens panel edges in a plywood roof deck at a fraction of the cost of conventional 2x4 blocking has been developed by the Plywood Research Foundation of Tacoma, Washington. This is the product development agency for Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

The device is an "H" shaped aluminum alloy clip designed to slip over plywood panel edges at midspan between rafters or purlins. It looks like a section out of an "I" beam with exaggerated flanges. The clip stiffens the joint between two adjacent panels by transferring a concentrated load from one panel edge to the next.

The clips are marketed nationally under the name PlyClips (patent pending). They will be sold through wholesale distributors and retailers in the building materials field.

The clips are a fully adequate substitute lor 2x4 blocking at panel edges whenever it is required-with one exception. This occurs in a plywood roof deck engineered as a horizontal diaphragm to transmit maximum allorvable shear.

PlyClips cost the user 3/z cents each or less depending upon local markups. E,stimated savings with these or similar fastenings on six actual construction jobs ranged all the way from $14.50 to $49 per thousand sq. ft. of roof surface, depending on how blocking costs are figured. These buildings included a supermarket, a school, a big warehouse and a small factory building.

Elimination of blocking, in addition to the economies involved, also provides a cleaner surface in the ceiling of the building and simplifies construction procedures with various kinds of patented roof supports such as nailable steel bar joists. The clips may also be helpful where the roofing contractor insists on some form of stiftening panel edges as a requisite to a bonded job.

PlyClipr (lop photo)

PlyClips have been subjected to exhaustive testing by DFPA's engineering research laboratory. This shows the clips will double the concentrated load (up to an averag'e ultimate load of 850 lbs.) a panel will bear at its edgis within any allowable deflection. The clips recluce the differential deflection between panel edges to less than l/16 incl.r nnder concentrated loads of 250 pounds applied at the clip.

Te-sting involved static and repetitive loading on all standard thicknesses. lfere are the resulting recommendatiorrs for the more usual roof designs :

With /s inch fir plywood li'id across srlpports on Z-ft. centers, stiffening of panel edges is not a structural require- ment and most building codes accept this. However, the 1958 edition of the lJniform Building Code, some local codes, some building officials and the preferences of individual builders may dictate additional edge support. In this case one PlyClip at midspan does the job.

With % inch plywood decking over supports on 4 ft. center, use two clips on each span on approximately 16 in. centers. This is adequate for a 30 lb. design load.

Where the design load is greater than 30 lbs. in this form of construction, 13/16 inch plywood with one clip at midspan is adequate.

PlyClips are more than I inch long and /a-inch wide with webs corresponding to the plywood thickness. Flanges are tapered and slightly rounded at the edges to ease placement on the panel edge. They are available in sizes suitable for %,'1, ){ )( and 13/16-inch plywood thicknesses.

The clips are packaged for easy handling on the jobsite. They come 500 to a box with four boxes in a package. Four packages of 2,000 clips each comprise a minimum wholesale shipment of 8,000 clips.

For further sales and product information, write the Plywood Research Foundation, Tacoma, Washington.

To get an accurate picture on comparative costs, the Foundation supplied PlyClips to a number of builders with jobs in profJress and surveyed several others in which earlier versions of the idea u'ere employed. These generally involved an "H" clip consisting of two steel cl.rannels rveldecl back to back. Here are some specific figures:

For example, Nelson Construction in Tacoma-used in clips at 7f cents each on 27,000 sq. ft. used steel sq. ft. of /a inch plywoocl ff*a.l#,1,,15',:'fu| .,,,*, 01.,', i:.71 , ll$v:..:ifl allowance for labor and an estimated 23-cent installed cost for each unit of 2x4 blocking. on 4 ft. centers. Estirnated cost of 2x4 blocking \\'as $23.80 per thousancl sr1. ft. of roof. Cost of clips rvas $8.30 for the same area. This provi<les for a total savirrgs of $391.50. hr Pl-roer-rix, Arizona, A. P. Tell, an industrial developer. trsed PlyClips at a cost of 3l cents each on 40,000 sq. ft.

NI. \\:. Loving, an Akron, Ohio, builder, used clips on a plyu'ood deck over nailable steel bar joists on 4-ft. centers in a small factorv building. He estimates his blocking cost at about $60 a thousancl sq. ft. of roof and, allowing $11 a thousand for the cost of clips, he reports a savings of $49 per thousand sq. ft.

\\titlr supports on 2 or |-ft. centers, about 125 clips are recluirecl per thousand sq. ft. at a cost of about $5 or less. Contractors' own estimates on the in-place cost of blocking range all the u.ay from $22.80 to more than $60 for the satne area.

Iu matry cases, the necessity for blocking certain spans and parrel thicknesses has caused builclers to discarcl the iclea of plvu.ood roof sheathing. In view of these savings figures arrcl the ease of irrstallation rvith Pl1'Clips, it should be feasible to rlse plyu'oocl in many instances wl.rere it was prer-iousll' cliscarclecl as a possible solution to a sheathing problem.

Al Peirce Co. Moves to New Sire In Ocecrn Cenler Bldg., long Beoch

ol %" plyu'ood roof clecking nailed to woocl purlir.rs on 2-ft. centers. Tell estin.rates the cost of blocking the panel eclges at $50 a thorrsand sq. ft. He says that PlyClips eliminate<l half this cost providing for a total savings of $1,000 orr the job.

March Construction Compar.ry in Tacoma figures a total savings of $425 on a 20,000 sq. ft. sultermarket roof involv-

Ilill Hanen, mallager of Al Peirce Cornpany, ancl his staff I'rave moved to larger qlrarters in the Ocean Cer.rter building, Loug Beacl'r, California. The lurnber cargo wirolesale concern movecl last nronth from Srrite 801 to Suite 526, where more room and greater privacy was available for the clerical and sales staffs rn'ith a bearrtiful view of the Pacific ocean. The new motif of office clecoration includes bright fiberglass drapes, hot clrink dispenser and every conrfort for the personnel. The Al Peirce organization offers a cornplete wholesale lurnber service via cargo, trr-rck-and-trailer. arrcl bperates its own sawmills and ship, which assrlres pronrpt service to Southern California retail lumber dealers.

Fred Welch Nqmed Hyster Sqles qnd Service Monoger

ing fu-rnch plywood 2-ft. centers. This is

Fred Ii. Welch, former rlanager of Hyster Company's San F rancisco clealership, has been made nranager of the company's sales and service division at Portlancl, Oregon, where he will be responsible for all pre-selling ancl post-selling activities of the company's clornestic and export sales divisior.rs for both tractor eqrripr-r-rent anci inclrrstrial trucks. \\''elch joined Hyster Sales Conrpany, a Portland, Oregon, factor_v oirtlet, in -1948 with a background in the constrrlction inclustry and the sales fielcl. He was later nrade manager of the Hyster-Seattle store, a position he held for two and a half 1'ears until he was transferred to the managership of the San Francisco store.