Driving into work today I bet you didn’t think you would spend time reading about high-heels, did ya? Honestly, I didn’t think I would be reading or writing about them, but that’s just life in the truss industry. You never know what you’re in for on any given day. Well, if the only Stiletto you care about is a hammer and not women’s footwear, May’s Technical Q&A with Dan Hawk is right up your alley. He addresses blocking for raised heel trusses in the 2009 and 2012 IRC codes. As energy codes and green building trends increase heels, it’s easy to understand some form of blocking should be used, but we’re early enough in the adoption that there are opportunities for improvement in how the industry blocks raised heels. The SBCRI is on the scene and working toward integrating testing with engineering mechanics to provide more efficient load transfer solutions in raised heel trusses.
Business is picking up. People are building again and you want to cash in and increasing your production capacity. You have two options: hire additional employees or ramp up existing production. Right? First off, what a great problem to have. Second, read “Manual Labor” to challenge your thought process and gain valuable insight from a few smart men who eat, breathe and sell equipment.
Last week a friend of mine forwarded a photo of a guy with a nail sticking out of his eyebrow. At quick glance it looks like a 12d nail embedded about 3/4” into the guy’s forehead. Turns out the guy works for the contractor whose home base is next door to our lumberyard and truss plant and whom I’ve known since we were kids playing baseball at the sandlot. He’s worked for many different contractors in town since he was a teenager and is one of the most competent framers I know. Rumor has it he was wearing his hardhat AND safety glasses. His co-worker was nailing off a joist below him, didn’t have the nail gun depressed all the way and shot the nail into a knot deflecting it into this guy’s head. It goes to show that even when you are doing everything right, dumb luck still pops up and smacks you in the head. In this case it happened to be a 12d gun nail. This month’s “Employee Training Tools” addresses common safety tips and improving your safety culture. If you find yourself struggling to convey the importance of continuous safety to your employees or coworkers, share this anecdote with them and remind them that even if they’re doing everything right it doesn’t mean somebody else might not try to play cupid with a nail gun and their forehead.