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Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
April 2019 #11237 Page #34
What Decisions Should Truss Builders Be Able to Make?
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n the November 2017 article, “So Who Exactly is Responsible for Lumber Quality?”, we discuss the abundance of quality building materials and the responsibility of the fabricator to evaluate their application in products. We should recall the ultimate decision maker in determining what gets used in the truss is the component manufacturer. So, what are some of the issues our truss builders should be able to identify? The most common defect issue is wane. Wane can exist within grade, so wane alone does not rule out the use of a piece of lumber. Wane becomes a problem when it is in the plated area or impacts the application of sheathing materials. In the first photo, the diagonal web member has extreme wane which prevents proper embedment of the connector. This web should not have been used in this application. While it might have met grade, it is not suitable for this truss.
The second example of a defect is a mill cut. This type of cut can be missed by the graders. It may look insignificant, but the cut creates a stress concentration in the member. This piece of lumber should not be used in trusses because it is compromised.
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