How are truss plates installed at a factory

[home...@home.com]

How are truss plates installed at a factory?

I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner. Apparently
these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.

Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:
http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-plate.jpg
(randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).

[Harry K]

On Jan 3, 8:37 am, homeow...@home.com wrote:
> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner.  Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>

> Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-p...

> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).

Yes they do. I had the same problem with the few I have used.

Harry K

[Tim Watts]

Which is weird (and slightly worrying) because you can go to any builder's
or timber merchant and see them for sale.

Don't you usually add some 1" flat head nails if applying by hand?

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/

"It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent
moral busybodies."

[home...@home.com]

There must be some sort of tool made to install these things at home.
They sure are popular these days. Actually, I did install one of them
using a press (of sorts). I was just seeing if it would work on some
scrap lumber. The results were better than using a hammer, but not
really acceptable. I parked my farm tractor where I planned to use the
truss plate. Then placed the boards on a flat concrete surface, (under
one edge of the tractor). I placed the truss plate across the boards.
Then put a heavy piece of 1/2" thick steel on top of the truss plate.
Took my handyman jack, put the base of the jack on top of that piece of
steel, and jacked up the tractor. The weight of the jack and tractor
did push the pins from the truss plate into the wood, but it was not
even. I suppose the jack was not exactly centered and/or weight not
evenly distributed as the tractor was raised.

In the end, the result was better than using a hammer, but I still had
to use a hammer to even it out, and some of the pins had bent rather
than gone into the wood.

Not the ideal situation and it would be a lot of work to make a large
truss in this way, if not impossible because there is limited space
under the tractor tires. However, it was an experiment.

[Paul Drahn]

My father worked for a few years at a family friends truss mfg plant.
Yes, the plates are all applied using a hydraulic press.

Paul

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 10:37 AM, home...@home.com wrote:
> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner. Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.

...

W/ automated presses. At factory they have jigs generally for an entire
truss set up where all the pieces are placed in and then either all are
pressed w/ multiple-head press or in sequence if don't have that big a
setup.

There are individual presses available but actual truss plates aren't
really intended to be hand-applied.

What gear is around looks something like

<http://www.eaglemetal.com/equipment.php>

You'll have no success w/ just a hammer coming close to meeting Code
reqmt's for anything excepting the small connectors/hangers,
cross-bracing, etc., etc., ... A regular truss plate is almost
impossible to install successfully w/o a press for the purpose.

--

[home...@home.com]

On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:03:21 +0000, Tim Watts <tw+u...@dionic.net>
wrote:

>On Thursday 03 January 2013 16:41 Harry K wrote in alt.home.repair:
>
>> On Jan 3, 8:37 am, homeow...@home.com wrote:
>>> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>>>
>>> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
>>> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner. Apparently
>>> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>>>
>>> Just to be clear, I'm referring to
>>> these:http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-
>nail-p...
>>> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).
>>
>> Yes they do. I had the same problem with the few I have used.
>>
>> Harry K
>
>Which is weird (and slightly worrying) because you can go to any builder's
>or timber merchant and see them for sale.
>
>Don't you usually add some 1" flat head nails if applying by hand?

Yes, they are sold at all building supply places and hardware stores. I
really never understood why either....

I've never built trusses, but made frames for barn doors, where the 2x4s
are laid flat. All those truss plates did was piss me off. I finally
bought the plain flat steel ones with lots of holes in them, and pounded
in a fistful of roofing nails in each plate. At least those work. The
last door I built, I didn't have any of those things on hand, so I just
took some scrap galvanized tin from furnace ducts, cut out squares, and
drove a lot of roofing nails thru the metal. Worked fine, and saved a
few bucks too.

[home...@home.com]

On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:53:16 -0800, Paul Drahn <pdr...@webformixair.com>
wrote:

Exactly what I thought. But that does make me question why they are
sold at almost all the home centers and lumber yards????

You'd think that they would sell some sort of installation tool.
Although I dont think any hand tool would apply enough pressure. I
thought of using C-clamps over heavy steel plates but I dont even need
to try it, because you just cant apply enough pressure that way.

I'd like to see a photo of one of these presses they use in a factory.
Google didn't find anything (so far).

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 12:37 PM, home...@home.com wrote:
...

> I'd like to see a photo of one of these presses they use in a factory.
> Google didn't find anything (so far).

See link I posted earlier...

--

[DerbyDad03]

On Jan 3, 1:29 pm, dpb <n...@non.net> wrote:
> On 1/3/2013 10:37 AM, homeow...@home.com wrote:> How are truss plates installed at a factory?

Hmm...I stood my 2 x 8 beam on top of a couple of 8' 4 x 4's, flush
with the outer edges, and hammered Home Depot truss plates across the
seams to secure them. The deck is then cantilevered about 3' off of
that beam.

It only wobbles a little. ;-)

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 3:54 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
...

> Hmm...I stood my 2 x 8 beam on top of a couple of 8' 4 x 4's, flush
> with the outer edges, and hammered Home Depot truss plates across the
> seams to secure them. The deck is then cantilevered about 3' off of
> that beam.
>
> It only wobbles a little. ;-)

:)

I will, however, hold to my supposition that an ANSI test wouldn't pass
on that... :)

I read somewhere that one of the deck failures in KC a few years ago may
have been owing at least in part to that type of on-site connection.

You have, I hope, added some other fasteners???

--

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 12:37 PM, home...@home.com wrote:
...

> I'd like to see a photo of one of these presses they use in a factory.
> Google didn't find anything (so far).

<http://www.clark-ind.com/triAxisPress.aspx>

--

[home...@home.com]

On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:16:38 -0500, gfre...@aol.com wrote:

>They use a hydraulic press but I have done it with the smaller ones
>using a 1/4" steel plate and a 16 pound sledge.
>
>BTW if you look at the ones at the hardware store, it says "not for
>trusses" right on them.
>Inspectors will look for that if you do not have the engineering from
>the truss plant stapled to your plan. They may reject them anyway if
>you don't have engineering.

I never saw those words on them, but I dont see small print without
reading glasses, and I dont wear glasses when I build. At the same
time, that is pretty stupid. They are called TRUSS PLATES, yet they are
not for trusses...... WTF?

[home...@home.com]

Holy shit, they are a lot bigger than I thought. It says they press 63
tons. I'd think that would crush the lumber.... No wonder the weight of
a farm tractor dont push them in all the way.

Interesting read though! Thanks

[home...@home.com]

At least these are more of a home operated unit, but I'm sure they are
costly. They dont list the prices on their site.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

I've seen used field repair presses for about $7,000. I imagine the
normal ones new are about $10,000.

[DerbyDad03]

In reality there are three 4 x 4's sandwiched between two 14’ 2 x 8 beams.
The beams are attached to each of the posts with 2 carriage bolts, slightly
staggered.

Very similar to this, except that my deck is only 6’ off the ground.

http://www.nachi.org/forum/attachments/f16/27581d1237737433-deck-support-illustration-100_2761-small-.jpg

http://tinyurl.com/Deckbeam

25 years, no wobble.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

The ones I saw were no bargain. Look at
http://www.wasserman-associates.com/ccs/Wasserman_Used_List.php?Category_Items1Page=9&PHPSESSID=b4qoe4209uvf3u59imj7fo2sk1

14 foot gantry roller for $4000, c clamp presses for $1250, Gantry
press for $8000 etc, etc.

[Doug]

Personally looking at this picture, I don't like the stability of the
columns in the plane of the 3 columns. If it were me, I'd add some
knee braces but in your case since the columns are shorter, may be
fine.

[Harry K]

Yes, they even have special nails just for that. But there is nothign
wierd about it. Talk to the bean counters about how much cheaper and
more effieient it is to press them in than pay a guy to hammer them
in.

Harry K

[Harry K]

On Jan 3, 7:23 pm, homeow...@home.com wrote:
> On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:16:38 -0500, gfretw...@aol.com wrote:

> >On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:37:32 -0600, homeow...@home.com wrote:
>
> >>How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> >>I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> >>They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner.  Apparently
> >>these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>
> >>Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:

> >>http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-p...

> >>(randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).
>
> >They use a hydraulic press but I have done it with the smaller ones
> >using a 1/4" steel plate and a 16 pound sledge.
>
> >BTW if you look at the ones at the hardware store, it says "not for
> >trusses" right on them.
> >Inspectors will look for that if you do not have the engineering from
> >the truss plant stapled to your plan. They may reject them anyway if
> >you don't have engineering.
>
> I never saw those words on them, but I dont see small print without
> reading glasses, and I dont wear glasses when I build.  At the same
> time, that is pretty stupid.  They are called TRUSS PLATES, yet they are
> not for trusses...... WTF?

No glasses when nailing stuff cost me my left eye. Safety glasses
were laying within arms reach when it happened. Started nail,
misstrike and ZING Lacerted eye on the way by.

Harry K

[Vic Smith]

It doesn't press the wood. The ram is set to travel only as far as
needed.

[harry]

On Jan 3, 4:37 pm, homeow...@home.com wrote:
> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner.  Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>

> Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-p...

> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).

In the factory they are pressed in hydraulically.
The only way I've been able to install them satisfactorily is with two
metal plates and a big G clamp.
Even then had to move the clamp about.
I don't find them much good for manual use.

I use bolts, big washers and timber connectors (spikey washers) for
stuff like roofs.

[dpb]

That's why they're not approved (Code, that is) for hand installation
for trusses--it more than a hammer to be certain they're fully set in
the material uniformly. (As the other link shows, there are onsite
tools for repair/onsite assembly but they're also pretty clunky for the
average HO. The rental place here has one I noticed last time I was in
there for a magnetic-mount drill...

As another poster says, the travel is limited to not crush the material
but to make sure the plate is seated...

--

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 10:51 PM, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
...

> 14 foot gantry roller for $4000, c clamp presses for $1250, Gantry
> press for $8000 etc, etc.

Truss not failing for lack of proper plate installation--priceless...

:)

--

[dpb]

On 1/3/2013 10:25 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> dpb<no...@non.net> wrote:
...

>> You have, I hope, added some other fasteners???
>
> In reality there are three 4 x 4's sandwiched between two 14’ 2 x 8 beams.
> The beams are attached to each of the posts with 2 carriage bolts, slightly
> staggered.

...

I figured you wouldn't have not, but...

--

[DerbyDad03]

On Jan 4, 12:26 am, Doug <d...@noemailaddress.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Jan 2013 04:25:15 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
>
>
>
>
>

> <teamarr...@eznet.net> wrote:

> >dpb <n...@non.net> wrote:
> >> On 1/3/2013 3:54 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> >> ...
>
> >>> Hmm...I stood my 2 x 8 beam on top of a couple of 8'  4 x 4's, flush
> >>> with the outer edges, and hammered Home Depot truss plates across the
> >>> seams to secure them. The deck is then cantilevered about 3' off of
> >>> that beam.
>
> >>> It only wobbles a little. ;-)
>
> >> :)
>
> >> I will, however, hold to my supposition that an ANSI test wouldn't pass on that... :)
>
> >> I read somewhere that one of the deck failures in KC a few years ago may
> >> have been owing at least in part to that type of on-site connection.
>
> >> You have, I hope, added some other fasteners???
>
> >In reality there are three 4 x 4's sandwiched between two 14’ 2 x 8 beams.
> >The beams are attached to each of the posts with 2 carriage bolts, slightly
> >staggered.
>
> >Very similar to this, except that my deck is only 6’ off the ground.
>

> >http://www.nachi.org/forum/attachments/f16/27581d1237737433-deck-supp...

>
> >http://tinyurl.com/Deckbeam
>
> >25 years, no wobble.
>
> Personally looking at this picture, I don't like the stability of the
> columns in the plane of the 3 columns.  If it were me, I'd add some
> knee braces but in your case since the columns are shorter, may be

> fine.  - Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I agree that the deck in the picture looks like it could use some
diagonals.

The other thing I noticed - and it may just be because of all of the
angles in photo - is that the AC unit does not look level. That would
concern me due to the fan spinning while tilted. Maybe I'm just way
too anal, but I would level the unit.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

MOST truss manufacturing uses a roller rather than a press.

[DerbyDad03]

On Jan 4, 9:54 am, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
> On Fri, 04 Jan 2013 02:32:54 -0600, Vic Smith
>
>
>
>
>

> <thismailautodele...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:29:40 -0600, homeow...@home.com wrote:
>
> >>On Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:16:29 -0600, dpb <n...@non.net> wrote:

>
> >>>On 1/3/2013 12:37 PM, homeow...@home.com wrote:
> >>>...
>
> >>>> I'd like to see a photo of one of these presses they use in a factory.
> >>>> Google didn't find anything (so far).
>
> >>><http://www.clark-ind.com/triAxisPress.aspx>
>
> >>Holy shit, they are a lot bigger than I thought.  It says they press 63
> >>tons.  I'd think that would crush the lumber.... No wonder the weight of
> >>a farm tractor dont push them in all the way.
>
> >>Interesting read though!  Thanks
>
> >It doesn't press the wood.  The ram is set to travel only as far as
> >needed.
>

>   MOST truss manufacturing uses a roller rather than a press.- Hide quoted text -

>
> - Show quoted text -

I buy my truss plates at the borg and then use one of these rollers to
install them. SWMBO understands that I have to use the right tool for
the job.

http://www.adsora.com/media/2008/05/roller-derby-calendar9.jpg

[Doug]

Good point. I didn't look too closely at the a/c but if you are right
about it not being level, I total agree with you.

[DD_BobK]

On Jan 3, 8:37 am, homeow...@home.com wrote:
> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner.  Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>
> Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-p...
> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).

Real truss plates are different than the POS ones sold retail.

I have a friend who owns a truss yard...roof & floor trusses.

In a production situation, the truss pieces are laid out on a truss
assembly table with guides, blocks & stops.
The truss plates are "tacked" in their proper locations by a single
corner with a sharp hammer blow.
A large stiff "roller" that spans the complete truss is made to travel
over it...pressing the plates home. (keep your fingers clear!)

http://www.mitek-us.com/Machinery/Truss_Assembly/RailRider_Pro/

Mitek is the mfr of plates my friend uses... they are the "biggie" in
the industry (at least as far as I'm aware)


cheers
Bob

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:45:43 -0600, Doug <do...@noemailaddress.com>

Fans don't give a hoot what angle they run at as long as they are not
being moved. The compressor/condenser on the other hand may be
sensitive to slope - work tilted one way but not the other??

[Vic Smith]

A roller press. I've only operated vertical presses, and never saw a
roller press in action.
Seems it would press the plate in starting at some slight angle, and I
wonder if there is different tooth design than for plates set with a
vertical press.
Looked a bit, but still don't know.
Hell, I didn't even know they were using trusses for residential
roofs.
This was interesting.
www.woodaware.info/PDFs/Trusses.pdf

[The Daring Dufas]

She's cute but reminds me of Harley Quinn, The Joker's sidekick. ^_^

TDD

[Doug]

I think you got it reversed but I'm no authority. I'll ask my a/c guy
next time I see him. Personally I've never seen an a/c like in the
picture tilted and I've seen more than most people.

[Doug]

In engineering, you never want the failure to occur at the joint
(connection) because it will be more like an immediate failure. You
will prefer it to be a member failure where failure is not immediate
allowing some time for escape such as in a building.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

On Sat, 05 Jan 2013 11:38:51 -0600, Doug <do...@noemailaddress.com>

There are fans installed at all imaginable angles for various
purposes and reasons.

Compressors are oil filled for lubrication and cooling - and GENERALLY
do not have oil pumps, so they are dependent on gravity for keeping
the oil reserve in the right place. Tilt them too far the wrong way
and they ares lubrication starved, too far the other way and the oil
is foamed brom being mechanically thrashed.

[dpb]

I never wanted a failure at all... :) The NRC rather frowns on that as
a design feature.

W/O actual data, just observing failures of roofs, etc., in light
construction it appears that most are buckling failures rather than
connection or fracture. In all likelihood it's the lateral support that
fails first so that then there's not a coplanar structure w/ essentially
all axial load but sideways bending that isn't nearly so strong and then
continuing failure is nearly certain...

--

[DerbyDad03]

On Jan 5, 12:13 pm, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@stinky-

Change the 9 in the link to any number between 1 & 12, and choose the
"roller" of your choice.

Now, follow these segues....

Growing up in NYC, we used to go the Roller Derby at Madison Square
Garden quite often.

A great Roller Derby movie to rent is "Rollerball" starring James
Caan. It was made in 1975 and set in 2018. Very violent.

If you like "futuristic movies" from the '70's try this one:

"Death Race 2000" Starring David Carradine & Sylvester Stallone (1975)
(also very violent)

Another great one from the 70's, although not so much a futuristic
plot, is the 1974 movie "Phantom of the Paradise".

I've always referred to it as a rock version of The Phantom of the
Opera, but Wikipedia takes it a few steps beyond that:

"Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 American musical horror film
written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted
mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and
Faust, and also briefly references Frankenstein, Psycho, and The
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."

How can you possibly go wrong with that combination? ;-)

[The Daring Dufas]

On 1/5/2013 1:56 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Jan 5, 12:13 pm, The Daring Dufas <the-daring-du...@stinky-
> finger.net> wrote:

****Trim Excess****

I have seen both old and new versions of Death Race and they're all fun.
I remember "Rollerball" another hoot but I've been a fan of all
the futuristic SciFi movies especially the low budget cheesy ones that
make me laugh. Me and a lot of my friends love old Japanese monster
movies "Rook! Godzirra!". I've been fan of SciFi since I was a kid
reading everything I could get my hands on written by the likes of the
masters such as Arthur C. Clarke, Theodore Sturgeon, Ray Bradbury and
scores of others. It's fun to watch all the old futuristic movies and
see things that are common today like video billboards, tablet
computers, PDA's, video communications, stun guns, etc. Remember the
movie "Blade Runner"? The police cars had multiple flashing lights all
over them and what do see today? SciFi was once considered nerdy kid
stuff but now it's become mainstream with big budgets and big stars. I
suppose one could call it, revenge of the nerds. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

On 1/5/2013 12:39 PM, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Jan 2013 11:38:51 -0600, Doug <do...@noemailaddress.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:13:57 -0500, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
>>
>>> On Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:45:43 -0600, Doug <do...@noemailaddress.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, 4 Jan 2013 05:52:37 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
>>>> <teama...@eznet.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Jan 4, 12:26 am, Doug <d...@noemailaddress.com> wrote:
>>>>>> On Fri, 4 Jan 2013 04:25:15 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> <teamarr...@eznet.net> wrote:
>>>>>>> dpb <n...@non.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 1/3/2013 3:54 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>>>>>>>> ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Hmm...I stood my 2 x 8 beam on top of a couple of 8' 4 x 4's, flush
>>>>>>>>> with the outer edges, and hammered Home Depot truss plates across the
>>>>>>>>> seams to secure them. The deck is then cantilevered about 3' off of
>>>>>>>>> that beam.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> It only wobbles a little. ;-)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I will, however, hold to my supposition that an ANSI test wouldn't pass on that... :)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I read somewhere that one of the deck failures in KC a few years ago may
>>>>>>>> have been owing at least in part to that type of on-site connection.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> You have, I hope, added some other fasteners???
>>>>>>

>>>>>>> In reality there are three 4 x 4's sandwiched between two 14� 2 x 8 beams.

>>>>>>> The beams are attached to each of the posts with 2 carriage bolts, slightly
>>>>>>> staggered.
>>>>>>

>>>>>>> Very similar to this, except that my deck is only 6� off the ground.

Many compressors DO have oil pumps especially the semi-hermetics and the
larger sized home AC compressors. The common AC compressors are not
necessarily splash lubed but have spiral groves cut in the lower shaft
inside the bearings which pickup oil from the crankcase when the shaft
is spinning using what is called a reed pump. There are even variations
of the reed pumps which have check valves to keep oil up in the bearings
of the compressor. As you mentioned you don't want your compressor
tipped too far because the oil will accumulate away from the reed pump
pickup tube. ^_^

TDD

[DerbyDad03]

OK, this is spooky. I turned on the TV just as I was reading your post. I
have my cable box set to default to the Science Channel when powered on.

They are running a marathon of Prophets Of Science Fiction episodes today.
It's currently 8:30 here. The 9:00 episode has the following description:

"Philip K. Dick inspired Bladerunner and influenced law enforcement."

Wow!

[The Daring Dufas]

Wild isn't it? The giant video billboards in the movie were considered
SciFi not that many years ago. I can't wait for "Vampire Strippers From
Outer Space" to become science fact. ^_^

TDD

[tom]

<home...@home.com> wrote in message
news:jncbe89jeqghp68j1...@4ax.com...

> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner. Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>
> Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:

> http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-plate.jpg

> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).
>

Large rollers or hydraulic rams.

[Doug]

Sounds reasonable so maybe I'm wrong. Still will try to remember to
ask my a/c guy who I hope I don't need to see for a long time <g>.

[Doug]

On Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:44:11 -0600, dpb <no...@non.net> wrote:

>On 1/5/2013 11:43 AM, Doug wrote:
>> On Fri, 04 Jan 2013 07:11:18 -0600, dpb<no...@non.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On 1/3/2013 10:51 PM, cl...@snyder.on.ca wrote:
>>> ...
>>>
>>>> 14 foot gantry roller for $4000, c clamp presses for $1250, Gantry
>>>> press for $8000 etc, etc.
>>>
>>> Truss not failing for lack of proper plate installation--priceless...
>>>
>>> :)
>>
>>
>> In engineering, you never want the failure to occur at the joint
>> (connection) because it will be more like an immediate failure. You
>> will prefer it to be a member failure where failure is not immediate
>> allowing some time for escape such as in a building.
>
>I never wanted a failure at all... :) The NRC rather frowns on that as
>a design feature.
>

:-) Good Point !!! I was talking about the philosophy of
engineering design.

>
>W/O actual data, just observing failures of roofs, etc., in light
>construction it appears that most are buckling failures rather than
>connection or fracture. In all likelihood it's the lateral support that
>fails first so that then there's not a coplanar structure w/ essentially
>all axial load but sideways bending that isn't nearly so strong and then
>continuing failure is nearly certain...

Right, all beams and trusses need light lateral support on the
compression flange or you can get failure as you described. The
lateral support must be at a specified spacing per code. If my
memory is correct, what you described is called buckling failure or to
expand on the words... buckling failure of the compression flange.
You sound like you are engineering aware or just observant. Most
people are neither :-( .

[dpb]

On 1/6/2013 1:25 PM, Doug wrote:
...

> You sound like you are engineering aware ...

BSNE, MS Phys(NucSci)

--

[guit...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, January 3, 2013 at 11:37:32 AM UTC-5, home...@home.com wrote:
> How are truss plates installed at a factory?
>
> I've tried to install these things with a hammer, and it just dont work.
> They get all dented up and just dont make a good fastner. Apparently
> these factories have a press that pushes the whole plate into the wood.
>
> Just to be clear, I'm referring to these:
> http://imgusr.tradekey.com/o-B49328-20061003073454/truss-plate-nail-plate.jpg
> (randomly chosen website to obtain a picture).

In the old days of putting trusses together manually they would use what they called a stomper. It was essentially a truck axle with a steel plate welded to the flange. They would lay the truss on its side and stand on it then raise the stomper and slam the steel plate down onto the gusset plate, driving the entire gusset into the wood. It wasn't perfect but it worked.

[gfre...@aol.com]

I have used a big sledge hammer holding the handle vertically and
using the flat top of the hammer head.
These will not be legal trusses but they worked OK for my shed.
Truss factories use a hydraulic press.

[Colonel Edmund J. Burke]

I've heard of unfortunate folks who must wear a truss.
Is that the same thing?

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Actually all the truss factories around here use a roller.
Similar to this: http://www.eidemachinery.com/images/auto14tr1.JPG

I believe there are hand (or arm) operated "squeezers" made for
field installation of truss plates. Uses something like this:
http://www.jackxchange.com/products/A-310.cfm with an enerpac or
portapower.

Eagle apparently sells one:
http://mabank-tx.all.biz/frptm15-eagles-field-repair-press-g156532#.WHqBdOQzU1I
So does Mitek:
http://www.mitek.com.au/Products/Machinery/Machinery-Product-Range/Presses-and-Jigs/Portable-Site-Press/


Here is another way : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT2Ce2oLyA

Or a steel plate on the end of a sced 40 steel pipe, with a "drop
hammer" or "slide hammer" weight that you slam down the pipe to hit
the plate. - something like a fence post driver.


Or use a "whacker" plate tamper perhaps?